The White Horse, Oxford’s smallest pub, thrives with tourists and TV fans, offering ales and a relaxed atmosphere.
The small pub is very popular with tourists and people love it because of the Inspector Morse TV show. Tom Reynolds and Henry Cullen took it over in 2021, and Cat Duerr became the manager then.
Dave Richardson, with Oxford CAMRA, spoke about the pub, saying it’s a real Oxford place. He noted that it feels independent, even though it’s part of a chain, offering good ales and food in a relaxed way.
Many small pubs closed, but this one survives with students, locals, and academics visiting often. More outside seating would help them, and it might happen since Broad Street is mostly car-free.
One visitor loved it, calling it charming and old and noting its appearance in the Morse series. They appreciated the generous drinks and friendly staff.
The visitor likes to stop in for a drink often since it’s near Blackwell’s and the Weston Library. The visitor loves the old-school atmosphere, noting that it can be empty or crowded, which is hard to guess.
Fans come from everywhere because of the Morse shows. Richardson wrote about the pub in his book, which covers its TV links, and Colin Dexter wrote the novels for Morse.
The White Horse shows up in “The Dead of Jericho,” “The Wolvercote Tongue,” and “The Secret of Bay 5B.” Cast and crew visited during filming of these shows.
The pub also appears in the 2008 movie “The Oxford Murders,” which stars John Hurt and Elijah Wood.
The White Horse has a long history, starting as an inn called The White Mermaid in 1551. It became The White Horse in 1591 and was also called the Jolly Volunteer. The current building, dating from the 1700s, has a very narrow front. Bill Clinton visited it in 2023.