Less than an hour away from London, the charming English
city of Oxford is truly idyllic. It is a
relatively small city, but there is so much to do and see. Oxford is perhaps best-known for its
prestigious university - 38 prestigious university colleges and numerous halls
of residence dominate the city; many of which are open for viewing by the
public. It is one of the oldest
universities in the world, with some colleges stretching back to the 1200s –
college tours will certainly take you back in time! As well as being historical, the university
buildings are beautiful – the city is a real architectural gem. It is unfortunate that ill-health prevented
me from fully exploring this fascinating city, so this post will be a lot
shorter than I’d expected. I was however
able to wander around the main sights and take some pictures – I certainly wish
to return in the near future and see more of Oxford.
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| Radcliffe Camera |
Amongst the most grand of Oxford’s buildings is the
Radcliffe Camera (seen in the picture above).
In this sense, the word camera
comes from the Latin language and means room. Completed in 1749, the building became part
of the university in 1860 and has been used as a reading room ever since. This part of town is well worth a visit –
there is a real concentration of impressive sights in this area.
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| St. Mary the Virgin University Church |
Written in 1865, local poet Matthew Arnold referred to
Oxford as the ‘City of dreaming spires’
in his poem Thyrsis. This metaphor is easy to imagine after
strolling through the city’s charming streets.
Immediately opposite the impressive dome of the Radcliffe Camera, the
majestic spire of the St. Mary the Virgin University Church rises above the
city. I understand the tower is open to
the public for a small entry fee and gives fantastic views over Oxford. At the other end of town, the Christchurch College
and Cathedral is stunning, although sadly I wasn’t able to see this side of
town.
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| 'Dreaming spires' |
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| Bridge of Sighs |
The so-called Bridge
of Sighs (above) connects the two parts of Oxford’s ‘Hertford College’. Its impressive arch stretches proudly above
Old College Lane. It is a common
misconception that the bridge was modelled on Venice’s Rialto Bridge – they actually
have nothing to do with each other! This
pretty footbridge is very close to the Radcliffe Camera, so it’s definitely
worth coming to see it. There are lots
of other beautiful buildings related to the university in this vicinity; I
attempted to capture some in the photographs below.
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| Cornmarket Street |
Oxford is a historic city – it doesn’t take long wandering
through the old city streets to pick up on this. An organised town began to develop in the
area at around the 9th century, although there is evidence to
suggest that people lived here well before.
Many of the city’s buildings date back to medieval times. The pictures above and below show olde worlde buildings on Cornmarket Street and the St. Michael at Northgate tower, which
dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. This
church tower used to watch over the northernmost city gate when Oxford was a
walled city. It was built around AD
1050.
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| St. Michael's at Northgate tower |
As a self-proclaimed hippie, I absolutely loved the liberal
atmosphere in Oxford. This perhaps stems
from the city’s academic heritage and large student population. In addition to this, something you will
instantly notice when you step off the train in Oxford is the cycling
culture. There are bikes everywhere! I
absolutely love this – as a result there is less traffic, less pollution and
people are healthier.
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| Bicycles can be seen all round the city! |
A great attraction in the city is ‘punting’ on the River
Thames. This traditional hobby involves
steering gondola-like boats with large wooden poles. I remember doing this on a family day out
when I was younger – it was absolutely hilarious we were useless!! But that just adds to the fun of the
day. There are numerous boathouses along
the river which allow you to rent punting boats, rowing boats and pedal
boats. It is so much harder than it
would seem, but it is so much fun.
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| Oxford is filled with beautiful buildings! |
Oxford is a perfect place to visit as a day trip from London
or equally as a whole trip of its own.
It is very accessible – there are frequent trains from London Paddington
station and the journey takes a little less than an hour. There is so much to do in this charming
English city – you will not be disappointed.
Thanks for reading, and happy travels!
Elis Griffiths. x
Elis Griffiths. x
