Business & Technology
Oxford pub Eagle and Child designs are now on display
The Eagle and Child in St Giles, renowned for its links with fantasy writers JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, closed in March 2020 and has not reopened since.
Renovation work is taking place and builders have fenced off the parking bays outside the pub.
READ MORE: Renovation work at historic pub well under way
Now the fencing is being used to show passers-by what the historic pub is expected to look like when it reopens in 2027.
Artists’ impressions show how the pub will be modernised, while retaining its links with the past.
New owner, American science company the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), has been moving ahead with plans to revamp it, and expects to welcome customers again in 2027.
The technology institute, owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, is reported to have paid $10.7m for the pub – about £8m – when it was sold by St John’s College in 2023.
The institute is working with the company owned by world-famous architect Norman Foster for the redesign of the pub.
The area at the front of the building has been fenced off, with a sign telling pedestrians the pavement will be shut off “from September 2025 until March 2027”, and scaffolding has been erected.
The institute has said previously the pub is expected to reopen next year.
Dave Richardson, a spokesman for the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) said earlier this year: “I understand there is now quite a lot of work going on, particularly where you can’t see the building from St Giles.
“I hope the pub is on course to reopen on schedule next year. We have missed the pub and I know Tolkien fans have missed it as well.
“From our point of view we would like to see an independent operator hired to run the Eagle and Child.
“The fear is that if a large chain is given the role it will then put its corporate stamp on the place.
“We want to see it thrive and it would be good to see it in independent hands.”
Working closely with heritage architects Donald Insall Associates, Norman Foster’s practice is employing “a conservation-led” approach to restoring and preserve as much of the original building as possible.
There will be “light-touch” interventions within the pub’s two historic parlour rooms and famous ‘Rabbit Room’, where the Inklings group once met, maintaining a sense of familiarity.
Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster and Partners, said earlier: “The design preserves the unique character of The Eagle and Child and respects its many layers of history.
“Our sensitive interventions will create an all-day meeting place by introducing an adjacent café and inspirational workspaces for EIT across the upper levels.
“The scheme is stitched together by a newly landscaped garden and restored passageway between the café and the pub – new social spaces that transition effortlessly from day to night.”
The Ellison Institute of Technology has been contacted for comment.
The two retail units in Bicester’s Sheep Street have been listed together, along with storage accommodation and three self contained flats.
Bicester Toys and Thorntons chocolate shop represent “long-standing” retail occupiers according to estate agency Carter Jonas with a combined rental income of £91,260 per annum across the properties.
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Indeed, the toy shop is a popular destination in the town with a 4.1 star rating based on over 60 Google Reviews.
Mr Cowell visited the shop in February this year, reportedly to buy Lego for his son.
The TV star is known for his appearances as a talent show judge, starring on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol over the years.
He now lives in Oxfordshire with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman, as well as his child, Eric.
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A fellow shopper at Bicester Toys described him as “very friendly”.
Andy Rumney said: “He was also very happy to chat to us about our four year old Shih-Poo called Tilly as he’s a huge dog lover, and they had their dog with them which was a lovely German Shepherd.
“He was also very happy happy to chat to the staff in the shop as apparently he’s in there a lot buying Lego for his son.”
Atos has compiled the 2026-27 Premier League fixture list, continuing a role it has held since the league’s launch in 1992.
The latest schedule extends a long-running arrangement under which Atos has supported the planning of 13,166 Premier League matches involving 51 clubs across 34 seasons.
Producing the fixture list begins at the start of the year and typically takes about six months. Computer systems generate an initial schedule, which specialists then revise against league rules and operational constraints.
Those rules limit long runs of home or away matches and aim to balance home and away games across any five-match sequence. Clubs are also not supposed to start or finish a season with two home games or two away games.
Beyond those rules, the schedule must account for local rivalries, policing capacity and transport pressures. Planning also seeks to reduce travel demands for supporters during periods such as Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Even small changes can affect a wider set of matches, requiring further adjustments elsewhere in the calendar. This year’s list also placed greater emphasis on player welfare and the need for recovery time between matches in an increasingly crowded football schedule.
Glenn Thompson, Fixture-List Compiler at Atos UK&I, has compiled the Premier League fixtures for more than 30 years. He said the work can narrow to a final manual review after the technology has processed large numbers of possible outcomes.
“There are pinch points in the process where it can become stressful, culminating in several days in a room manually checking for any issues that may have cropped up. The whole process is complex, involving many different data points. Ultimately, you can’t satisfy everyone, and it is a compromise across all clubs without favouring any one club,” Thompson said.
Sports work
Atos has maintained a Sports and Major Events division for more than 30 years. It also works with football bodies outside the Premier League, including UEFA’s national team competitions and CONMEBOL’s domestic club competitions in South America.
The group operates in 54 countries and employs about 56,000 people. It reported annual revenue of about EUR €7.2 billion at its go-forward perimeter.
Michael Herron, Head of Atos UK&I, linked the annual fixture release to the start of the new football season for supporters.
“For millions of fans, the release of the Premier League fixture list is when a new season really comes to life. We’re proud to support the Premier League and are looking forward to another exciting season ahead,” Herron said.
Established in 1972, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision is one of the largest independent Hi-Fi and Home Cinema retailers in the UK.
The company set up shop in Oxford on Banbury Road, but closed down recently.
Their website describes themselves as “a unique, first-class experience.”
“All of this is supported by a custom installation service which specialises in the creation and installation of bespoke home entertainment systems to suit all budgets.”
The company still has stores in Bristol, Bromley, Cambridge, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Epsom, Guildford, London, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham, Reading, Tunbridge Wells, Witham, and Yeovil.
They also have their flagship store in Seven Oaks, near Kent, and are opening a new store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham.
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