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Oxford
England
The
City of Dreaming Spires, 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. It can be easily reached from the capital
city, London. I have written few new sections in April and then
in October 2007 on Oxford. Do have a look at the menu on the
left below.
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Above photo - Oxford arial view
| Christ
Church college - This grandest of all the Oxford
colleges was founded on the site of the Priory
of St.Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford.
Founded as Cardinal's College by Thomas Wolsey
in 1525, four years later it was taken over by
king Henry VIII, who gave it the name of Christ
Church in 1546. It is probably the only college
in the world that comprises a cathedral. Christ
Church is famous for its interesting architecture,
some of which dates back to the twelfth century.
Christ Church is a must-see activity in Oxford.
It is a big place that not only covers a church
area but also a garden and architectural design.
It is very big and visitors can have access to
the garden for free. But to get inside the palace
or the cathedral, there is admission fee. |
Photo
above: Christ's church |
Photo
above: Radcliffe Camera |
One
of the highlights of Oxford is the Radcliffe Camera
on Radcliffe Square. It's a beautifully made building
and is well preserved. The Radcliffe Camera is
part of the Bodleian Library. Unfortunately it
is not allowed to visit the Camera. |
| One
of the main street in Oxford is Broad Street.
Landmarks on this street are of course the Clarendon
Building which is part of the Bodleian Library
and the Sheldonian Theatre. The street is lined
with many shops and at the other end of the street
the shopping street starts. Broad Street has a
very rich history dating back to 911 AD. |
Photo
above: Broad Street |
Photo
above: Bridge of Sighs |
This
bridge of sigh is inspired by the original from
Venice. If you have see the original, you can
skip this one. The Ashmolean is the oldest museum
in the United Kingdom and home to many fabulous
collections and priceless artefacts all housed
in a huge and stunningly elegant neo-classical
building which you can't miss in it's dominating
position on the corner of Beaumont St & St.
Giles. |
The
museum greets you with a wonderful sculpture gallery
adorned with classical statues and is particularly strong
in it's collections of middle eastern and far eastern
antiquities, Italian Renaissance painting as well as
Flemish & Dutch 17th century works with also some
priceless Pre-Raphaelite works including Dante Gabriel
Rossetti's "Dante on the First Anniversary of the
Death of Beatrice" and "Reverie". It
is also renowned for it's ancient British antiquities
including Viking silver, many Anglo-Saxon treasures
and perhaps most famously, the stunning "Alfred
Jewel" belonging to King Alfred the Great (871-899
AD)
Directions: - Ashmolean Museum: Beaumont Street, opposite
the Randolph Hotel - Science Museumm: Broad Street,
next to the Sheldonian Theatre. Ashmolean, Museum of
the History of Science
| My suggestion is to spend
at least 1 day in Oxford. Lot of people ask me
due to lack of time, I can visit only one university
town, where should I go? Cambridge or Oxford?
My answer would be Cambridge. |
Oxford Museum
| Suggested
Itenaries |
Most
of the major attractions in Oxford can be covered
easily by walking from the train station. If
you have less time on hands, consider taking
the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus. Do check
the opening and closing times of all sites especially
museums to decide the sequence of visits.
Other
colleges you can visit are Wadham College, The
Queen's College, New College |
| Traveling
by Train in England and London
- Information on getting and reading
your train ticket, the high speed and regional
train system; a link to train schedules. |
| User
Views on Oxford England Travel |
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