This Hundred Year Old Pub In Oxford Has Been Forced To Close Due To COVID-19

JAKARTA - A historic pub in the center of Oxford, England that has served great students, scholars, and writers for more than 450 years will be closed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lamb & Flag, a historic pub that has been visited by famous people such as 'Lord of The Rings' writer JRR Tolkien to 'The Chronicles of Narnia' author CS Lewis, which has suffered losses due to declining revenues since the start of the pandemic last year.

The pub first opened in 1566 and moved to its current location on St Giles, the broad thoroughfare of the city center in 1613. The pub is owned by St John's College, one of the 45 colleges that make up the University of Oxford.

"The Lamb & Flag, like many other businesses in the hospitality industry, has been hit badly by the pandemic", said Deputy St. Bursar. John's Steve Elston in a statement to Reuters.

"The trade figures in the last 12 months of this pub are not very viable financially. The pub will close on January 31", he added.

What happened to this pub cannot be separated from the lockdown that was carried out due to the pandemic in Britain from March to June last year. Once it was opened, then there was another lockdown in November. And, the third national lockdown since last January 5.

Fund the students

This condition disrupts university life, which means it also affects The Lamb and Flag. Dave Richardson from the Oxford branch of traditional Real Ale beer said that this pub is one of the most traditional. It's an irony to see it closed.

“No TV, no music box, no music. It is a place where people come to talk to one another, to enjoy traditional and historic surroundings. Generations of people have done it, students, city residents, people from far away", he said.

Named after the symbols traditionally associated with Saint John the Baptist, The Lamb & Flag is rumored to be the 'home' of the great writer Thomas Hardy, who completed his dark novel 'Jude the Obscure' in Oxford which later became known as 'Christminster'.

Since 1997, St John's College has used the profits generated by the pub to fund scholarships for graduate students. It is said that those who receive scholarships will not be affected by the pub closure and will fund future scholarships directly.