The Chequers

Before the Chequers was a Grade II listed pub, it was an exhibition hall for animals and inventors, and then a base for money lenders! The semi-permanent zoo on Oxford High Street was reportedly home to fourteen exotic animals, including a camel, an opossum, and reportedly a shark.

Today, the exhibits of strange animals discovered by 17th century explorers have gone, but features such as the stained glass windows and carvings above the bar remain as a reminder of the building’s strange (and wild) history.