Oxford, England - Travel Guide

[Music] hello this is Oxford the city of dreaming spies and a rather wonderful historic University Town let's take a [Music] look Oxford is a city with amazing history architecture its more recent reputation somewhat tarnished by the fact it has given UK some of its most controversial leaders and politicians but let's not dwell on that here is a brief history before we get started Oxford started as a Saxon settlement its name coming from oxen Ford as in a place where cows can cross the river in this case it's the river temps which runs through and onto London Oxford Rose to prominence in many evil times as it became the location of the world's second oldest universe University and it is that University that shapes the city today filling it with hundreds of historic buildings and if you get a Hogwarts 5 it's because Oxford was a source of inspiration for those books and was also used as a location for the films in modern times the city has a population of about 166,000 residents with about 26,000 students the city is less than an hour from London on train from Paddington Station making it an ideal day trip however this city has a lot to see and do so it's worth spending at least 2 days here anyway enough of my waffling let's have a look at the top 10 including a little bonus location with a great view so stay tuned to the end for that first up let's have a quick look at the historic City Center it is Compact and walkable in fact everything in this guide can be walked to every street is full of shops restaurants and overflowing with historic buildings aside from the various university colleges some of the highlight of the city center include the martyr's memorial which is a monument to three Bishops who were burned at the stake in the 16th century ouch also not to be missed in the city center is St Michael at North Gate Church where you can climb the tower for some lovely views the main street in Oxford is the High Street which is full of amazing historic buildings I mean just look at it it's stunning and if shopping is more your thing then check out Queen Street or call Market Street our next location is Christ Church College which is one of the more famous colleges of the University containing a large campus Oxford Cathedral and some Harry Potter locations Christ Church was founded in 1546 by King Henry VII you know the one the big fell that had a tendency to cut off the heads of his wives as well as royalty 13 prime ministers have studied here as well as countless other famous high ranking politicians scientists philosophers authors doctors and many more due to its immense popularity it gets very busy so you might have to book a time slot if visiting at peak times the small admission fee is definitely worth it as there is a lot to see the bodly tower staircase is one of the most recognizable Parts due to It featuring in a few Harry Potter films built in Gothic style with an elegant Central pillow supporting a lovely fan bolted ceiling it is a wonderful space at the top of the stairs is a famous dining hall which will immediately make you think of Hogwarts although no filming took place it's quite clearly a big inspiration for the film it still gets used today to try and imagine all those students crowded in here for dinner wearing their formal gowns oxus Cathedral is also located in Christ Church This Magnificent building was built toward the end of the 12th century in the Roman X style however it has been altered over the centuries and is now a mixture of [Music] styles [Music] attached to the cathedral are some lovely cloysters which are also used in some Harry Potter films the exterior spaces of the college are also magnificent especially the main quadrangle known as Tom quad named after the bell in the stunning Tower which was designed by the famous architect Sir Christopher Ren and hidden away at the back of the site is another impressive outside space known as pecat quart the Third location is the University Church of St Mary the Virgin although founded much earlier the main body of the current church was rebuilt in perpendicular Gothic style in 15th and 16th centuries it's a really fascinating and wonderful looking building the interior is bright and Airy and full of amazing details and decorations so take some time to have a wander around however the main attraction is the tower which can be climbed for a small fee and I highly recommend this as it will give you some of the best and most famous views of Oxford notably over the next location in our list which is right next door just outside the church is our fourth location the Radcliff camera Library designed by James Gibbs in Baro style it was built between 1737 and 1749 it is perhaps the most iconic building in Oxford as part of the bodle and Library it can only be visited as part of a guided tour and only then on a few select days each week and sadly for me this was already fully booked for the entire season when I had a look so as far as I can tell if you want to go make sure you book very very far in advance to be sure to get a ticket there are of course other buildings that can be visited and some famous rooms such as the Divinity School which is another Harry Potter film location even if you don't manage to get get inside the area around the library is stunning with amazing historic buildings on all sides and also nearby is the famous Herford Bridge which links two wings of Herford college and is more usually called The Bridge of size due to its similarity to the famous bridge of size in Venice there is more to Oxford than just its University it also has a few really really excellent museums the most famous is the ashodian which is the oldest public museum in England and was established in 1683 the current building is a little newer and was built between 1841 and 1845 In neoc classical style and looks amazing the collection inside is vast and varied in one part you can find amazing paintings by old Italian Masters next door to rooms with paintings by Flemish Masters and there are also paintings by Picasso tishan suzan conable Turner and many other famous European artists for those of you who admire British art the museum has one of the best collections of preite art to admire including this really extravagant bookcase which was made by William bgs in 1862 and is adorned with paintings by many of the leading prite artists and if that is not enough there is also an extensive archaeology collection with many artifacts from all over the world including ancient Egypt ancient Greece Japan China and many other places there's so much to see here it's really really hard to take it all in overall I rate the ashm modin as one of the best museums in the UK and even better general admission to the main collections is free of charge location number six is Magdalene college or melin college as it's known locally this was founded in 1458 over the centuries the college has had many famous students and professors including royalty world leaders politicians scientists as well as literary figures such as Oscar wild and CS Lewis the site of Magdalene College is very large and includes some impressive historic buildings as well as a park it can be visited for a small fee and it's definitely worth it the coolest part is the cloysters which was constructed in the 15th century but with many later modifications these are really Pleasant to wander around and take in the views of the historic [Music] facades from the cloysters you can reach the dining room which is still in use today for students so might not always accessible but if you are lucky enough to go in you'll have a good idea of how lucky the students are to have access to such a great place for snacks there is also a stunning Gothic Chapel which is still in use today on the north side of the site is the new building which is a grand neoclassical building built between 1731 to 1824 and is mainly used as accommodation as well as the amazing historic buildings there are also tranquil Gardens and green spaces are plenty next to the college is magdalin bridge and from here you can go punting on the traditional boats along the river Britain's oldest Botanic Gardens are also located here and are opposite the college all this history and Grand architecture has probably made you very hungry so fret not this Oxford is full of places to eat the hand out location of course being both historical and architecturally interesting is the Oxford covered Market it was officially opened back in 1774 and today contains a great variety of stores and shops the various aisles are full of great food places where you can find lots of tasty looking treats I visited on a Sunday when many of them were closed and it was a little quiet but there was still plenty to choose from not too far from the market is location number eight which is Carfax Tower this 23 M high tower is All That Remains of an old church the tower can be climbed for a small fee on the way up you'll squeeze up some very tight spiral staircases to access the roof which has really really stunning panoramic views over Oxford definitely worth it so make sure you don't miss this great location and be sure to bring your camera another of Oxford's great museums is the Oxford University Museum of Natural History which is actually two museums joined together both of which are free which is great the Natural History Museum is housed in a neogothic building that was built in the 1850s with consultation from famous art critic John Ruskin the interior has a stunning main hall with a huge iron and glass ceiling which is perfect for housing large specimens the highlights of course being dinosaurs including a cast of a T-Rex as well as dinosaurs there are thousands of other specimens some of which are very old as this place is properly historical attached to the museum is another Museum the pit Rivers's Museum you can enter both without having to go outside the pit Rivers Museum was founded in 1884 by Augustus pit Rivers who donated his collection and what a collection just look at this room it's vast and there are thousands of things to look at over three floors some highlights include the haa totem pole which is 11 M high on the top floor there is a fantastic collection of military weapons and armor spanning centuries overall these two museums are a really fantastic location so really do set aside enough time to have a good look around location number 10 is just across the road from the museums and is another of the University's famous colleges this one is a little different due to it being established in 1870 and being built in a rather ornate and wonderful neogothic Style with red bricks so it has a totally different feel than the older Sandstone buildings that you will have seen everywhere else in Oxford and this makes for a really Pleasant change of Pace the site is formed of a few large open quadrangles and it was free to enter the Space is really lovely and I was lucky to have such good weather with the sunlight bringing out the amazing color of the stunning architecture the only interior I was allowed to visit was the elaborate Chapel this large space is wonderfully decorated covered in colorful Fresco that are illuminated by equally colorful stained glass windows it is really stunning there is also a famous painting in here somewhere called the light of the world by William hman hunt but alas I missed it as it was in a side Chapel so don't make the same mistake I did and seek it out so that's the top 10 but I promised the bonus location with an amazing view here it is located a good 10 minutes walk from Magdalene college is a large green space known as South Park although I tried I could not find Cartman Kenny or any of the Gap the park is located on headington hill and the main reason to come here is to taking these breathtaking views over the city from here you get a great view of the spies and towers of the city so of course I had to record a time lapse that's it I hope you enjoyed this video let me know what other awesome places there are in Oxford thanks for watching cheerio

Channel: Barnyz

Views: 14,248

Keywords: Oxford England, Oxford Travel Guide, travel Guide, Oxford 4K, England 4K, Oxford University

Id: pa5JMF-A97E

Length: 13min 20sec (800 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 28 2024