The Randolph Hotel

Posted on October 18, 2021October 18, 2021 by heidi

The Randolph Hotel stand in the centre of Oxford is has been a symbol of this great city for over 150 years.

It began in 1864 based on the designs of William Wilkinson in preparation for the need of top-class accommodation for the purposed visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, 2 years later.

Named after Dr Francis Randolph, the chief benefactor of The Ashomelan Museum which stands majestically opposite the hotel on Beaumont Street.

In 2000 the hotel was acquired my McDonald Hotels and excelled in providing first class accommodation for many people from across the globe. It has long been the places to stay for politicians, film stars and royalty.

Disaster stuck in April 2015, in my earlier days of Tour Guiding and I remember vividly sitting at home as events unfolded that evening. A fire broke out in the kitchens which was the result of flambering a beef stroganoff! Immediately I was stuck by the potential loss of life but somehow all 80 guests and staff were unharmed. Thanks must go to the 14 fire engines and 70 firefighters who fought the blaze. Whilst the actual damage was about 5%, the roof was badly affected, and The Randolph closed its doors for the first time in its 150-year history.

Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, it took 11 months for the hotel to be repaired and redecorated. A champagne bar was added, and all rooms revamped.

The Randolph was acquired by the American chain of hotels, Graduate in 2020 during the covid pandemic. With hotels forced to shut during ‘lockdown’, this was a great opportunity to completely redecorate and redesign the interior.

In August 2021, the hotel reopened partially for a soft opening, and it was at the time I was invited to come and stay. Prior to becoming a Tour Guide in Oxford my work took me around the world and I had stayed in some of the world’s most iconic hotels but never at The Randolph, so I was delighted.

I was apprehensive about the refurbishment but need not have worried. Once again, she has risen to become, rightfully so, one of the world’s best hotels.

As one enters from Beaumont Street, you are welcome by concierge and to the left is the famous Morse Bar. Here you will find pictures of John Thaw and Kevin Whatley (from Morse and Lewis). Sadly, the Colin Dexter plaque did not survive the refurbishment, but I like to think of him ingrained in the fabric and feel of the hotel for he was a frequent visitor. It was here, at this hotel and within The Morse bar that I once met Colin – a truly lovely gentleman.

My room was located on the 4th floor and looking out the bedroom window, I could see the tip of the Radcliffe Camera and the dreaming spires. The room was well decorated, comfortable, and cosy. The decor has a ‘hint’ to Oxford with references to famous people associated with either town or gown. The en-suite bathroom provided all that I needed with a walk-in shower.

We had breakfast that morning in the new ‘Alice’ restaurant and I can certainly recommend the smashed avocado on English muffin!

All too soon it was time to check out – my Morse / Lewis and Endeavour tour was beckoning but this time I could tell my guests all about the Graduate Randolph!

TO BOOK THE RANDOLPH CLICK HERE

Walking Britain’s oldest road!

Posted on October 11, 2021 by heidi

What does a morse / Lewis and endeavour walking tour guide do in months of enforced lockdown?

A) rewatch many of the episodes
B) write a book on the subject (more about this in the coming weeks)
C) walk Britain’s oldest road – The Ridgeway

‘Follow the acorn’ A tour guides walk along the ridgeway in times of covid.

I survived lockdown 1, from March 2020 when all freedom was curtailed, like many, enjoying my garden and sunlounger but as night fell, I rewatched many of the episodes – driving my family nuts!

I then returned to my tours June-October with renewed knowledge and enthusiasm!

Then in November, another brief lockdown with freedom gained in December until 26th December in Oxfordshire.

With short cold days, the garden was no longer on option so my husband, Jonathan and myself donned our walking boats and took to hiking.

We live in the Oxfordshire village of Chinnor, right on the ridgeway and although we had ventured on short strolls over the 20 years we have lived here and often with our young children in days gone by, here was a real opportunity to ‘do properly’.

That winter we discovered many new paths and hikes. We were hooked and with each step, there was a determination to go ‘a little further’. Our 21st wedding anniversary was celebrated with a walk and cup of tea, following the Ridgeway from Princes Risborough back to Chinnor. By March 2021 we had reached our peak when we completed 28.82 kms from Chinnor to Watlington and beyond round trip.

Freedom again and it was time to concentrate on salvaging the business and building up the depleted coffers but those stunning walks along the ridgeway were never far from our minds.

By late summer 2021, we began again and this accumulated with a 2 day / 1 night section that we had not previously done – the start! From Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Wendover.

The date was Sunday 3rd October and we drove our older car to Ivinghoe Beacon where there is a free national trust car park. Theoretically the ridgeway starts back from this point, at the beacon and with stunning views over the rolling hills. Not ones to do a half job, we hiked up. It was a beautiful day but the wind was blowing ferociously at the top. We took our photos and were in unison about the stunning scenery before setting off ‘properly’.

The first section here is open and again offering the most beautiful views. We met fellow hikers who were on a day trip from London and had got the train to Tring to do a circular route. We reached the top of a hill with views looking down over a quarry and was tempted with a ‘tea and biscuit stop’ but opted to continue as still so breezy. This was a slight mistake as we then ventured into ‘Grims ditch’ which, whilst lovely, and giving you a real sense of the path travellers have trod for over 5.000 years, it did not offer a scenic stop for our rest so we continued until we found a field and sat enjoying the later afternoon sunshine. It was a short push from here to Wendover, I think the only town that the ridgeway truly passes through. As soon as we reached Wendover, there was our hotel – central and very welcoming after 21.54 km, 4.5 hours and 323m elevation gain.

I had dithered as to where to stay in Wendover as, like is so often the case, review were mixed. I had contemplated a room in a private house through Airbnb but in the end opted for The Bel and Dragon (yes – that is correct – only one l). We booked direct – always the best way and I wish everyone would consider this – booking through on-line portals on OTA’s means that the price is increased for everyone as they take a commission! I was not disappointed in my choice at all. The hotel had recently undergone a refurbishment and we were shown to our double en-suite bedroom on the ground floor, just across from the main pub. It get’s a little confusing as the hotel is called The Bel and Dragon but the pub is The Red Lion. We dumped our packs and heading back to the pub for a well earned pint and before lingering in a hot bubbly bath. Extra kudos must go to the hotel for providing an abundance of toiletries including bubble bath which, I feel, is a must after a long hike.

That evening, ideally we would have eaten at the pub on-site but they had run out of roasts and I found the remaining menu a little limited for my taste. So we pulled our boots back on and headed to The George and Dragon, for a delicious Thai treat. There seems to be lots of dragons in Wendover!

Where we stayed and where we ate

The Bel and Dragon, Wendover

https://www.georgeanddragonwendover.com

Part 2 – Wendover back to Chinnor

Eating out in Oxford

Posted on April 15, 2021 by heidi

Pizzas, Pints and Other People

Have you spent the last six months hankering to sit in a pub with your mates with a pint in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other? If so, now is the time to book your 2-hour slot at The White Rabbit. One of the top 5 pizzerias in the UK, this small pub is one of Oxford’s gems – and the beer’s not bad either. Farsightedly, it opened its pizza garden even before the pandemic struck – and the pizzas are as authentically Italian as the chef and as good as they ever were.

However, if you would like a bit of history with your beer, you might prefer The Bear Inn. Oxford’s oldest pub (well, one of three possible contenders for the title), it claims to date back to 1242 and used to be a huge coaching inn. Today it is tiny, but in pandemic times has come into its own with seating for 95 in the marquee out back, so you can bring friends. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until May 17th to see the pub’s treasured tie collection. This numbers over 4,000 tie tips donated by patrons – presumably after a few pints – framed under glass inside the pub. The ties represent schools, colleges, regiments, and sports clubs from across the world.

The Turf Tavern is another historic option with excellent outdoor seating in sight of Oxford’s old city wall. Originally known as The Spotted Cow, it doubled as a gambling den, hence the reference to the ‘turf’. It is approached down a tiny alley just under the Bridge of Sighs – follow the sign reading ‘An Education in Intoxication’ (!). Indeed, many prominent people were ‘educated’ here. In 1963, it became a Guinness World Record venue when Bob Hawke, future PM of Australia, managed to down ‘a yard of ale’ in just 11 seconds. Numerous famous names have frequented The Turf down the years – and if you go to the pub, you can read all about them on the chalk boards – Richard Burton, Tony Blair, President-to-be Clinton and the Harry Potter stars amongst others. Fictional visitors include Inspectors Morse and Lewis and the young Endeavour.

Sadly, there have been a few pandemic casualties, amongst them The Lamb and Flag, mentioned by Thomas Hardy in his novel Jude the Obscure and owned by St John’s College. Fingers crossed that the decision to close the pub permanently is reversed.

Additionally, Tolkien and Lewis fans may be disappointed to know that St John’s other pub on St Giles, The Eagle and Child, won’t be reopening until 2022. The pub is undergoing renovation and may in future function as a small hotel. This is the place where the ‘Inklings’ used to meet – a thoroughly sensible club, which mixed literature and beer.

Some pubs are currently suffering from a lack of outside space and won’t be opening yet e.g. The White Horse on Broad St, seen in several Morse and Lewis episodes and The King’s Arms at the corner of Broad Street and Parks Road, but they should be opening again after 17th May.
If you are coming shopping, then The Crown and The Plough in Cornmarket have both gone ‘al fresco’. The Plough’s seats are on Cornmarket itself and the temporarily (?) closed St Michael Street, so you can watch people pass by. They promise a ‘huge selection of gins, vodkas and whisky and a comprehensive wine list’, so if you are alcoholically inclined, you should be able to find something to enjoy.

Outside the city centre, there are some cracking alternative venues on offer, such as The White House on the Abingdon Road, where they are serving cakes, coffee and ‘sharing plates’ and they have turned the erstwhile car park into a beer garden. (Obviously, you will have to find somewhere else to park.)

If you are looking for something more exotic, try KazBar and CoCos on the Cowley Road, which has outdoor seating on the now pedestrianised Dawson Street. Pretend you have gone on holiday and try something Mediterranean.

For vegetarians and vegans, our advice would be to check out The Punter in Osney Mead. Its waterside location is attractive and the puddings in particular look terrific!

For a location combining a beautiful walk with a pub, two great options from central Oxford are The Perch in Binsey and The Trout in Wolvercote. Whilst in Binsey, find the church and the ‘Treacle Well’ which found fame in Alice in Wonderland. The Perch was one of the first places Lewis Carroll gave public readings of his classic book. Ask the staff about their ghost….

The Perch, Binsey
©philknightphotography ©walkingtoursofoxford

The 17th century Trout Inn has a lovely riverside location and if you’ve watched Morse, Lewis and Endeavour, you’ll definitely recognise it as a favoured watering hole of the fabled detectives.

So, why not take a Walking Tours of Oxford tour and then follow up with a pleasant afternoon spent eating and drinking well in one of our friendly, welcoming, traditional (or not so traditional) Oxford pubs? We hope we have whetted your appetite.

Endeavour Filming Series 8 – March 2021 – Part 2

Posted on April 1, 2021 by heidi

It was interesting to see all the positive comments and eager anticipation for Endeavour season 8 as it began filming last week.

Reading some of the comments and thoughts, it would seem many people share my view that this will be the last season. That is a bitter pill to swallow as we will miss our Endeavour but I have high hopes that the writing, casting, directing …. will all be as magnificent as always. I could be wrong, I hope that I am but remember there was 33 Morse episodes, 33 Lewis and after these 3 that will bring is to 33 Endeavour. What are your thoughts? Do post in the comments below as I would love to hear from you.

My concern is that it can’t end well. We never hear of Fred Thursday in Morse later so I fear something will happen to him. I have been rewatching Endeavour over lockdown 3 and it has been gripping, when watching in close succession to see Fred and Endeavour relationship become close and then begin to wane.

I have just rewatched Coda (season 3. Episode 4) of Endeavour which has some superb acting. What jumped out at me this time was, when Endeavour and Joan are caught up in the bank raid and she is trying to conceal her identity. They ask her for her name, thinking on the spot she says ‘Joan Strange’. There is some speculation that Joan will marry Jim Strange, is this a hidden message?

Also, as we move forward is anyone else thinking that this will be the first without Barrington Pheloung? I am feeling a little melancholy. I was lucky enough to meet Barrington some years ago at Colin Dexters memorial service and he was a lovely chap. The Morse universe will miss him.

Mind how you go!

Heidi x

Endeavour Season 8 filming 14/3/21. Shaun Evans double. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge

Endeavour season 8 filming 14/3/21. This scene took 15 takes! ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge

Endeavour Season 8 filming 15/3/21. Behind closed doors! ©walkingtoursofoxford

FREE Freedom tours!

Posted on March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 by heidi

It is finally here … ‘Freedom Day 2021’! The day that we can return to meeting friends and family outside – albeit within the rule of 6.

Qualified guides can’t wait to meet you and show you Oxford! ©philknight @ walkingtoursofoxford

To celebrate our return to the world of guiding, we are delighted to be offering two free tours of Oxford:-

Friday 2nd April (Good Friday)
Friday 9th April

Both tours will start at 11am from Christ Church memorial gardens which is directly opposite Cafe Loco on St Aldates.

There is no better time to visit Oxford with the streets quieter then they have been in decades and with shops still closed on the above two dates, travel into Oxford should be easy.

Your fully qualified guide will enthral and delight you with the history of Oxford and stories of those that have studied here. We will see many of the iconic sites and the context of these buildings to the university.

Each tour is uniquue, we do not follow a script and simply ‘go with the flow’ on the day and tune into interests.

We are covid secure as the tour will be completely outside and social distancing will be encouraged throughout.

Tours are strictly limited to 6 per guide and a maximum of two per household.

We can’t wait to be back and we look forward to showing you Oxford!

Tomorrow is a good day!

Heidi and Elizabeth x

Please click on the booking link below which will take you to Eventbrite to book your tickets

2nd April
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/walking-tours-of-oxford-12014463629

9th April
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/walking-tours-of-oxford-12014463629

Highlights Tours

Posted on March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 by heidi

Bubble / Highlight Tours

Following lockdown 3, the relaxation of the rules and the reintroduction of ‘the rule of 6’, we are delighted to be bringing back our popular ‘Bubble Tours’.

Currently available Monday-Saturday and at any time to suit you, these tours are private and for up to 5 people (as the guide will equal 6). Perfect for a family group or two couples looking to have a (socially distanced) meet up!

From 17th May, these special tours will become known as a Highlight tours and will only be available Monday-Saturday at 10am or 4.15pm to fit in with our tour schedule.

Peering in to the colleges! Come discover Oxford with us ©philknight and ©walkingtoursofoxford

These tours are 1-hour in length and will show you the very best of Oxford in 60 minutes with your qualified guide. A private tour such as this allows for interaction and for questions to be asked. We can tailor the tour to any requests that you may have – want a bit of wizardly magic and Harry Potter then – Abracadabra! A family tour to include the children – consider it done or perhaps you are a couple looking to explore the history of Oxford – that is no problem! Teenager children thinking of applying to Oxford and want a tour to help – look no further! Or perhaps murder? A Morse / Lewis and Endeavour tour would be perfect!

Cost is £75 – so with a group of 5 that is just £15 per person which is excellent value. Don’t take our word for it, you can check out the hundreds of on-line reviews which make us the number 1 rated tour company in Oxford both for TripAdvisor and Feefo.

This special offer is only available direct and for a limited time.

Friendly, knowledgeable and qualified guides are waiting to show you Oxford! ©philknight ©walkingtoursofoxford

Email info@walkingtoursofoxford.com to book.

“Walking Tours of Oxford is excellent and very much recommended. Heidi, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic but also orientated the tour to her audience so in our case, we are a family of four, with two boys aged 13 and 15. It was the perfect way to familiarise ourselves with the city and point out details that we would have not noticed or understood the significance. We really enjoyed the tour and the two hours passed so quickly. Thank you, Heidi, – a really great experience and introduction to Oxford!”
Feefo review December 2020

“This was a great walking tour. Our guide, Heidi, was so knowledgeable & told stories in a charismatic way that made you feel you were living them. This really helped us get to know the history of Oxford & it’s famous University & colleges, well worth doing. Thank you, Heidi”
TripAdvisor review November 2020

Endeavour Series 8 Filming – March 2021

Posted on March 16, 2021March 17, 2021 by heidi

All photo’s ©walkingtoursofoxford. Please do not share individually but do share link to post for everyone to see!

In ‘Normal’ times, we would have already been treated to series 8 of Endeavour. We last saw our hero on TV screens in “Zenana” back on 23rd February 2020 and season 8 was confirmed at that time. Then Covid hit and England entered a full national lockdown on 23rd March 2020, exactly one month after that last episode airing on ITV filming, along with our entire way of life stopped.

Endeavour filming season 8 15/3/2021 Exeter College, Oxford. ©walkingtoursofoxford
Shaun Evans

Summer came and went and with that we enjoyed some normality and our Morse / Lewis and Endeavour tours resumed which continued to run through August / September and October before Lockdown 2 in November. It was a busy 3 months with most tours going out full. ‘Staycations’ became popular and as many had rewatched the programmes during those challenging ‘Stay at home’ months, we had visitors from all corners of the United Kingdom. The guides here at “Walking Tours of Oxford” also used those lockdown months to rewatch episodes; entire seasons – a love of all three programmes was reignited and we had time to reconnect and remember all those little moments and connections that run so deep.

As we now look towards a release from lockdown 3, we will be returning with our tours on 17th May (subject to government guidelines). It might be possible to operate some private tours prior to this date.

Tours will be smaller than before and college entry may not be possible but, in some ways, this has given us the freedom to explore the street scenes further and many of the colleges are still seen and talked about, albeit from the outside. We have invested is a state-of-the-art sound system, no other tour company offers this in Oxford, and we believe it enhances the tour experience as it means everyone can hear no matter how busy Oxford gets. Moreover, it allows for complete ‘social distancing’ between your individual group and others on the tour. Each person on our public tours is provided, at the time of the tour and free of charge, with a small headset and earphones. However, we do encourage our guests to bring their own earphones which can be used with the headsets. All equipment has been thoroughly sanitised between each use.

It was uplifting to see that filming had resumed on Mothering Sunday – 14th March 2021. Two guides made it in that day and met Shaun and the crew and were lucky to get some photos which we are sharing below. It was a little surreal to see the crew and cast all masked up in-between takes. Filming continued inside Exeter College, which has a long association with the Morse universe on Monday 15th March. Heidi, owner of Walking Tours of Oxford was able to witness some of the filming that day and a selection is here for you.

Tomorrow is a good day!

Come and join us to see just where all this took place along with other episodes of Endeavour Morse and Lewis. See the locations and hear the stories – all our guides are fully qualified – members of The Institute of Tourist Guiding and the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides.

Quote code NDVR8 at checkout for a 10% discount on our group Morse / Lewis and Endeavour Tours which is available for any tour date throughout 2021 but for bookings taken prior to 17th May. We anticipate that tours will get booked up so don’t delay and book today!

Filming on Merton Street, Oxford 14/3/2021. Endeavour Season 8. ©walkingtoursofoxford Jane Mead

Endeavour season 8 filming 14/3/2021. Merton Street, Oxford. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge

Endeavour Filming season 8 15/3/2021. Exeter College, Oxford ©walkingtoursofoxford

Endeavour Filming season 8 15/3/2021. Exeter College, Oxford ©walkingtoursofoxford
Shaun Evans ‘getting ready for take’

Shaun Evans – filming in times of Covid. March 14th 2021. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge

A Merry Oxmas

Posted on December 13, 2020 by heidi

Oxmas

‘Tis the season to be jolly…’ or as our Balliol-educated PM would have it in Covid year, ‘jolly careful’. Here in Oxford, the colleges and the University have been making big efforts to be both. Many traditions have survived the virtual transformation and there has been a plethora of creative initiatives helping everyone celebrate enjoyably ‘at a distance’.
Colleges have put up their Christmas trees and the porters have dressed up in Christmas jumpers and paper crowns before posting themselves smiling bravely on Instagram; carols have been broadcast via Zoom from largely empty chapels; mince pies and mulled wine have been partaken of (though in smaller quantities than usual and in do-it-yourself packages) and some magnificent decorations adorn the Westgate Shopping Centre, the Covered Market, the central streets and various University buildings. The Bodleian has erected its traditional tree in the centre of Old Schools Quad and doubtless Christ Church hasn’t forgotten to put up its Alice-in-Wonderland tree decorations as always. The now traditional Christmas Market has unfortunately been absent, but the University Christmas Tree stands proudly in its usual place on Broad Street beside the Chanukiah, reminding us that there is more than one festival being celebrated in these dark times.

However, one college in particular stands out for its Christmas traditions. At Queen’s College, an ancient ritual has taken place every year until now. The Boar’s Head Dinner is possibly pagan in origin, but a survival adapted, like the Yule Log, into the Christian era. Boar’s Head dinners are celebrated elsewhere but the Queen’s dinner is singularly special, respected as a celebration of student heroism and an object-lesson in the practical importance of the Classics.

The backstory involves a Queen’s scholar who took a copy of a book by Aristotle to Shotover Park. He was clearly engrossed when surprised by a wild boar who didn’t appreciate his presence in his territory. The angry boar did what angry boars do – he charged. The quick-thinking student defended himself with the only weapon he had to hand – his book. Evidently thinking that there had been some misunderstanding and that the boar might desist if he knew it was a Greek classic and not some Latin or English rubbish, he shouted at the boar ‘Graecum est!’ – (It’s Greek!). Tragically, we’ll never know whether the boar would have been mollified by the revelation because it was too late. As every Physicist knows, deceleration takes time and conversely, the force of a charging boar hitting a stationary object (even as small as a book) creates irreparable damage, particularly when it penetrates deep into the mouth and obstructs the airways. Our poor boar was stopped in his tracks, beaten by a book, killed by culture, asphyxiated by Aristotle…

On the other hand, the victor, our learned but opportunistic student, removed the boar’s head (a whole boar is heavy and it was a long way home) and returned in triumph with tales of his averted demise and derring-do to entertain his peers.

Ever since (well, only for the last 400 years?) the college has celebrated at Christmas. The Boar’s Head dinner used to be held on Christmas Day itself until the Dons started to marry and their wives complained about them absenting themselves for a boys-only jamboree just as they were serving up the goose. Today, the dinner is an alumni event, but no less spectacular. See for the 2014 Ceremony of the parading of the boar to High Table. QED, a ritual performed in all solemnity. The boar bearers and choir are singing the Boar’s Head Carol (see anglicized lyrics at the end of this blog*).

In fact, Queen’s has always taken food and drink very seriously. The founder, Robert d’Eglesfield, clearly enjoyed both and set out a number of stipulations designed to make life as entertaining as possible. The original members of the college were called to dinner with a trumpet and the dons had to wear blood-red robes, whilst the chaplains wore white. Eglesfield presented a wonderful drinking horn, topped by an eagle and resting on three claws, which remains one of the college’s chief treasures and a ‘frog cup’ which surprises the drinker by squirting beer at him/her. You can see both in the Queen’s online exhibition of Beer and Brewing Here
So, there is lots going on in our fair city here at Christmas and it is the ideal time to visit! Book an Oxford Walking Tours tour and we will tell you about more of our fascinating and extraordinary traditions.

In the meantime, from all of us here at Walking Tours of Oxford: Have a Very Jolly Oxmas!

© Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

*
Caput apri defero
Redens laudes Domino.
(The head of the boar I bring,
Rendering praises to the Lord)
The Boar’s Head in hand bear I,
Bedecked with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio.
(How many are you at dinner?)
The Boar’s Head as I understand,
Is the bravest dish in all the land,
When thus bedecked with a gay garland.
Let us service cantico.
(Serve it while singing)
Our Steward hath provided this,
In honour of the King of Bliss,
Which on this day to be served is,
In Reginensi Atrio.
(In the Queen’s Hall)

The Randolph Hotel

Posted on October 14, 2020 by heidi

With the announcement this week that Oxford’s flagship hotel the Randolph is making 75 of its 84 staff redundant, it seems a good moment to reflect on the history of this iconic institution. It’s unlikely to cheer the staff right now, but the good news is that the hotel is not closing for good, just for a refurbishment by its new American owners. And when it reopens, it will still be called the ‘Randolph‘, despite earlier plans to rename it the ‘Graduate Oxford’. Perhaps somebody suggested the name lacked originality, there being 12,000 other graduates in Oxford?

For many decades the Randolph was Oxford’s only five-star hotel, which naturally made it the hotel of choice for anyone remotely rich or famous. Everyone from the future King Edward VII and King Farouk to Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter stayed here.

Indeed, Afternoon Tea at the Randolph, a glorious three-tiered experience requiring a second mortgage, has been a treat enjoyed by generations of students when their proud parents come for a visit.

Named after an 18th-century benefactor Dr Frances Randolph who left £1000 for the University galleries (now part of the Ashmolean Museum), the Randolph’s Gothic Revival style was the work of William Wilkinson, purveyor of parsonages and police stations and architect of a few grand houses and educational establishments including Saint Edwards school in Summertown.

The Randolph is both grand and central and for several years also played a key role in Oxford’s best known detective series, Inspector Morse. The Morse Bar (named specially in his honour) was author Colin Dexter‘s favourite watering hole and his hard-drinking detective made it his too. It was centre-stage in The Wolvercote Tongue, when a wealthy American guest was robbed of a jewel which looked suspiciously like it had been nicked from the Ashmolean Museum in the first place (see The Alfred Jewel and compare). The unfortunate woman’s body was later retrieved from the Cherwell River. (For lots more on Dexter’s Detectives, join an Oxford Walking Tours Morse, Lewis and Endeavour Tours

In 1993 the Randolph also starred as the place Jack (C.S.) Lewis found love. It was here In the film that he met Joy Gresham (his future wife) though the Randolph was masquerading as the East Gate Hotel, the true location of the tryst.

Some true history took place in the bar on the 24th of April 1880. It was here that three Oxford students founded what is today the world’s oldest national governing body for athletics, the Amateur Athletics Association or AAA. Let’s hope the new Randolph owners keep the plaque up in the bar to remind us of this historic moment.

More recently, in 2015, the most potentially disastrous event in the hotel’s history took place, when the chef got a little too enthusiastic whilst flambéeing a Boeuf Bourguignon. Flames and heat shot up the ventilation shaft from the basement to the roof and the ensuing blaze was a huge shock to the city.

Thankfully no one was hurt and after a few months of shutdown the hotel rose Phoenix-like from the ashes in all its splendour. We can only hope it will do the same when the virus passes and that all its staff can work again.

Sports at Oxford

Posted on September 18, 2020 by heidi

Sport at Oxford

Remarkably, despite a full-time focus on study, Oxford students still find lots of time to play.

Pick any early morning (in normal times) and you will find them rowing down the river, jogging along the towpath, speeding round the Iffley Road track, scaling the climbing wall or ploughing up and down the fantastic Rosenblatt Swimming Pool.

In fact, Oxford students take part in at least 57(!) sports for which they can win ‘Blues’ or ‘Half-Blues’ and the right to wear a dark blue Oxford University Blazer (or blue and white-striped zebra-wise in the case of a Half-Blue) emblazoned with the crest of the appropriate sports club.

Ballroom dancing is a one of the many sports at Oxford

No, Quidditch is not a blues sport, but if you do anything from American Football to Yachting via Clay Pigeon Shooting, Croquet, Powerlifting and Ultimate Frisbee, there’s a team and a competition for you to take part in.

Sport at Oxford University really came into its own in the 19th century. Before that young men went hunting nearby or played Real Tennis. Merton College still has its Real Tennis court, with two professional coaches, though the court at Oriel College is no longer extant. A pity, as that was the court where Charles I was interrupted by a trumpeter come to sue for peace in 1642 (no, the peace talks failed, but Parliament did agree to send the King cloth for a new tennis suit).

The first Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race was held in 1829, though it was in Henley rather than London. Later onlookers used to watch races from barges with distinctive round windows – you can still find one hidden near Donnington Bridge. Today there are college boathouses all along the river Thames at a short distance from Folly Bridge and rowing’s popularity is undiminished. There are two major competitions held in Oxford every year– Torpids in the sleepy spring and Eights in the energetic summer rowed over several days.

Each college chalks their accomplishments on the walls of the quads

Cricket too has always been very popular and some great names have honed their skills on the playing fields of Oxford – CB Fry, Colin Cowdrey, the Nawab of Pataudi, Imran Khan and Jamie Dalrymple to name but a few.

We also shouldn’t forget that the game of Rugby was invented by an Oxford man (though fortunately he went to Rugby school beforehand, or presumably ‘Oxford’ would be a game as well as a University). His name was William Webb Ellis and one day he decided to revolutionise football (or break the rules, depending how you look at it) and pick up the ball. You can see him immortalised in stone above the High Street entrance to Brasenose college, head down, arm round a ball.

‘A healthy mind in a healthy body!’ was the rallying cry of the 19th century public schools and once at Oxford, the ‘hearties’ looked down on the ‘aesthetes’. However, it all got a bit out of hand when sport seemed to be many young men’s sole reason for coming to Oxford.
The dons started to protest. Neville Coghill at Exeter commented in 1938 that ‘great athletes are seldom great scholars’ and a Pembroke don balked at the ‘conflict of time, energy and interest’ which led to some students ‘skimping study’. On the other hand, A.L. P Norrington, President of Trinity College, was concerned at the ‘tendency of undergraduates to mooch in the afternoon instead of taking exercise’.

In fact, sport was a requirement for a Rhodes Scholar, who couldn’t merely be a ‘bookworm’ and was expected to be an enthusiastic and capable participant in ‘manly sports’. With the belated acceptance of women scholars, the adjective has been deleted, however, it is true that Rhodes Scholars have contributed hugely to Oxford’s sporting successes.
It is also true that sports don’t seem to have interfered too much with the spectacular success of certain individuals. Take Sir Roger Bannister, who not only manage to run the very first sub-four-minute mile (on our Iffley Road track) but also became an outstanding neurologist and eventually Master of Pembroke College.

So what’s the attitude of today’s University to sport? The Oxford University Sport website tells us ‘A growing body of research is highlighting the many benefits that getting active has, from mental health, through to life expectancy and even academic performance. While Oxford has a truly world class pedigree when it comes to sport, we want to spread the simple message that sport really is for everyone.’

And the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Martin Williams, gives a balanced yet positive appraisal: “There is always a way to balance sports with studying, and we actively encourage students to get active while they are here.”

It was at The Iffley Road Track that Roger Bannister run the first sub-four minute mile.

So, there’s no excuse for mooching around!

Walking Tours of Oxford are a great way to exercise and if you are really keen on sport, we can also show you (from a distance) some of our amazing sporting facilities and tell you more about its history.

Posted in Walking the Ridgeway | Tagged Oxford, Oxford Blues, Oxford rowing, Oxford sports, Oxford University, Sports at Oxford

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