The Pitt Rivers Museum by Victoria Bentata Hidden away at the back of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum is extraordinary and not to be missed. Entering it for the first time is like discovering Aladdin’s cave. It consists of a huge ground floor room with two galleries laden with objects. Yet, despite its size, it [...]
8th May 2020 On Friday 8th May, we celebrated VE Day here in the UK and I imagine all over Europe. It marked 75 years when World War 2 finally came to an end in Europe. It was to be another 3 months before the world was at peace. In usual times, the celebrations would have involved large gatherings and [...]
When Albert Einstein lectured in Oxford in 1931, little did he know that 90 years later Oxford’s visitors would still be puzzling over his calculations. Einstein’s handwriting is clear though his equations are for most people - unfathomable. Nevertheless, the ‘Einstein Blackboard’ is today the most famous exhibit in Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science. See it here: Blackboard [...]
The Oxford University Natural History Museum ‘On what side - your mother’s or your father’s - are you descended from an ape?’ This scathing put-down from Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, was ably fielded by its target, Thomas Henry Huxley, scientist, and proponent of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. ‘I’d rather be descended from an ape,’ he said (allegedly), ‘than [...]
Oxford’s Libraries – The Bodleian Home to more than 100 libraries, Oxford is one of the most bookish cities in the world. Each of its 38 colleges has at least one library, some have two or three and Magdalen college has five! Every faculty has a specialised subject library and the mother of them all is the great Bodleian library. [...]
Ashmolean Musuem Had a certain widow not been found tragically (and some thought suspiciously) drowned in her garden pond, then Oxford’s oldest and largest museum might never have come to be. The unfortunate victim was the former wife of John Tradescant the Younger. Her recently deceased husband had left his collection of ‘rareities’ to his friend Elias Ashmole, who had [...]
A Caribbean Delight! It was a grey cold February morning; snow was falling from the bleak skies above as I ventured into Oxford. However, after my tour that evening I was not rushing home but had dinner booked with some fellow guides. We had decided to try on the Cowley Road. is a small family run restaurant and about a [...]
It has been almost 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released in the UK (16th November 2001 to be precise). I was not a Tour Guide at that time, but I know that the popularity of visiting Oxford increased tenfold since the release. The vast impact of these movies continues and visitors flock from all corners [...]
Award winning Tours Wow! Once again, Walking Tours of Oxford, is thrilled to announce that we have won the prestigious 'Gold Service Award' from Feefo. Throughout 2019, my team has worked tirelessly to ensure that high standards are met on all of our tours. This is a phenomenal achievement. Each guide has been carefully selected to ensure the very best [...]
Tolkien movie Having been a Green Badge guide in Oxford for over 6 years, JRR Tolkien has become very much part of my every day life! I was thrilled when I learnt that there was to be a new movie on his life. It is always helpful to be able to see something played out on screen! So last weekend [...]
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