OXFORD - CITY OF DREAMING SPIRESOxford, United Kingdom
It is in the early hours of the morning, when the bustling streets of the day are still and the ancient stone walls, the towers, the spires and domes are bathed in pale moonlight that you see Oxford at its most beautiful.
Over the centuries this magical place has developed from a small provincial town to what it is today, one of Britain’s most impressive cities. The education provided by its University has been the stepping stone to greatness for many world leaders. Its architecture is monumental. For history buffs it is a paradise. Like numerous other towns in Britain, Oxford, in medieval times, was encircled by a massive stone wall many feet thick and well over 15 feet high. It served as a deterrent to unwelcome invaders. Today a small portion of that surviving wall provides a back-drop for an herbaceous border in New College garden. Another section borders Dead Man’s Walk alongside Merton College. William of Wykeham who was the founder of New College in 1379 had to undertake the upkeep of the ancient wall before the City fathers would allow him to build his college on that site. To this day the Mayor of Oxford, in full mayoral regalia, visits the college each year and is taken on a tour of inspection to ensure that the present Warden is keeping William of Wykeham’s promise. Along ‘the High’, Oxford’s main thoroughfare, the vista is very much as it has been for centuries. The 15th century Magdalen College, where the love story of C.S. Lewis and his American wife was filmed stands beside the River Cherwell. It is at the foot of the college’s famous tower that thousands of students and city folk alike gather on the first day of May at sunrise to celebrate the arrival of summer. This tradition is hundreds of years old and to be part of it is an unforgettable experience. The Magdalen College boys’ choir assemble at the top of the tower and as the sun tips the college spires with early morning light, a hush falls over the crowd and the clear bell-like voices of the boys drift down from above. They solemnly sing a traditional Latin hymn and then break into a lively rendition of ‘Summer is a coming in’. As the last note of their song fades, the joyful peals of the church bells signal the start of the celebrations. Morris dancers in their traditional costume of white, with bells around their ankles and fresh flowers decorating their hats, go through their repertoire of English folk dances. Fire eaters and jugglers entertain the crowds. Gypsy bands, with fiddle, flute and tambourine perform on the steps of noble buildings and students still clad in their ball gowns and black tie from College Balls the night before, mingle with the crowds. Children with flowers in their hair and twined around their hats and necks, dance around the maypole, laughing excitedly as they try to master the intricate manoeuvres for weaving the coloured ribbons. In close proximity to Magdalen College is the second oldest Botanic Garden in Europe. It was, when first created in 1621, called the Physic Garden. Then its main function was for the cultivation of medicinal herbs for use by the physicians of the time. Now it has a collection of over 8,000 different species of plant growing within the protective stone walls surrounding it. Its situation alongside the River Cherwell provides a delightful resting place for students after a strenuous day punting on the river. In appearance there has been little change over the centuries in what is known as Europe’s most impressive main street. One exception to this is the building of the Covered Market. Sometime before 1771 the local farmers, butchers and fishmongers were banished from trading on the city streets. In those far-off days Oxford was not the orderly place it is today. St. Aldates was the preserve of the fishmonger. Queen Street, then known as Butcher’s Row, was for the selling of meat and Carfax, which is today the centre of Oxford, was the butter sellers’ patch. The vegetable sellers squeezed in wherever there was a space and business was carried on in an atmosphere of squalid pandemonium. The more affluent members of the city found the conditions on the High and other streets where food stalls were set up, revolting. They had to pick their way through pigs offal, the slippery scales of malodorous fish and rotting vegetables. In 1771 the market was housed in a new structure that is today a delight for both the locals and the tourists. Small boutique-type shops selling everything from flowers to English knitwear line narrow sawdust-covered passageways. The fishmongers, butchers, bakers, fruit and vegetable sellers are now suitably established alongside coffee traders and teashops. There are cheese stalls, Belgian Chocolatiers, French Croissanteries and second-hand bookshops all under one roof. In winter the market’s sheltered passages attract buskers, drawn to the warmth and bustle like bees to honey. Over the hum of the busy shoppers one can hear the sounds of the sun-washed Mediterranean as a swarthy youth, probably an Italian language student, plucks delicately at the strings of a mandolin. The University students, of which there are close to 20,000 are accommodated in the 39 colleges and 7 Permanent Private Halls that make up the University of Oxford. Christ Church, one of the 39 colleges, is without doubt the finest and probably one of the richest colleges in England. It has the largest medieval quadrangle, the most opulent dining hall decorated with portraits of its illustrious members and a college chapel that is also the Cathedral for Oxford. An elegant baroque building built in 1772 is the home of the college library. It has its own picture gallery in which you will see Russian icons, drawings by Van Dyck, paintings by Titian and a collection of priceless antique glass. In the Upper Library, a magnificent room lined with leather-bound books and furnished with genuine Chippendale antique chairs, a Cardinal’s hat belonging to the College’s founder, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, King Henry V111's one-time confidante, is displayed in a glass case. For Alice in Wonderland enthusiasts there is a large collection of Alice memorabilia including copies of most of the ‘Alice’ books ever published. Many people are not aware that Alice was a real child and that Lewis Carroll was in fact the Reverend Charles Dodgson, a mathematics don at Christ Church. Alice’s father was the Dean of Christ Church and the Liddell family lived in the Deanery from 1855 until the Dean retired 36 years later. Soon after Henry George Liddell’s appointment as Dean, Charles Dodgson befriended Alice and her two sisters. They could often be seen walking through the meadow on their way to the River Thames for a picnic, the three girls dancing around their adult companion, pleading with him to tell them a story. It was during these outings that the famous tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland took shape. Many of the ideas for the story originated in Christ Church. The horse chestnut tree growing in the Deanery garden is one of them. It was on the branches of this tree that the Cheshire Cat is said to have appeared and confused Alice with his theories on madness. The small green door between the Deanery garden and the cathedral garden also features in the story. Alice opened it with a small gold key and ‘looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw’. In the summer, when fragrant clusters of pink roses climb against the honey-coloured stone wall dividing the two gardens and droop languidly over the half-hidden door, one can imagine Alice and her sisters playing nearby. In the Great Hall in Christ Church there is a massive fireplace flanked by an unusual pair of firedogs in the form of a woman with an immensely long neck. In the story of Alice, her neck is said to have grown so long that ‘she was mistaken for a serpent by a passing pigeon’. Although a bachelor, Mr. Dodgson had an uncanny knack with children. He revealed a world of enchantment to them with his imaginative stories and a collection of toys that he kept specially for their visits. Over time the story of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ has survived and to many small children the story is not fantasy but reality. I know that this is so ,because for many years I worked as the Dean’s personal assistant in the Deanery at Christ Church where Alice and her family lived more than a century ago. On numerous occasions a timid knock at the door would reveal a child and sometimes a whole classroom of children with teacher, anxious to see Alice’s nursery and the tree where the Cheshire Cat sat. |
TRAVEL DIY WHERE TO STAY MacDONALD RANDOLPH HOTEL Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone Beaumont Street, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX1 2LN Built in 1864 this five star hotel is located in the heart of Oxford. THE DIAL HOUSE Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone 25 London Road, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom, 0X3 7RE Built in the 1920s in the style of a timber-framed Tudor house. Within walking distance of the city centre and colleges. WHERE TO EAT THE NOSEBAG RESTAURANT Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone 6-9 St. Michael’s Street, Oxford, United Kingdom. This restaurant serves vegetarian and healthy hot meals. Budget Option BRASSERIE BLANC Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone 71-72 Walton Street, Oxford, United Kingdom. A charming French Brasserie with food that is simply marvelous. MId-range Option THE LEMON TREE Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone 268 Woodstock Road, Oxford, United Kingdom. A brief trek to north Oxford from the city centre to one of Oxford’s finest restaurants. Treat yourself! THE EAGLE and CHILD aka THE BIRD and BABE Email | Website | TripAdvisor Phone 49 St. Giles, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX1 3LU, In earlier times this was the drinking hole of the Inklings, including writers, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Pub Food. |
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