Oxford

Keble College chapel

In Oxford for a wedding, we followed our now usual practice and stayed over in order to have a city walk. This self-designed walk was conceived as seeing some Victorian masterpieces that I had read about but never actually seen, and then taking in Oxford's main sights, while also fitting in a nice fish lunch.

We took a cab to Keble College and started from there. Built 1868-1882, the work of the architect William Butterfield, it was founded in memory of John Keble, a founder of the Tractarian movement which sought to reclaim the Catholic heritage in the Anglican church. The college is a marvel of red brick and polychromatic patterns, with no sign of symmetry anywhere. Although there are two original courts, neither has the continuous closed sides of a traditional Oxbridge college.

The chapel dominates Liddon quad, on the right as you enter the College. The inside is light and wonderfully decorated with tiles and mosaics.

We then crossed the road to see the University Museum (of Natural History) designed by Benjamin Woodward of Dean and Woodward. It opened in 1860 and Woodward died, tragically young, a year later. From the outside, it is a restrained neo-gothic structure, with some nice detailing around the windows.



But its true glory is within. It is nearly square with a beautiful brick arcade with stone columns all around the outside, and a glass roof supported on cast iron arches resting on clusters of tall, slim, cast iron columns. Railway station architecture meets art. The columns are all of different stone, with the sources carefully carved into the bases. The capitals have beautifully carved flowers all different - and they too were to be labeled, but there was insufficient money to do so. The museum's website has a helpful short architectural history.




The effect is tremendously light and airy and also somewhat church-like - there is the sense of a nave, where you enter, and two wide aisles at the sides.

Unlike some Victorian buildings, it still works well today and it was wonderful to see enthusiastic young children marveling at the dinosaurs and touching the animal exhibits.

From here we walked down Parks Road to enjoy some of the more conventional sights, starting with Hertford Bridge over New College Lane. It is known as the Bridge of Sighs, inspired by the original in Venice, but in truth looks little like it - although it does resemble the Rialto bridge over the Grand Canal. Perhaps surprisingly, it dates only from 1914.



Then we doubled back, past the Clarendon Building and into the Sheldonian Theatre. Photographs usually show its curved end, but here is the main facade facing the Divinity School, which being so close, slightly defeated my camera.




It was the first building designed by the young Sir Christopher Wren, who at the time was Professor of Astronomy. He was also a friend of Gilbert Sheldon, who paid for the building, which more easily accounts for how he got the job. Pevsner describes it as "a young amateur's job, just a little confused". We climbed the stairs to the cupola and enjoyed the views.

From here, we continued along Catte street to reach the Radcliffe Camera, perhaps Oxford's most instantly recognisable image.




Dr John Radcliffe, the royal physician, bequeathed the money for a new library building and it was completed in 1749 to designs by James Gibbs. Today the Camera functions as the main reading room of the Bodleian Library.

Just beyond it, stands the University Church, St Mary the Virgin. It is a stately (to use Pevsner's word) parish church in Perpendicular Gothic, dating from the 14th century. It seemed quite austere after the colourful interior of Keble College chapel.

We then walked along High Street and on an impulse decided to visit Magdalen College. We were surprised to be charged an admission fee, but it was well worthwhile. We especially enjoyed the Cloister of 1475-90.


We then crossed the Cherwell, still within Magdalen, and took a circular walk (Addison's Walk) around the water meadows, passing Magdalen Bridge, with its punt pool, and reaching the Fellows' Garden.

Addison's Walk

We had lunch in the excellent Fishers restaurant, just the other side of Magdalen Bridge.

The plan for the final stage of the walk was to see Christ Church and its cathedral. What we hadn't understood was that it is one of Oxford's premier sights. There was a startling long queue at the entrance point and so we decided to save it for another day. The walk there beside the Botanic Garden and along the Broad Walk was pleasant.



We walked up St Aldate's to the Carfax tower and called it a day there.


Rating: four and a half stars.


Flower of the day

I did not really expect a flower of the day in a city walk, but we found this Purple Loosestrife growing by the banks of the Cherwell as we walked along Addison's walk.