In 1871, The Cricketer's Arms was built to serve the hamlet of Littleworth, then a separate community from Wheatley, near Oxford in Oxfordshire. The limestone from which the pub was built was quarried from Wheatley and was the same stone used in the building of Windsor Castle. Back then, it was owned by Wootten & Co. of Oxford and was renowned for a beverage known as "Entire": A porter blended on the premises. The Cricketer's was subsequently owned by a number of breweries and run by many landlords and landladies before becoming a Free House in 1983.

Since 2007, it has been owned and operated by Stuart and Angie Bull with the help of a small but dedicated team of staff. The Cricketer's Arms isn't part of a chain or managed estate, nor is it tied to any brewery, it's a genuine English free house. Angie personally cooks and prepares all of the food on the menu from the finest ingredients, whilst Stuart hand picks and cares for the range of cask and bottled ales - all stored in the cellar to keep everything in prime condition. When not in the kitchen, cellar or bar, Angie and Stuart can usually be found running the behind the scenes aspects of the business including the accounts, marketing, PR and website, tending the pub's vegetable patch or herb garden, or maintaining the property.

Our priorities are, and all have been, upholding traditional values, providing a quality experience for the best value, sourcing locally and maintaining a high standard of cleanliness. We think that you'll find that our pub offers you exceptional food at an incredible price and an unparalleled range of local ales in a traditional and friendly community pub atmosphere.

Littleworth is midway between the villages of Wheatley and Horspath, and less than five miles from the centre of the historic city of Oxford. Littleworth lies in an area known as "The Oxford Heights" - a favoured area for settlement since prehistoric times and the areas villages were some of the primary settlements in Oxfordshire during the Saxon period.

According to local legend, Littleworth was so named during the English Civil War by Oliver Cromwell as the land was of little worth. But, it was the very same landscape that gave Littleworth its famous brickworks that provided the clay for much of the brick that built the Cowley car manufacturing plants. Now, in addition to The Cricketer's Arms, it supports small number of light industrial units and a wealth of microbusinesses operated from homes around the area, enabling the pub to maintain its focus as the hub of the community as well as a vital source of refreshment for weary travellers from far and wide.

The main London to Oxford turnpike (toll road), taking mail between the capital of commerce and the capital of education, took stagecoaches over Shotover hill and through Shotover forest. The area was a magnet for highwaymen and thieves, but beyond Shotover hill lay the village of Wheatley with its numerous coaching inns to provide sustenance and shelter for coachman and horses alike. The old route over Shotover was abandoned in 1789, but Wheatley remains a large village that supports its own array of shops, businesses and places of worship, as well as its own university campus - part of Oxford Brookes University.

Find us

Littleworth on Wikipedia

Littleworth Mill on Wikipedia

Wheatley Windmill Website

Wheatley on Wikipedia

Shotover Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is 3 miles east of Oxford. At its highest point, Shotover hill is 557 feet (170 m) above sea level and affords fine views over Oxfordshire. It is a whole hillside of hidden valleys, sudden views and varied habitats which are freely accessible all the year round.

From around the period of the Domesday Book, Shotover was part of the Wychwood Royal Forest which covered a much larger area to the east of Oxford. During the Civil War so much timber was taken from the wood that in 1660 Shotover was "disafforested" and the slopes given over to rough grazing. The name may be derived from the Old English scoet ofer, meaning "steep slope", although legend has it that two brothers who lived on either side of the hill tied messages to arrows and shot them over the hill to each other.

Shotover is very popular with walkers and cyclists and forms a part of The Oxford Green Belt Way. Close to the eastern edge of Shotover, The Cricketer's Arms is the nearest place for those who have enjoyed some fresh air to recoup with hearty, wholesome, food, good ale or a pot of tea and a warming fire.

Discovering Shotover

Oxford City Council Shotover leaflet

Oxford is famous the world over for its University and place in history. For over 800 years, it has been a home to royalty and scholars, and since the 9th century an established town, although people are known to have lived in the area for thousands of years.

Nowadays, the city is a bustling cosmopolitan town. Still with its ancient University, but home also to a growing hi-tech community. Many businesses are located in and around the town, whether on one of the Science and Business Parks or within one of a number of residential areas.

Visit Oxford

We have had numerous mentions in local publications and on websites around the world

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 63, August/September 2010: Local Pubs Week (page 4) and Oxford CAMRA Town and Village Pub of the Year Competition (page 18)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 62, June/July 2010: LocAle Pubs rewarded for serving Local beers (Photo on cover and page 3)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 61, April/May 2010: Cricketers Arms Festival (page 11)

Morning Advertiser, 18 February 2010: "Pies-to-go" (page 44)

BBC Oxford, 18 February 2010: Chatting about the Beer & Sausage Festival with Louisa Hannan

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 60, Feb/March 2010: Local Bottled Ales (page 4), Shotover Brewing (page 8) and Compass Brewery (page 9)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 59, Dec 2009/Jan 2010: Shotover Brewing Company (page 1) and Acoustic Music and Beer Festival (page 12 & 13)

Oxford Mail Tuesday 17th November 2009: Barrels roll out at Horspath microbrewery

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 57, July/Aug/Sept 2009: LocAle award (page 3) and CAMRA visit (page 12)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 56, May/June 2009: Beer & Sausage Festival write-up (pages 10 & 11)

Oxford Mail Wednesday 18th February 2009: Pub to host sausage meet

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 52, Aug/Sept 2008: More on our SixSixes Ale Portfolio (page 18)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 51, June/July 2008: SixSixes Ale Portfolio launch (page 18)

CAMRA Oxford Drinker Issue 50, March/April/May 2008: New landlords at The Cricketer's (pages 19 & 20)

A Good Beer Blog: The Canadian Real Ale Blog picked up on the Oxford Mail's Beer & Sausage Festival Story

Real Ale Net: A piece about our Acoustic Music and Beer Festival