Renowned British architecture firm Foster + Partners has revealed plans to restore The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, England, marking the company's first-ever project involving a public house. The historic venue, dating back to 1840, is famous as the former meeting place of the Inklings, a literary group that included celebrated authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
The comprehensive renovation of the Grade II-listed building represents Foster + Partners' smallest project since 2017, when the firm collaborated with the Red Cross to design emergency relief tents. The restoration is being conducted in partnership with heritage architects Donald Insall Associates for the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), a research facility that now owns the property.
The design approach focuses on preserving the vacant pub's original character while introducing modern functionality. The project will create informal workspaces for EIT on the upper levels and establish a cafe in the lower floors of two adjacent buildings. According to the development team, these additions are intended to transform The Eagle and Child "into an all-day destination."
Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster + Partners, emphasized the project's sensitive approach to the historic structure. "The design preserves the unique character of The Eagle and Child and respects its many layers of history," Evenden explained. "Our sensitive interventions will create an all-day meeting place by introducing an adjacent cafe and inspirational workspaces for EIT across the upper levels."
The renovation will feature particularly careful treatment of the pub's most famous spaces. The legendary Rabbit Room, where the Inklings literary group held their meetings, along with two parlor rooms, will undergo "light-touch" renovations to maintain their historic atmosphere. Additionally, the pub's third parlor room will be completely reinstated as part of the restoration effort.
Throughout the rest of the pub and the new cafe areas, Foster + Partners will create spaces specifically designed for the institute's use as informal, homely workspaces. The project will also include the addition of a bakery within two neighboring buildings, further expanding the venue's offerings.
The architects have committed to preserving the building's authentic historical narrative, including mismatched updates from previous renovations. Historic patchwork stone repairs and 1980s roof lights will be retained and "treated as part of the building's evolving narrative," according to Foster + Partners. Any contemporary additions, including a new dining room extension, will be strategically placed toward the rear of the building and designed to complement the existing architecture.
The restoration project will be completed with an updated garden landscape that includes the restoration of a historic passageway linking the pub to the new cafe. This outdoor space is designed to create "new social spaces that transition effortlessly from day to night," as Evenden described.
Foster + Partners, established by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Norman Foster in 1967, continues to work on major international projects alongside this intimate Oxford renovation. The firm is currently developing Paraguay's tallest skyscraper and a luxury retail complex in Istanbul, demonstrating the range of scales at which the practice operates.
