153. Big Hands, Oxford Road

Big Hands is a strange little bar housed in a 1970s box unit that it shares with a flower shop on Oxford Road opposite the hospital.  Back in the day this housed Champers Wine Bar, which resembled more of a lock-up than a bar.  These days it looks a bit more inviting and there's even a tiny alfresco drinking area outside, albeit one without chairs, just high tables to lean against while you watch the students traipsing up and down Oxford Road.  Inside it's dark and cluttered but to be fair, their much-vaunted rock 'n' roll vibe seems present and it gets rammed before and after gigs in here.

Big Hands, Oxford Road. (c) Google 2011 - View Larger Map.

No real ale on cask in here as might be expected, but at least they had a few bottled ales in the fridge - Black Sheep, bottle-conditioned Bluebird and Taylor's Landlord.  Continential lager appears to be the order of the day in there with an impressive selection on the bar and in the fridge.  Apparently local faces such as Elbow and Badly Drawn Boy are known to drink in Big Hands if celebrity spotting is your thing. Alternatively, stand outside and peer up Grafton Street, wonder what the Bowling Green was like and what delights the Grafton Arms may hold.