Punting in Oxford

This week we are turning our attention once again to what you might like to do after your Walking Tours of Oxford tour.

After your tour, your head will be full of fascinating information. You may fancy a rest from walking so that you can mull over what you have so recently found out. Then again, you may just want to sit back vacantly and watch the world drift gently past whilst you trail a weary hand in the cool waters of one of Oxford’s rivers…

How to achieve this sublime state? Find yourself a punt. Or alternatively …. sign up for a Walking Tours of Oxford ‘Walk and Punt’ tour and we’ll source a ‘chauffeured punt’ for you.

Punting on the Cherwell

What is a punt?
A punt is a flat-bottomed two-directional boat which you propel along a river by means of a long pole. The pole is for pushing, because you use the shallow river-bed for propulsion. Punts are equipped with seats and cushions and there are no rapids on our rivers, so expect a relaxing ride.

Yes, Oxford is on the Thames (known locally as the Isis) and there are some lovely areas to punt on the Isis, notably alongside Port Meadow, but for our money, one of its tributaries – the Cherwell – is the place to go.

This also seems to be the conclusion of the City of Oxford’s two punt-hire companies, one, The Cherwell Boathouse, situated on the Cherwell to the North of the city and boasting its own excellent restaurant and the other, Magdalen Boathouse, predictably located at Magdalen, just beside the bridge and below the tower.

Our punt-hire companies offer options – you can either punt yourself or be ‘chauffeured’. When considering these possibilities bear in mind the following: a) How much are you planning to drink? And b) Would you mind falling into the river?
You might also take into account your crew’s level of punting expertise. If you haven’t punted before, do you just want to lie back and watch the world glide by or are you up for learning a new skill which will probably make you slightly wet? (Even if you don’t fall in, the water is apt to run down your arms and a novice punter may inadvertently splash any companions several times.)

If you have junior crew members, it is definitely worth going for the ‘do-it-yourself’ option because it is a lot of fun, it’s good exercise and it will tire them out. If you are more ‘senior’ and just want a quiet afternoon which doesn’t involve extricating yourself from the riverbank or constantly apologising to other boats for inadvertently ramming them, then go for the ‘chauffeur’. You may even get an Oxford student who can tell you all about college life.

Ideal provisions for the journey are Pimms and lemonade (or just the lemonade for junior/tea-total punters) and a cream tea. Kit yourself out with a packet of scones (or bring some homemade ones for a more authentic experience), a jar of jam and a tub of clotted cream. Make sure you have a knife and something to drink out of. If you actually want tea, a thermos flask is advisable too.

Delicious Pimms – before, after or during!

The wonderful thing about punting in Oxford is just how quickly you leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and find yourself out in the countryside. You can even stop and have your tea on a river bank. For naturalists, this is a great way to silently approach wildlife and it is ideal for birdwatching.

For a complete contrast to touring and an escape from the city, punting is the perfect way to spend your afternoon. Our ‘Tour and Punt’ offering combines a 90-minute tour with a 30 minute chauffeured punt. Alternatively, you can come for a longer tour and hire a punt for a few, restful hours on the river.

@copyright Victoria Bentata

Bubbles & Picnics!

At Walking Tours of Oxford….

We have missed you!

So now for … a BUBBLE TOUR! Possibly followed or preceded by…. A Bespoke Picnic!

Welcome back and let us organise a really special day for you!

With immediate effect, we are able to offer you our unique BUBBLE TOURS for a maximum of 5 people (plus guide to equal 6) at a reduced rate of just £65 throughout July and August only.

These can be taken on any day at a time to suit you (please note there is a supplement for a tour on a Sunday).  

We will be adhering to government guidelines and all tours will be outside for the entire duration (all colleges / university building remain closed and tours are 90 mins in length). Following recent relaxation in rules, we can now take larger groups (supplement applicable).

We have also teamed up with a local business – Bespoke Picnics – to offer you a full gastronomic and cultural experience.

Our bespoke picnic

Summer in Oxford is ideal for picnics and the leafy green University Parks or Christ Church Meadow are perfect places from which to start or end a tour.

Spread out your Bespoke Picnic blanket, open your wicker basket and tuck in!

Bespoke Picnics offers Finger Sandwiches with root vegetable crisps, Proper (Fresh!) Scones with clotted cream and delicious jam, followed by fresh strawberries with chocolate truffles for dessert.
You’ll need a tour to walk it off. We did!

Your guides have not been idle in the lockdown! We have been busily brushing up our knowledge and reading new information we would love to share.

Whether you want to learn more about the city close to which you live, of if you are on a Staycation or home educating the kids – this is a perfect and unique way to explore which will be tailored to you.

Just let us know if you have any particular interests you would like us to address or whether you would like a general introduction to Oxford. Take a look at our list of specialist tours for inspiration.

We are set to commence public tours from 1st August (although there will be a slightly reduced schedule – please see booking form for tour dates).  

N.B. For all public tours booked in July and August (for travel throughout the year), we are offering a 20% discount with the code ‘RETURN’. Just book as normal via the ‘Book Now’ button and enter the code at checkout.

Alice Day in Oxford

Alice Day in Oxford

4th July may be Independence Day in the US, but here in Oxford we celebrate Alice Day. This year it was a bit ‘virtual’ but usually you can bump into several ‘Alices’ wearing little blue dresses and ‘Alice’ bands and take guided ‘Alice walks’ around the city. At Walking Tours of Oxford we would be delighted to take you on an Alice tour any day of the year!
So, why 4th July? Because this was the day in 1862 when Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (alias Lewis Carroll) set off to spend a day rowing down the Thames. With him were his friend Reverend Duckworth and the three young daughters of the Dean of Christ Church, where Dodgson taught maths.

Charles Dodgson was a man with a vivid imagination and a playful sense of humour and he loved to tell stories. The three little girls were called Lorina, Alice and Edith and he made up stories especially for them. Often, they appeared in the stories themselves. On 4th July 1862 he told the story of Alice, who fell down a rabbit hole into another world. It was all a dream, but he wouldn’t reveal that until the end of the story. Alice asked him to write it down. It took him a couple of years, but he did it and gave her the original manuscript as a present. Today, it is Oxford’s most famous and well-loved book.

This beautiful illustration is from a book called The Nursery Alice, which was published in 1880, fifteen years after the original Alice in Wonderland. It was for small children and Lewis Carroll shortened and simplified it so they would understand it better. He also asked John Tenniel, the illustrator, to colour in some of his original pictures. Here we see all the members of that 4th July rowing party: The ‘Dodo’ (a joke at himself by Dodgson, who had a bit of a stutter), Alice, the Duck (Reverend Duckworth) and in the back row the Eaglet (Edith) and the Lory (Lorina). All of them have just dried off by running a ‘Caucus Race’ after falling into the pool of Alice’s tears. The Lory had ‘turned sulky’ and would only say ‘I am older than you and must know better.’ Lorina was, of course, Alice and Edith’s older sister.

Lewis Carroll makes frequent (often thinly disguised) references to people and places in Oxford. If you come on one of our tours, we can tell you all about them. Get to know the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Dormouse, the Drawling Master and find out why the Hatter was Mad. You can also see some of the places frequented by Dodgson and the real Alice.

At present, we all seem to have fallen down the rabbit hole, but let’s hope it’s all just a bad dream. In the meantime, join our new Bubble Tour!!

Click here to book

Walking Tours of Oxford looks forward to seeing you in Oxford very soon!

 © Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

The Sheldonian Theatre

The Sheldonian Theatre

One of the most classically-inspired buildings in Oxford is Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre. It was built as a ceremonial and assembly hall for the University of Oxford. Previously, the University Church had been used for large University gatherings and ceremonies. Archbishop Sheldon, former student of Trinity College and Chancellor of the University from 1667 to 1669, decided that the University had outgrown the church and pledged some of his own money for a new building. He ended up paying for the entire project, around 12x what he had anticipated. On this basis, it seemed reasonable for it to be named after him.

Sheldon approached Christopher Wren, who was the Savilian Professor of Astronomy and was just at the beginning of his architectural career. Wren’s only big project to date had been the chapel of Pembroke College, Cambridge. So, he looked around for inspiration and found the Theatre of Marcellus in Rome. As you can see, he didn’t copy it exactly. His main addition, of course, was a roof. Given the notoriously unpredictable and frequently rainy British weather, he decided that building it without one was not an option.

This (below) was how the Sheldonian originally looked. As you can see, the roof was surrounded by oval windows. This was partly because it was to house the Oxford University Press, but the windows proved impractical and leaky and were removed in the 19th century. The cupola was also later re-designed by Edward Blore. However, the original roof was an impressive structure, all the more so because it spanned 70 foot without using any columns at all.

Photo: Wikimedia commons. From Wellcome Images, Fae 2014

Photo: Wikimedia commons. From Wellcome Images, Fae 2014

This (below) is what the Sheldonian Theatre looks like today. It serves for large University gatherings: matriculation and graduation ceremonies and meetings of Congregation, the sovereign body of the University consisting of about 5,500 members – unfortunately, they can’t all come at once, since the Sheldonian today has a capacity of 750 people. This also means that the University of Oxford doesn’t just have one ‘Graduation Day’ but has around 20 per year.

Photo  © Victoria Bentata 2020

Inside, the theatre is as impressive as it is outside, in particular because of its extraordinary ceiling. This consists of 32 panels, painted by Robert Streater, who was the court painter to Charles II. Take a look at it. It may not be immediately obvious, but you are looking at a cloud on the background of a blue sky with a red cloth rolled back around it. Criss-crossing the ceiling are golden ropes. In Roman theatres, the lack of a roof was compensated by such a cloth, which was pulled across the open roof in inclement weather. Christopher Wren was clearly at pains to pretend that there wasn’t really a roof to his building. However, the advantage of the painted ceiling was that the sky could be populated with all the representatives of the arts and sciences seated around a cherub representing truth. The ceiling was teaching a lesson about the supremacy of truth over the University disciplines and, unfortunately not visible here, it also shows ignorance being expelled. Ignorance is a man with snake for hair, who appears below the bottom of this picture. If you want to see him, come to Oxford and let us show you the Sheldonian Theatre. The ceiling was also apparently an allegory celebrating the Restoration of the British Monarchy under Charles II after the years under Oliver Cromwell’s Puritans.

Photo Wikimedia commons by DeFacto

Have a look at the following picture to see the interior of the Sheldonian during a Matriculation Ceremony. Matriculation is when new students are officially added to the ‘Matricula’ or University membership roll and become full members of the University. The students have to wear the University of Oxford’s uniform, the ‘Sub Fusc’ – white shirt, black trousers/skirt, black gown and mortar board hat. You can see them all here.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Toby Ord 2003

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Toby Ord 2003

Here you can see a photo from a Graduation Ceremony. The Pro-Vice Chancellor presiding is wearing an MA gown, whilst the graduate bowing to her is just being awarded his DPhil, which is the Oxford equivalent of a PhD.

Photo:  © Victoria Bentata

At Walking Tours of Oxford, we would be delighted to take you to the Sheldonian Theatre and point out some of the fascinating features of the building. You can even climb up to the Cupola for a fabulous view of central Oxford.

 © Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

The Perfect Oxford Visit

The Perfect Oxford Visit

‘I want to see Oxford University…. and I only have one day in my schedule. What should I do?’
At Walking Tours of Oxford, we are used to answering this question.

We have lots of ideas, but one of our favourites is to combine our own ‘Simply Oxford Tour’ with a visit to Oxford’s most magnificent college – Christ Church – or one of our fine museums (see previous blogs).

Getting here
Perhaps you are staying in London? If so, you can have a leisurely breakfast and still make it to Oxford in time for our Simply Oxford Tour at 11.30 a.m. Take the train from either Paddington or Marylebone Station and arrive for 11am.
We meet at Christ Church, which is to the south of the city, so from the Train Station, head for Carfax Tower in the very centre of Oxford. Then walk down the hill on St Aldate’s street, staying on the left hand side of the road. First, you will see a very imposing 17th century tower. This is ‘Tom Tower’ and it is the everyday entrance to the college for students and academics. Continue down the road to a large set of gates with a shield above it which leads into the beautiful War Memorial garden. This is where your Walking Tours of Oxford guide will meet you.

The Simply Oxford Tour
Click here for further information
This is led by our Institute of Tourist Guiding qualified guides, which makes all the difference!
We will give you the perfect introduction to the City and the University of Oxford and answer all your questions. Where is the University? (Answer: everywhere (!) but we will explain….) What is the relationship between the colleges and the University? (complicated, but interesting…) How do you apply? How do you get a place? What can you study? What is student life like? Can you tell us about Oxford’s history and traditions? Where did they film Inspector Morse/Lewis/Endeavour/Harry Potter?….
We will also show you the iconic buildings which make our city such a special place. Come with us to see the Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera, the Sheldonian Theatre and a few of our 38 colleges.
Our tour will also equip you to make the most of your visit to Christ Church or the museums in your free afternoon.

Merton Street, Oxford. We will pass through on our Simply Oxford Tour

But first…. Lunch!

Lunch
We recommend lunch in a local pub after your Simply Oxford Tour. There are lots of traditional pubs in Oxford, but The Turf Tavern, down a secret passage under our beautiful Bridge of Sighs, is one of the oldest. It has lots of outdoor seating and serves traditional fare and good beer! If you are an Inspector Morse fan, you might like to try the White Horse on Broad Street, where Morse and Lewis liked to down a pint. For a student vibe, try the nearby Kings Arms. Or for something more sedate and academic, with the possibility of a free exhibition thrown in, head for the Weston Library café.

To the Turf Tavern!
Another one of our favourite pubs!

Why visit Christ Church?
Because… 1) it is huge, beautiful and old (founded 16th century by Cardinal Wolsey and re-founded by Henry VIII). 2) it has its own Cathedral. 3) It is where Alice in Wonderland was written. 4) It is a film location and you might recognise some Harry Potter scenes.
(To avoid queues, we recommend that you book tickets to Christ Church online, though you can only do this from the Thursday before your visit. Go to the college website and choose your time: Christ Church tickets
So, after lunch, head back to Carfax and follow our directions down to Christ Church again. This time, go through the Christ Church War Memorial Garden until you find the new Visitor Centre. It is in the style of a traditionally thatched cottage. Inside you will find a shop and restrooms and this is where you pick up your multimedia guide.
Christ Church multi-media guide is a real gem. It provides clear, concise explanations of the college’s history and architecture and it also has all sorts of extras – footage of the private parts of the college and interviews with students and academics. However, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you may want more information – which is where Walking Tours of Oxford can fill you in beforehand.

Tom Tower at Christ Church

Museum Visit
If you are still full of energy, you could squeeze in a visit to one of Oxford’s world-class museums. See previous Walking Tours of Oxford blogs for more about the Ashmolean Museum, the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the History of Science and the Pitt Rivers Museum. Enjoy!

 © Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

Museum of The History of Science

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

Einstein himself grumbled about the Blackboard’s preservation. At the time he said it smacked of personality cult and in 1933 he objected that he had since discovered that everything he had said in the lecture was untrue (!). Needless to say, in the interests of tourism, the protests of the most famous scientist in history went unheeded.

In fact, as with all our University of Oxford museums, you can spend several days visiting virtually during lockdown. We thought we should just give you some history before you get started:

Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science was not the first occupant of the rather lovely limestone building on Broad Street that you can see in the photo. Opened in 1925, it grew from a much older Museum (discussed in a previous blog), the 17th century Ashmolean Museum. But right from the start, science featured. The original Ashmolean housed a lecture theatre, exhibition room and, in the basement, the University’s chemistry and anatomy laboratory.

Arguably the most interesting work took place in the basement, hidden from view, where the Tomlins Reader in Anatomy and his students would dissect people (!). By royal decree of Charles I in 1636, the body of anyone hanged within 21 miles of Oxford belonged to the University. Later medical students had to watch two dissections before qualifying. In today’s basement, you can still see some human bones and a skull (which someone should probably have buried).

Museum to The History of Science, Broad Street

You can also visit the largest collection of astrolabes in the world. What is an astrolabe? It is an instrument which helps in navigation and astronomy, in estimating the position of the sun and the stars. Many of our astrolabes come from the Islamic world and helped to ascertain prayer times and the direction of Mecca. Recently, the Museum of the History of Science collaborated with Syrian refugees in Oxford to put together an exhibition. Read their blog and see some astrolabes here: click here

Take the virtual tour Click here and don’t miss: The Penicillin exhibit in the basement. Penicillin was developed in Oxford in the 1940s by Professor Florey and his team. Here you can see not only the original bedpans and biscuit tins used to grow the mould (yes, they were short of research funding!), but even Professor Florey’s Nobel Prize medal.

For fans of Alice in Wonderland, see if you can find Lewis Carroll’s camera. Charles Dodgson (alias Lewis Carroll) was an accomplished photographer and even took some photos of the real Alice Liddell.

George III’s silver microscope is also stunning. But don’t take our word for it – browse the Museum Director’s top tips at Click here Stay well and enjoy!

When you come to Oxford, we recommend a trip to the museum either before or after a Walking Tours of Oxford tour. If you are particularly interested in Science and Medicine, we can even offer you a specialist Oxford Science and Medicine tour.
Private Tours

 © Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

The Oxford University Natural History Museum

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 from a divine who employs authority to stifle truth.’ Touché!

This (or something along these lines) was the most memorable exchange of the Evolution Debate of 1860. It took place in Oxford in the newly opened Natural History Museum and both sides claimed victory (!). If you visit today, you will see a column commemorating the debate right outside the main entrance and a plaque upstairs.

Both religion and science were peculiarly bound up with the beginnings of the Oxford Natural History Museum. It was the inspiration of the Regius Professor of Medicine, Sir Henry Acland, but largely funded by the sale of Bibles to the Mid-West of America by Oxford University Press.

This is even reflected in the architecture. Either side of the main door stand Adam and Eve. Above them, at the apex, sits an angel, holding a Bible in one hand and a dividing cell in the other. The building was built ‘to the glory of God’ for the study of science and for a few years at least, all the University science departments were here, under one roof.

The entrance arch

Before you even look at the exhibits, you will be struck by the roof. It is made of glass and covers a huge atrium. The atrium is surrounded columns made of stone and iron. All the stones are different (but British), and the iron columns are all surmounted by different leaves. This is Victorian Botanic Gothic at its best. Take a look at the photo on the Museum website https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/museums-architecture

The first collections included natural history material from the original Tradescant collection in the Ashmolean Museum. This was supplemented with artefacts from 19th century scientists such as William Buckland. Buckland was a geologist and had a fabulous collection of petrified poo.
Today this is where you come to find the Geology, Mineralogy, Entomology and Zoology collections of Oxford University. And entrance is free!

Of course, the museum is now closed, but since you would only see a few thousand of its 7 million objects if you went along in person, you would do better visiting online in any case.
Our top tips are:
Buckland’s Oxfordshire Dinosaur – the Megalosaurus. See here for a great online exhibit and lots of fascinating explanation. https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/megalosaurus-and-oxfordshire-dinosaurs
The Oxford Dodo. Remember the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland? Charles Dodgson (or Dodo Dodgson – it was his own joke (he had a stutter)), better known as Lewis Carroll, brought Alice to visit shortly after the Museum opened. Read all about the Dodo here: https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/the-oxford-dodo
Insects -bees, bugs, butterflies, spiders…. with 5 million specimens in the entomology collection, you could spend the rest of the lockdown looking at them. Go to: https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/insects and notice that you can search the collections if you are interested in a specific insect.
Fossils – view Charles Lyell’s fossils at https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/oum-narrative-84123
First Animals Exhibition – this exhibition is scheduled to run until September 2020 and has gone online. There are films to watch and exhibits which you can virtually examine. It explains how animals adapted from millions of years ago until today. You could spend all day here. There’s even a modern Evolution debate (though they didn’t invite the Bishop of Oxford…). Enjoy! http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/firstanimals/

 © Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

Oxford’s Libraries – The Bodleian

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.

The University’s first library (the Cobham Library) was in an upstairs room of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin and opened in 1320. In the days before damp proofing, keeping books as far as possible from the ground was the only way to save them from mouldering. Still today, a large number of our Oxford libraries are on upper floors.

However, Merton College breaks all records as the oldest ‘continuously functioning’ academic library in the world, dating from 1373. Merton’s books weren’t originally kept on shelves, but in a locked chest and only Masters of Arts could access them. Later, owing to their great value in the pre-printing world, they were chained to the shelves. You can visit the Merton College website for a virtual tour of this stunning library. Merton College . Notice the beautiful ‘waggon’ ceiling and take a look at some of the stained glass.

The Bodleian Library is positively modern by comparison, founded at the beginning of the 17th century. However, it is now one of the most important libraries in the world and in the UK is second only to London’s British Library.

It is named after Sir Thomas Bodley, who studied at Merton and there developed a love for books. He was a lucky man and his first piece of luck was finding a rich widow willing to marry him. Mrs Bodley’s first husband had been a successful pilchard merchant, so some say that the Bodleian was ‘built on fish’.

However, there was nothing fishy about the deal Bodley made with the Stationers Company of London in 1610. Sharing his vision and keen to promote their books, the Company promised him a ‘free and perfect’ copy of every book ever published in this country. The deal they signed is still in force today and UK publishers still have to send their books. So the Library has quite a collection! Around 13 million books at last count. You can see the original agreement here: Click here

The second most important rule in the Bodleian is that nobody is allowed to take out books. You want to read? You sit in the library. This rule applies to royalty too. During the English Civil War, King Charles I was holed up at Christ Church, having lost London to the Parliamentarians. Desperately needing advice, he decided to consult the Seigneur d’Aubigny’s book on military strategy. So he sent a note to the Bodleian asking to borrow it and the librarian …turned him down. The Bodleian still has the note. The King of England had to come sit in the library. (Not that the book helped, obviously – he still lost the war and, ultimately, his head…)

As observed, books and water don’t mix, but books and fire are an equally major disaster. So rule no. 1 is that anyone who wants to become a ‘reader’ in the library has to take an oath. You swear ‘not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame’. This may seem a tame method of fire prevention, but the Bodleian has been as lucky as its founder: it has never had a fire.

As for the Bodleian’s collections… this period of lockdown is the perfect time to investigate and admire them at your leisure. The Marks of Genius Exhibition of 2015 was truly extraordinary for both its range and its depth. It contained everything from the Magna Carta to the Audubon Book of American Birds, from The Wind in the Willows and Tolkien’s Hobbit dust jacket, to 15 century maps, Newton’s Principia and the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Access it here: http://genius.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about/marks-of-genius/ In fact, you’ll get a better view and more information online than had you visited the original exhibition.
If you are interested in Women’s history, try this: Click here for the ‘Women Who Dared’ Exhibition 2016. You can click on each exhibit for more information and for access to a whole world of related exhibits.

The Tower of The Five Orders

In normal times, a tour of the Bodleian Library (https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/plan-your-visit ) is ideal for bookish people who have already enjoyed a Simply Oxford Tour with Walking Tours of Oxford. Simply Oxford Tour informationWalking Tours of Oxford also offer a wide-ranging and thoroughly entertaining Literary Tour of Oxford and specialist tours on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

©Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford

Ashmolean Museum

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 helped him to catalogue it in 1656. However, Mrs Tradescant was unimpressed and was in the process of contesting the will, when Ashmole moved in next door to her (!) A hop over the fence, a little push… we shall never know, but the consequence was that Ashmole secured the collection and Oxford, England and the World its first public museum.

You can see portraits of the John Tradescants in the Ashmolean Museum today, the Elder framed by vegetables, fruit and flowers and the Younger proudly wielding a spade. Both were royal gardeners to Charles I, a role which (unusually) involved international travel on a grand scale. Their job was to collect plants, but their hobby was collecting anything they found interesting, the aforementioned ‘rareities’ or ‘curiosities’.

Elias Ashmole was a well-connected lawyer, scholar and antiquarian collector. He eventually gave his and the Tradescants’ collection to the University of Oxford in 1677 on the proviso that it be housed it in a building dedicated to the ‘advancement of knowledge’.

The Ashmolean Museum opened in 1683 but it was considerably smaller than today and was located in the building of what is now Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science on Broad Street. The collections were on the top floor, the ground floor was a lecture theatre and in the basement was the University’s first Chemistry and Anatomy Laboratory. It was here that the University’s first Reader in Anatomy dissected the remains of any criminals hanged within 21 miles of Oxford. (You can see the building here with the famous Oxford heads outside – no, nobody is entirely sure whose heads they are – herms, Roman emperors… the original sculptor left no notes!)

Today’s Ashmolean Museum (see photo) is a short walk from the original museum in a classical building built in the 19th century to the designs of Charles Cockerell and is on a much larger scale. The original collections have been added to over the centuries, there was a redevelopment in 2009 and in 2011 its new Nubian and Egyptian galleries opened. The Ashmolean Museum is primarily dedicated to Art and Archaeology. It houses the largest collection of Raphael drawings in the world, it has a stunning Pre-Raphaelite gallery and an extensive collection of everything from casts, ceramics and coins to sculpture and tapestries. It also has important artefacts from Oxford’s history, such as the coins minted here by Charles I during the Civil War.

Whilst the museum is currently closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it is still visitable online. And don’t think it will be a quick visit! – There are 112,500 objects in the online collection, so that’s around 625 objects every day for the next six months!

Top Tip:
Start with the Treasures Click here.
In particular at this difficult time, look for Walter Sickert’s painting ‘Ennui’ – this may chime with your mood – or remind you how well you are doing… Or look at the Messiah violin by Stradivarius ‘Like the Messiah, worth waiting for’ 😊

Once we are up and running again, a perfect day in Oxford features our Simply Oxford Walking Tour at 11.30am which ends around the Broad Street area, perfect timing for lunch and then afternoon at The Ashmolean Museum.

[For more information about the Tradescants, visit The Garden Museum in Lambeth Click here

©Victoria Bentata 2020 for Walking Tours of Oxford