Predictable Matt wrote:

The late Stu wrote:

In October 2023, the institute, established in Los Angeles by billionaire Larry Ellison, announced plans for a new laboratory campus at Oxford Science Park. At the same time it bought the Eagle and Child.

So it has basically been bought by Sauron...

I don't know anything about Larry Ellison, but to be fair, the institute is a charity registered in (and subject to the laws of) the State of California, so Mr. Ellison has no ownership stake (no-one does).

Yeah, I was (half) joking. Though ORACLE corporation really are pretty awful -- I have had dealings with them and Sun professional services back in the past before ORACLE acquired Sun, and I used their RDBMS for the first decade or so of my career. Nasty company, but genuinely a great database -though haven't touched it directly since I discovered PostgreSQL 20-odd years ago.

From the BBC

Gerard Evenden, from Foster + Partners, said 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," he said.

"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."

Eagle & Child Update