A beautiful pub in Oxford, a short distance from the town centre. The Perch is a 17th century thatched inn, accessed via Port Meadow, the Oxford Canal and nearby River Thames. If feels like a country pub because it is surrounded by meadow, but is actually in the village of Binsey. The place is steeped in history, the land was originally given to the Freemen of Oxford by King Alfred in return for fighting Danish invaders in the 10th century. The site also featured in the English Civil War when Charles I was based here for a short time. The Inn's website gives an account of their history, but the pub is more recently associated with Lewis Carroll and the writing of Alice in Wonderland.
There is an amazing garden, full of interesting things to look at and take pictures of.
I'm not sure if there is any Buddhist connection, maybe they just like the statues. I believe they serve delicious food, but on this occasion we ate from a food bar in the garden - lamb kebabs with a tahini and yogurt sauce and salad. It was a very windy day, so despite being May, we all had our coats on. Many of the photos were taken with fast shutter speeds to keep things still! There are many more things I would like to take pictures of at the Perch on my next trip.
My son will be living close by next year, so I hope this will be a regular stopping point. In fact he has a house which we're now paying for, although he doesn't start college again until October!! Perhaps a visit in summer will be in order then...
We used to go to this pub often in the late 1970's when we were students ourselves, although I wasn't at Oxford, but I lived there. The walk across the meadow and the river is part of the process, although it's possible to drive to Binsey from west Oxford.
Definitely a pub to visit if you're ever in Oxford.