Colleges, Museums, and Apple and Pear Cider...
In August 2017, we took a weekend trip to the city of Oxford. Oxford is just over an hour away from London at most (we took the train directly from London Paddington) but obviously you can drive, get the coach etc. This means a trip here is very doable as a weekend escape from the city (or even day trip), and much recommended, although be sure to book tour tickets in advance…this was definitely one of the lessons we learnt!
We have also put together a map- see above- which shows the locations of the places we visited and we talk about below…Looking back, we actually managed to fit quite a bit in during our weekend in Oxford- ranging from museums to pubs- read on for the main highlights!
Oxford Botanic Garden
It turned out that this garden was en route on our walk into the city from where we were staying, so although it wasn’t on our original list of places to visit so we decided to pop by.
Since visiting the Botanic Garden in Oxford, we’ve managed to visit quite a number of other botanical gardens, somewhat in the hope of developing green fingers (at time of writing we have cucumbers and tomatoes growing…so seems to have worked)! This particular garden is one we’d definitely recommend stopping by-it’s not too big but has lots to see.
We didn’t know at the time but this is the oldest botanic garden in Britain (founded in 1621). There are various glasshouses in the garden- ranging from a Water Lily House to a Rainforest House, with the rest of the garden split into two- Walled Garden and Lower Garden.
When you first enter the Botanic garden, you are in the Walled Garden. This is the oldest section and has various plants and flowers- ranging from medicinal plants such as those connected with cardiology etc. This section of the garden also has a small wooded area- Literary Woodland– providing some much needed shade during our visit- and a number of beds split out by geography- such as a Japan border and a New Zealand border.
The Lower Garden section is much more colourful- there was a stunning Herbaceous border along the wall, as well as an orchard, rock garden, and our favourite- gin border, containing plants used to flavour alcoholic beverages. See this link for a full map of the garden.
On the day of our visit, there was a little pop-up cafe onsite where we bought a couple of coffees, rested our legs a bit and enjoyed the views of the adjoining river. This may be seasonal though- so best to check opening times on the website directly.
The Bog garden
Carnivorous plants
The Water Lily pond
A view from Christ Church meadow
Bridge of Sighs
Ceiling of the Divinity School
Oxford on foot
Bridge of Sighs, Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Christ Church Cathedral, University Church.
We found Oxford to be very walkable – with everything we wanted to see within walking distance (it also helped that it was mostly a sunny day!) and most of the places were maybe a 5-10 minute walk from each other. There were other things to see as well- such as all the various colleges of Oxford University (more information available here), but given we were only there for a weekend, we decided to see the main sites only. Also that meant we had enough time to do some window shopping and stop of for some very good ciders…but more on that later…
Bridge of Sighs
This is a well known landmark, mostly known as the Bridge of Sighs but the official name is Hertford Bridge– the bridge in fact connects two sections of Hertford College over a lane. Completed in 1914, by Sir Thomas Jackson (who also built a number of other buildings in Oxford) the bridge has a similarity to the Venice Bridge of Sighs. This is a very popular photo opportunity for both tourists and new students- and yes, we were in that very crowd taking photos.
Bodleian Libraries (including the Divinity School)
This is a collection of many libraries which form part of the University of Oxford- making it the largest university library system in the UK and the second largest library in Britain (after the British Library in London) with over 13 million books as of time of writing. It is also one of the oldest in Europe- the library was first opened to scholars in 1602, but the first purpose build library at the university was built in the early 14th century in the University Church of St May’s the Virgin (the room still exists to the day- see further down for more details on the University Church). In the 15th Century, Duke Humfrey’s library then overtook this particular room. See this link for more details on the libraries’ interesting past.
During our trip, we did a self-guided tour of the Divinity School. This is definitely a must-see, especially if you are a big Harry Potter Fan, as it featured in the films as the infirmary. (By the way- Harry Potter isn’t the only film to have been filmed here and the Bodleian library has also featured in quite a number of other films- including X-Men: First Class, The Golden Compass, and the History Boys… read more here).
The ceiling of the Divinity school is stunning and very intricate- I think we just sat on one of the perfectly placed benches for some time and just stared at it.
Similarly, Duke Humfrey’s library features in Harry Potter as the Hogwarts library- unfortunately we didn’t get to see this – (poor planning on our behalf- tickets are very popular and sold out). We would highly recommend you book one of the tours – perhaps a self guided tour or a group tour- there are many options available to suit preferences and how much time you have- check out this link.
The Radcliffe Camera
Another iconic landmark in Cambridge, the Radcliffe Camera was built in neoclassical style in 1737-1749 by James Gibbs. It is a library- in fact one of the first circular libraries in England- and its construction (as well as money for the land, books and a librarian) was funded by Dr John Radcliffe, a doctor who attended Oxford University. Inside, there are two reading rooms- holding various books ranging from Archaeology to Theology [ see this link for the map] – and the library is now an additional reading room of the Bodleian Library .
During our visit, we only walked around the outside (both taking photos and admiring the architecture) but apparently you can visit the Radcliffe Camera as part of a tour of the Bodleian Libraries (but only on a 90 minute tour).
Christ Church and Christ Church Cathedral
Originally, we had planned to visit Christ Church College but again, unfortunately we didn’t book our tickets in advance and there was a very, very long queue when we got there- so we decided we’d have to come back another time to visit the college and cathedral. We did manage to walk about and enjoy the beautiful meadow next to the Cathedral. If you want to visit the college and the cathedral, book in advance (starting to sound like a broken record)- click here for more details .
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
We did a quick walk around of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin and the tower. It is located directly opposite the Radcliffe Camera so it’s hard to miss it when walking around. The church itself is free to visit- but access to the tower is ticketed- but well worth the visit as you get to see a panoramic view of Oxford from high up as well as the impressive gargoyles.
A church has actually stood here since this early 11th century-with some sections of the current church building dating back to the 13th century. As mentioned above, the University’s first library was located here- Clore Old Library. The room is now used for conferences and events. The architecture of the building is stunning- very much a nice, peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle outside, even if just for a short while.
It is worth noting that access to the tower is via a rather narrow and circular staircase with over 100 steps- there is no lift- so do bear this in mind. It may be somewhat claustrophobic for some people. Unfortunately it was rather cloudy the day we climbed up, but you can see from our photos that the view is amazing and certainly worth the climb.
There is also a small garden area next to the church, with a lovely little cafe- Vaults and Garden we stopped by here after our visit to the church to enjoy a cream tea- definitely helped us recharge- and was delicious!
View of Christ Church
View from the University Church
Another View from the University Church
The Pitt Rivers Museum
Marble columns of the Pitt Rivers Museum
A Totem in the Pitt Rivers Museum
Museums of Oxford
There are quite a number of museums in Oxford- ranging from the Story Museum, the Museum of Modern Art to the Museum of Oxford itself. As this was our first trip to this city, we were rather selective- so we only visited two museums (out of around a dozen or so that Oxford has to offer). Given one of our main reasons for visiting Oxford was to see the Raphael exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, we obviously spent a fair amount of time there, but we also decided to visit the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Ashmolean Museum
In 1682, Elias Ashmolean, an antiquary, gifted his collection to the university and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology was born, becoming the world’s first university museum, and Britain’s first public museum. The museum can be found on Beaumont street- it has stood here since 1845 and was designed in a very classical style.
We spent most of our time at the museum at Raphael: the Drawings– a temporary exhibition with over 100 works on display. It was a stunning exhibition, and if you get the chance to visit someday- definitely do so. We also had a quick look around the other exhibitions- the museum was recently modernised which makes for an interesting dynamic between the classical facade and bright and open interior. Would also highly recommend the gift shop- we managed to somehow spend quite a bit of time looking at the various books, scarves, mugs etc- in case you need to buy a gift or two for someone!
Pitt Rivers Museum (aka the Museum of Natural History)
The Pitt Rivers Museum is another we’d suggest visiting- it’s slightly further way from the city centre but still walkable. This museum is not as old as the Ashmolean- founded only in 1884 after Augustus Pitt Rivers donated his private collection to the University.
This original donation consisted of circa 22,000 items, and since the museum has receive quite a number of other donations, all of which are now arranged in typological displays. This means that instead of having rooms with items from specific regions or geographies as you would usually see in a museum, they are arranged by type- so jewellery for example is on display together, regardless of the origin. One of the most interesting things we saw was the Haida totem pole- at over 11m, the largest object for sure- but also with incredibly impressive and detailed carvings.
Our Favourite Food & Drink in Oxford
Gee's Restaurant
This was a recommended to us by a friend- a Mediterranean restaurant in the northern side of Oxford. The restaurant itself is in an elegant looking conservatory- which made for a rather romantic atmosphere in the evening… would definitely recommend for a date night!
As well as the surroundings, the food was amazing. After dinner, we had a quick coffee, and Wally, who is a coffee connoisseur, found the Gee’s coffee to be one of the best he’s ever had…easily. Just look at how frothy that foam is… . You can check out the tripadvisor reviews here.
Kazbar Restaurant
This was another recommendation- and we were very surprised to even get a table given we went here on a Saturday night and it was rather busy! Located not too far from the Botanic Garden and at the start of Cowley Road, this restaurant was brimming with atmosphere, people and music. The attention to detail was evident throughout- from the food to the decor. The food itself was Spanish/Moroccan (i.e.- Andalusian) tapas- so we had a few dishes each to share and would recommend you do the same to try out as many dishes as possible- you will not be disappointed! Tripadvisor page is available here.
Vaults and Garden Cafe
Located beneath the University Church, we stopped by here for a quick break- initially planning on just having a coffee but when we saw that cream tea was on the menu- couldn’t resist. For those that do not know, cream tea is a very British thing- with its origins in either Devon or Cornwall (the origin is very rather disputed) in around the 11th century. Quite simply, cream tea consists of scones, clotted cream and jam. Whether cream or jam goes on first is also disputed- but the scones should be warm (and freshly baked ideally) and best accompanied with loose leaf tea. It’s a perfect mid-afternoon light bite (served here from 2.30pm onwards).
As well as cream tea (with home-made scones and jam), the cafe also has a breakfast and lunch menu. The produce and ingredients are organic and sourced locally. We are big fans of sustainability and reducing environmental impacts as far as is possible- so always glad to come across places which share the same mentality.
We had our cream tea in the garden area- but there is also an indoor, vaulted-ceiling area- it just happened to be completely full when we came by. Whilst the cream tea was delicious, the jam unfortunately appeared to also take the fancy of many of the passing bees… but was very much enjoyed nevertheless!
Bear Inn
One of the oldest pubs in Oxford (original building that stood here was built in 1242), unsurprisingly found opposite Bear Lane in the center of the city. One distinctive feature of the pub is the collection of tie cut-offs- found all over the ceilings and walls of the pub. This hobby was started in the 1950s by the landlord, with donations of the cut-offs being exchanged for beer. This pub is certainly worth a visit- it was quite busy (to be expected for a weekend) and seemed to be full with students, regulars and tourists alike. Being on the cosy side (with rather low ceilings in places) we ended up finding ourselves perched outside over a pint or two.
Turf Tavern
If you only have time to go for one drink in Oxford, this is the place we would say is a must-do- we actually came by twice during the weekend! Not as old as the Bear Inn, we stumbled across this pub after our visit to the Bridge of Sighs and after venturing down a narrow alleyway (St Helen’s passageway), and noticing a sign for the pub accompanied by “an education in intoxication“. It turns out that the old city walls can also be found here (as well as other places- see following link ).
Similarly to the Bear Inn, the Turf Tavern was full off both students and tourists- luckily we were able to grab a table in the beer garden. And now onto the main reason as to why we liked this
place so much- Liley’s cider! Being a Greene King pub, there was a decent selection of various drinks on offer, so we went for one we hadn’t come across before- an Apple and Pear Lilley’s Cider. From looking at tripadvisor, it seems we weren’t the only ones rather impressed by the beverages from this previously unknown to us Somerset Cider company… and the good drink, good weather and good atmosphere all came together perfectly.
Worth mentioning that this pub seemed to have also been a popular watering hole with quite an impressive list of figures- ranging from CS Lewis to Bill Clinton… and of course Inspector Morse. There are quite a number of chalkboards all over the place giving little insights on famous visitors- which make for an interesting read!
Suggested itineraries
Day Trip
If you’re visiting Oxford for just one day, we would recommend visiting at least one of the Colleges, the Ashmolean Museum and then wandering around the city centre- the Radcliffe Camera, Bridge of Sighs and the University Church (just be sure to get tickets in advance where necessary). For lunch, we would say the the ideal spot would be the Vaults and Garden cafe given it’s very centrally located, and for a quick drink- the Turf Tavern is a must.
Weekend Trip
If you’re visiting Oxford for a bit longer- perhaps an overnight or weekend trip, then you would definitely have more time to explore the city and see more sights. We would recommend the main tourist attractions- one of the colleges, the libraries, Botanic Garden, walking around the city centre, either Gee’s or Kazbar (or both!) and the Turf Tavern. It’s worth noting there are other things that we didn’t get the chance to see- such as the Covered Market or Oxford Castle. There is also a decent selection of shops and little boutiques dotted around.
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