The Victoria Arms (known locally as the Vicky Arms and formerly as the Ferry Inn) is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

on the eastern bank of the

River Cherwell The River Cherwell ( or ) is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Hellidon, Northamptonshire and flows southwards for to meet the Thames at Oxford in Oxfordshire. The river gives its name to the Cherwell local g ...

at the end of Mill Lane close to Old Marston, northeast of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. There was once a ford across the Cherwell here, in use since the 12th century. An inn was originally constructed during the 17th century and was then rebuilt in 1840. It was closed in 1958 and bought by the

Oxford Preservation Trust The Oxford Preservation Trust was founded in 1927 to preserve the city of Oxford, England. The Trust seeks to enhance Oxford by encouraging thoughtful development and new design, while protecting historic buildings and green open spaces. The T ...

in 1961. Publicans Fred and Ruby Elkins took over the buildings and operated the pub as a Free House. During this time they added extensions to the old buildings. They also operated the small wooden line-ferry across the Cherwell for many years prior to the opening of the link road. It was later leased to the brewery Wadworth's, refurbished, and reopened in 1986. The pub is frequented by people out punting during the summer. It is possible to moor punts in the grounds of the pub. There was a line-ferry across the river here until 1971, when the

Marston Ferry Road Marston Ferry Road is a link road in north Oxford, England. It is named after the ferry that used to cross the River Cherwell at the village of Marston from at least 1279. The road links the Banbury Road in North Oxford just south of Summ ...

was built just to the south. The Victoria Arms featured in the ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series ''Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'' television series a number of times. Most notably,

Morse Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churchi ...

recited part of the

A. E. Housman Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...

poem ''How Clear, How Lovely Bright'' here in the final episode of the series. A line from the poem was used for the title of the episode "

The Remorseful Day ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

References

External links

Victoria Arms website
Pubs in Oxford {{Oxfordshire-struct-stub

See also

References

External links