A PUB will bring a bit of the countryside to East Oxford when it reopens today.

The James Street Tavern, off Cowley Road, shut in March but has been refurbished.

The new owners plan for it to become a community pub and will offer live music, real ales and “real pub grub”.

It has been taken over by the managers of The Half Moon in St Clement’s. Both pubs are owned by Greene King.

New manager Lisa Jaskulla said: “We are going to bring something different to the area.

“We are going to focus on the ale and have families in there and real pub grub, which is really difficult to find around here. And the country pub concept is very unique.”

She added: “We are trying to attract local customers and have it as a community pub.

“Most pubs only focus on students, but this will be a place where grown-ups and families can come and enjoy themselves and have a relaxing evening.”

The pub will offer locally-produced real ales, including three Greene King ales and three from other producers within a 50-mile radius.

There will also be live music in the evenings, including Scandinavian folk music, a weekly blues night and an open mic night.

Miss Jaskulla said Greene King had spent the last two weeks refurbishing the pub, including installing a dark wooden bar.

She said: “The interior is really nice now. It is very cosy and very warm.”

Miss Jaskulla has been manager of The Half Moon for 18 months and in the pub trade for eight years.

She said: “If you get the concept right – how to treat the customers and make them feel special – they will want to come back.

“This is what we have achieved in The Half Moon – a community pub.”

Chairman of the Oxford branch of Camra Neil Hoggarth said: “This is a good news story and we welcome it.

“The pub has been boarded up for a while, so it is good to see it reopen.”

The Tavern will open its doors at 4pm.