The Bird and Baby

Our last destination took a bit of effort to find. We had read on a posting in the first museum that there was excellent fare to be had at the pub that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien used to frequent: The Rabbit Room. We noted the address, looked to see where it was on the map, and then filed it away in our memories as a dinner location. When dinner came, however, we walked up and down the street listed and saw only two pubs: The Eagle and Child, and the Lamb and Flag. No Rabbit Room. I asked around, and was told that the two pubs we had seen were the only two on that street.

Sad that we couldn't find what we were looking for, we decided to stop and have dinner (some of the best Thai food we've had). We borrowed the restaurant's phone book when we had finished and read through all of the pubs in Oxford. Nothing with Rabbit in the name. Next we looked for any pubs on the street we had investigated. Russell felt sure the address of the Eagle and Child was close to the address we had seen on the posting. On the off chance that the name may have changed, we set off for the Eagle and Child.

Inside, the pub was well kept and comfortable. We ordered a couple pints and sat down in a cozy corner by the fireplace. While we were sitting there, I noticed a photo on the wall labeled "JRR Tolkien" and a plaque next to it explaining that JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis (among other writers) had formed a group they called "The Inklings" that met at this very pub. The back of the menu had the rest of the story. Apparently they always used to meet in a back room called the Rabbit Room (aha!). They had dubbed the pub itself "The Bird and Baby." Among some of the memorabilia in the pub, there was a letter from the Inklings to the owner saying they had enjoyed themselves thoroughly that day and had remembered to drink to his health. The letter was signed by everyone in the group.

While we were sitting in the pub, Russell noticed a shelf above my seat. There was a collection of bottles of various spirits lined up along the shelf and each had a label. Russell began reading them to me:

MacAllen: "Check for the Chocolate"
Oban: "Explore the Trifle"
Talisker: "Find the Seaweed"
Glenfiddich: "Hunt for the Honey"
Lagavulin: "Sample the Nougat"
The Balvenie: "Investigate the Marzipan"
Del Whinnie: "Discover the Biscuit"

We have no idea what this was about, but we found it quite amusing all the same.

Incidentally, I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures. We were experimenting with unobtrusive photography (no flash, fast shutter, over the shoulder, behind the back, etc.) and the results leave something to be desired. Oh well.