| Turf Tavern | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Central Oxford | |
| General information | |
| Coordinates | 51°45′17″N 1°15′11″W / 51.7547°N 1.253°W |
| Owner | Greene King |
| Website | |
| Turf Tavern website | |
The Turf Tavern is a pub in central Oxford, England. Its foundations and use as a malt house and drinking tavern date back to 1381.[citation needed] The low-beamed front bar area was put in place sometime in the 17th century.[1] It was originally called the Spotted Cow but the name was changed in 1842, likely as part of an effort to extinguish its reputation as a venue for illegal gambling activities.[citation needed]
The pub is frequented primarily by students. It is located at the end of a narrow winding alley, St Helens Passage (originally Hell's passage), between Holywell Street and New College Lane, near the Bridge of Sighs.[2] Running along one side of the pub is one of the remaining sections of the old city wall. Due to the illegal activities of many of its original patrons, the Turf sprang up in an area just outside the city wall in order to escape the jurisdiction of the governing bodies of the local colleges.[3]
- ^ "Turf Tavern pub in Oxford". Greene King Local Pubs. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Find a Hidden Oxford Pub Down a Secret Alley". TripSavvy. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Oxford's Turf Tavern to undergo a facelift". Oxford Mail. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2018.