Oxford pub plans roof refurbishment for listed building

The Port Mahon in St Clement’s Street, in the heart of Oxford, has submitted a planning application to repair the three-storey building’s roof, fixing the structure and stopping up leaks, and removing and replacing asbestos tiles.

It comes after the Greene King-owned foodies pub benefited from a £190,000 investment in its kitchen, cellar and outdoor decking just two years ago.

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It reopened in September 2024 having been closed for the summer, relaunching with an emphasis on ‘simple, seasonal food’ under new manager Jonathan Perritt.

Chef Paolo Cangiano at The Port Mahon (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Ahead of its next round of improvements, The Port Mahon has been named Oxford Mail’s pub of the week.

New plans reveal the building now needs its pitch roof coverings removed with asbestos roofing tiles on the east roof to be taken off by a specialist contractor.

Existing slate roof tiles taken off during the works will be cleaned and reused, and damaged ones replaced with reclaimed slate roofing tiles.

It is not yet known if the pub will have to temporarily close while the works are carried out, and The Port Mahon has been approached for comment.

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The public house dates back to the 18th century, with some alterations to parts of the building.

The Port Mahon in St Clement’s (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Although the interior has been modernised, it features original fireplaces and a dog-gate at the foot of the stairs, ‘retaining the heritage’ of the building.

Because of its storied history, the pub has sought listed building consent to refurbish its roof.

The planning application states that the ‘well-established’ pub ‘is central to the local community and plays part in the daily lives of locals’, and the impact from the works are unlikely to have any impact on its aesthetic characteristics, heritage or other features.

Demonstrating its role in community life, The Port Mahon hosted a Celebration Day event on Monday, May 25.

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Celebration Day is a non-profit initiative which encourages people to take the last Monday in May to remember and mark the memory or people that have inspired them.

The pub hosted a social run, offering 5k or 10k routes to the first 100 runners to show up, followed by a free beer and a ‘big toast’ to the person each runner dedicated their celebration day to.

As well as regular community events, The Port Mahon serves British pub food plus Sunday roasts, hosts a weekday happy hour, and is open five days a week, from 4pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 4pm to midnight o Friday, noon to midnight on Saturday and noon to 9.30pm on Sundays.