FROM its humble beginnings as a simple alehouse, The Turf Tavern has certainly come a long way – taking in celebrities, playwrights and the non-inhaling of illegal drugs along the way.
The Turf Tavern, affectionately known as ‘The Turf,’ is a historic public house nestled in the heart of the medieval streets of Oxford, England.
Its origins can be traced all the way back to 1381, when it began its life as a malt house serving the stone masons who built the nearby Oxford city walls.
The tavern’s front bar area, known for its low beams, was a 17th-century addition.
Previously known as the ‘Spotted Cow,’ the tavern underwent a name change in 1842, likely in an attempt to shake off its notoriety as a hub for illicit gambling.
Today, the pub primarily hosts students from both Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University.
Tucked away at the end of St Helens Passage (formerly Hell’s passage), it lies close to the Bridge of Sighs (below) and adjacent to one of the remaining sections of the ancient city wall.
Its location outside the city wall allowed it to evade the jurisdiction of local colleges’ authorities, a remnant from its days of entertaining less lawful patrons.
The Turf Tavern added another feather to its cap when future Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke set a Guinness World Record in 1954 by drinking a yard glass of ale in just 11 seconds.
The tavern has also welcomed numerous notable figures such as Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Blair, CS Lewis, Stephen Hawking and Margaret Thatcher. During the filming of the Harry Potter series, the cast and crew frequented the tavern while shooting nearby.
One of the tavern’s more infamous claims is being the place where future US President Bill Clinton, while studying at University College as a Rhodes Scholar, allegedly smoked marijuana but ‘did not inhale.’
