Eat and drink
The Duke of Cumberland's Head, Clifton
A thatched, marlstone village pub at Clifton near Deddington, reopened under a new owner with a head chef from The Five Fields and Core, a menu that changes daily and three rooms.
The most ambitious kitchen among these pubs: a chef from The Five Fields and Core at Clare Smyth, in a thatched pub recorded since 1774, with a menu that changes daily. Come for dinner or a long Sunday and book. Check the opening days first, as it shuts on Monday and Tuesday, and the rooms go by phone or Airbnb rather than a booking page.
- Good: Head chef Tom Farrar, formerly of The Five Fields and Core by Clare Smyth
- Good: Menu changes daily with what is in season
- Good: An olive garden for lunch or a drink
- Worth knowing: Closed Monday and Tuesday; Sunday ends at 6pm
- Worth knowing: Rooms are booked by phone or through Airbnb
- Worth knowing: The site says nothing on parking, dogs or dietary needs: ask
About
The Duke of Cumberland's Head is at Clifton, about a mile and a half east of Deddington on the map. Historic England lists it Grade II: walls of coursed marlstone under thatch and Welsh slate, probably 17th century and enlarged in the early 18th, and recorded as a pub since 1774.
Max Barkes, who trained at Le Manoir and Cliveden, bought it, and a local review of June 2026 says it needed a new thatch and a new kitchen. He runs it through his company, Jack Whipp Inns. The head chef is Tom Farrar, whose previous kitchens are The Five Fields and Core by Clare Smyth. His cooking is modern British and ingredient-led, and the menu changes daily, so the site shows sample menus rather than a fixed list.
There is an olive garden to sit in, and upstairs are three bedrooms: the Pink, Mint and Blue rooms. They are let by phone, which the pub says gets the best price, or through Airbnb.
The name comes from Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Local lore has him rallying his men at an inn on this site before the battle at Edgehill in 1642. That is story rather than record, and he only became Duke of Cumberland in 1644.
Opening hours and season
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 11:00 to 23:30 |
| Thursday | 11:00 to 23:30 |
| Friday | 11:00 to 23:30 |
| Saturday | 11:00 to 23:30 |
| Sunday | 10:00 to 18:00 |
Closed Monday and Tuesday. The site gives no separate kitchen hours.
The details
- Food
- Modern British
- Serving
- Lunch · Dinner · Sunday lunch
- Rooms
- 3
- Features
- Garden or terrace · Restaurant · Bar
- History
- Recorded as a pub since 1774; the building is probably 17th century
Photos
By the inglenook 
A bedroom 
A bedroom under the beams 
Venison at dinner
Location
Places to stay nearby
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The Duke of Cumberland's Head, Clifton
Restaurants
A thatched, marlstone village pub at Clifton near Deddington, reopened under a new owner with a head chef from The Five Fields and Core, a menu that changes daily and three rooms.
Verified Nov 2026
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The Great Western Arms, Aynho
Pubs · Aynho
A Hook Norton pub with four rooms between the Oxford Canal and the old Aynho station, about 15.5 miles by road from Silverstone. It sells itself as a base for the circuit, Bicester Village and Blenheim Palace. A small place, so rooms for a race weekend will not last.
Verified Nov 2026
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The Unicorn Inn, Deddington
Pubs · Deddington
A Grade II listed inn of the mid 17th century on Deddington Market Place, with open fires, a garden behind, British classics and seven rooms, four of which take dogs.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Great Western Arms, Aynho 0.9 km away
- Quince and Clover On The Square, Deddington 2.4 km away
- The Unicorn Inn, Deddington 2.4 km away
- The Pig Place, Adderbury 2.6 km away
Sights nearby
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Aynho Wharf
Sight · Historic building · Aynho
A canal wharf of 1788 on the Oxford Canal below Aynho, with a warehouse whose roof hangs over the water and a listed stone bridge, and a walk north to the odd diamond-shaped Weir Lock where the Cherwell crosses the canal.
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Deddington Castle
Sight · Castle or ruin · Deddington
Grassy ramparts up to 15m high are what is left of Deddington's Norman castle, which belonged to William the Conqueror's half-brother. Now the village park and sports field, free in daylight, with English Heritage caring for the inner bailey. Earthworks only.
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St Mary's Church, Adderbury
Sight · Church · Adderbury
Adderbury's Grade I church, with a stone spire, a frieze of medieval musicians and grotesques round its aisles, and a chancel built by Richard Winchcombe for New College, Oxford. Open daily and free to look round.
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Adderbury House
Sight · Historic building · Adderbury
A private house in Adderbury and what is left of a mansion of the Earls of Rochester and the Dukes of Argyll and Buccleuch. Most of it was pulled down in 1808, and it was enlarged again after 1891. Grade II and not open. Its old water is now the public Adderbury Lakes.