The King's Arms in Oxford

After walking around Oxford, we finished the day in the King's Arms, known locally as the KM. Another high-energy atmosphere, happy people, great vibe. I dearly miss my university years. 

Wadham College now owns the building, and Young & Co.'s Brewery operates the King's Arms. Founded in Wandsworth, London in 1831, the Brewery, known simply as Young's, and today owns 290 pubs and inns across London and southern England.

The front of the pub was busy with people mingling and chatting. I saw these two dapper gentlemen, and, thinking it was a photo op, both men happily agreed to a picture. I then handed my iPad to one who knew how to share it to his phone. I didn't ask why they were in tuxedos, but they wore them well.

The tavern has a rich history, starting in 1268, when the Augustinian friars built their establishment on the site where KM now stands. Then, between 1536 and 1541, King Henry VIII made himself head of the Church of England and closed down religious houses. That included the monastery that occupied the site, which later passed into the ownership of the City of Oxford.

In 1607, the council gave Thomas Franklyn permission to set up "an inn with the sign of the King's Arms," named after King James I (1603–1625). And it's been operating ever since.  

Development through the centuries

During the 17th century, the King's Arms served as a venue for plays and social gatherings. By the 18th century, it had been rebuilt, expanded, and became both a coaching inn and later a hotel. Newspaper records from the late 1700s confirm extensive renovations led by Elizabeth Cecil in 1792. In the 19th century, it was managed by several innkeepers, and at one point had 20 bedrooms with stables for 30 horses.

Literary connections

In the 20th century, the King's Arms became a popular gathering spot for Oxford dons (senior college fellows, lecturers, or tutors - I had to look it up), students, and writers. Graham Greene and Kim Philby (both very interesting men) were known to drink there during the Second World War, linking the pub to stories of British intelligence history.

The King's Arms became associated with "The Movement," a group of British writers and poets in the 1950s known for their realistic, direct literary style and ilcluded, Philip Larkin - poet, Kingsley Amis - novelist and poet, Iris Murdoch - philosopher and novelist, Donald Davie - poet and critic, D.J. Enright - poet and academic, John Wain - novelist and poet, Elizabeth Jennings - poet, Thom Gunn - poet and Robert Conquest - poet and historian.

The King's Arms was the last bar in Orford to ban women until 1973. ​

Folklore

The King's Arms is haunted, so they say, by the voices of two elderly scholars who can be heard late speaking in Ancient Greek. No one has ever seen them, but some can hear their ghostly debate echoing through the old rooms.

The story fits with the pub's long connection to Oxford University. For centuries, it has been a favorite meeting place for professors and students alike, a place where lively arguments and clever talk come with a pint of ale. Some people believe the voices belong to former dons who once gathered in the "Don's Bar," which until 1973 was off-limits to women. In 1923, two skeletons were discovered under a nearby building, giving a possible connection to the spirits said to linger there.

The tale has become part of the King's Arms' charm, where intellectual debate can be passionate and loud ... and sometimes ghostly.

One day, I'll go back to Oxford and have a drink in the King's Arms. I only wish I could join a group of sociology and psych students to discuss how we shape systems like families, community, and society, and how those systems shape us.

The King's Arms website.