The Eagle and Child, Oxford

The Eagle and Child was just the sort of plaace I needed…a bar.

I had sprinted from work to my busstop to try and catch the last bus that would get to Bicester in time for the club run that night, and as I dodged traffic crossing the last street I saw the bus a hundred meters down the road.  I flagged the bus, the driver put his blinkers on and I started to filter my way past the long queue of riders waiting for other busses.  A woman at the front of the line, assessing the intentions of all of us, decided that none needed that bus and waved the driver on (what a fucking asshole!); at that very moment a big plop of bird shit hit my shoulder.  I was due a drink.

The E&C is a pretty old bar with low ceilings and long narrow passages that serve as the seating areas.  It seems a good place to go enjoy a bit of conversation with one or two friends but unless the back area opens up a bit it probably isn’t right for a large gathering.  The beer, a Purity Brewery UBU, was cheap and served in a glass with a handle which would have come in handy to throw at a bus queue busybody or a magpie.