Oxford Journals

Only in Oxford

A travel journal to Oxford by meadowlark

Spires of Oxford Photo - Oxford, England

Quote: Whether a day trip from London or worthy of a visit on its own, Oxford not only caters to large tour groups but offers many hidden treasures for those interested in trailing off the (tourist) beaten path.

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Only in Oxford

Overview

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Student haunts and local pubs: Students have been in Oxford for the past 800 years. Favorite haunts include the Bodlein Library and of course the pubs. To get the student feel try The Turf or on a sunny day skip through Port Meadows to The Trout Inn. Follow the literary trail: Drink a pint at the Eagle and Child, where JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and friends met to read their famous epochs for the first time. Head over to the Natural History Museum to see the remains of the dodo bird that inspired a character for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland or head to Christchurch itself to see whe...Read More

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Old Bank Hotel

Hotel

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This recently renovated luxury hotel is located in the city center and offers an elegant and extremely comfortable setting a a very high price. Rooms begin at £175 per night. The entrance to the hotel is almost hidden, but it is next door to the trendy restaurant Quod and across the street from the University Church of St. Mary. The rooms are of moderate size and include lounge chairs, desk, table, night stands, and huge comfy bed with thick down comfortors all in subdued grey-greens, tan, and ivory colors. Bathrooms are marble and en-suite. The views look down on the university buildings which are quite charming. Their webpage has lovely pict...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on December 4, 2002

Old Bank Hotel
92-94 High Street
Oxford, England OX1 4BN
44-1865799599

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Chiang Mai

Restaurant

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Chiang Mai is located down a narrow alley off the High Street (Oxford's main street). Look for the little dark blue sign with gold lettering and then head down that alley. Chiang Mai is located in an old 15th/16th building with hardwood floors, huge fireplaces, creeky stairs and sagging timber ceilings. It has quite the old world charm while serving outstanding Thai food. There are three dining rooms (one non-smoking on the ground floor and two on the first floor). When you enter go up the flight of stairs because the hostess is on the first floor. Reservations are highly recommended (unless you want to wait an hour) since this restaurant is very popular with Oxonians. It was recommend...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 4, 2002

Chiang Mai
130a, High Street
Oxford, England
(01865) 202-233

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George and Davis

Restaurant | "G & D's"

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G & D's is an Oxford classic with north (Little Clarendon Street) and south (St. Aldate's across from Christchurch) locations. With a prominent cow theme, G&D's offers an excellent selection of ice cream that is all made freshly in the store. Popular flavors include Bailey's, Dime Bar Crunch, Bananarama, and Oxford Blue. Flavors rotate and there is the every popular petition of flavors where patrons put suggestions in a book for new flavors and when the suggestion gets 30 signatures, G&D's will make it. My favorite petition flavor was pina colada or raspberry pavlova. G&D's also offers a selection of coffees and fresh-baked dessert...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 6, 2002

George and Davis
55 Little Clarendon Street
Oxford, England OX1 2HS
+44 1865 516652

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The Bookworm's Walking Tour

Attraction

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This is a self-guided tour I've created for my guests in Oxford. Good if you have a few hours in Oxford and want to avoid the group tours: 1. Assuming you arrived by train, turn left out of parking lot and walk east toward the city center. As you pass over Hythe Street Bridge, keep an eye out for house boats, which were undoubtedly the inspiration for the 'gyptians in Philip Pullman's Dark Marterials triology. 2. Following the road as it curves to the left. At Worcester college (near site of the real Prince John's, of Robin Hood fame, birthplace), turn right (use cross walk) onto Beaumont Street. Turn left again onto St. Giles and walk u...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 4, 2002

The Bookworm's Walking Tour
City Centre (tourist information center)
Oxford, England OX1 2DA

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Punting on the Isis

Attraction

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Punting is an Oxford tradition. Most colleges own punts for their students and Trinity term (mid-April to mid-June) is when you will see most students out on the water. Punts are long flat boats that are propelled by pushing a long pole against the river bed (the Isis - Oxonian name for the Thames - is rather shallow here) while standing in the back of the boat. Punts are designed for a leisurely pace, so relax and enjoy a slower pace of life! The passengers (the punt will easily hold four to six people plus the punter) lounge on cushions in the middle and front of the boat. Bringing along a picnic is always a good idea or cheese, biscuits (crackers), and wine, if you want to be truly oxoni...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 4, 2002

Punting on the Isis
Magdalen Bridge or Cherwell Boathouse
Oxford, England OX1 4AU

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Pitt Rivers Museum

Attraction | "Natural History Museum & Pitt Rivers Museum"

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Natural History Museum: Even the outside of the Natural History Museum is impressively Victorian, but the high ceilings with the skylights are even more impressive once you step inside. Even those who are not huge biology buffs will enjoy examining the bones of many extinct animals (like dinosaurs and ice age mammals, many of which were found in Oxford) intermingled with stone statues of princes and scientists and stuffed animals from around the globe. Some of the most humorous finds are the Alice in Wonderland exhibit in which all of Alice's little animal friends in the book are stuffed and displayed with quotes from the book. If that wasn't a little...Read More

Natural History Museum:

Even the outside of the Natural History Museum is impressively Victorian, but the high ceilings with the skylights are even more impressive once you step inside. Even those who are not huge biology buffs will enjoy examining the bones of many extinct animals (like dinosaurs and ice age mammals, many of which were found in Oxford) intermingled with stone statues of princes and scientists and stuffed animals from around the globe.

Some of the most humorous finds are the Alice in Wonderland exhibit in which all of Alice's little animal friends in the book are stuffed and displayed with quotes from the book. If that wasn't a little odd, check out the stuffed white rabbit who has a pocket watch attached to his paw (no joke!). A little bit further on there is a case with a large blue fish that was discovered deep in the ocean and is thought to be the only surviving dinosaur left. There is a stern condemnation of those who fish for it for display purposes, as this threatens the fish's survival. Just when you begin to think the museum is a bit hypocritical, it goes on to tell you this is actually a model and not the real thing...hmmmmm.

Pitt Rivers Museum:

The entrance is hidden away in the back of the Natural History museum. The museum is really one enormous room with a ceiling that reaches up three stories, with more exhibits on the first and second floors. The room is literally crammed with artifacts from around the world, all collected from the 19th to early 20th century and organized, surprisingly, by type of object, rather than what culture they came from. For example, there is a case of lanterns, stringed musical instruments, shrunken heads, model boats, smoking pipes, snow shoes, and so on. There are even much larger items including a boat suspended from the ceiling and a totem pole that reaches up both stories.

Although it can first seem a bit jumbled and crammed, the real treat of this museum is that the visitor is invited to feel the same sense of discovery that the collector who traveled all over the world to bring this stuff back to Oxford felt. There is so much to see and study; there are even drawers under the cases that you can pull out and see more artifacts. There are moral catches to the "old-world" charm. Remembering the effect that bringing these oddities back had on the imperialist zeal of the nation during the 19th century is sobering as well as noting the treatment of some of the cultures. For example, there is a mummified child pinned on the wall in one of the displays as if it were a butterfly that seriously questions the founders sense of taste. In a way, taking the good and the bad from this museum tells one as much about English academic culture during the time period as the cultures from which the artifacts came. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 4, 2002

Pitt Rivers Museum
South Parks Road
Oxford, England OX1 3PP
+44 1865 270927

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Oxford University

Attraction | "The Collegiate System (Part I)"

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"Where is Oxford University?" you might ask upon arriving. The answer is all around, mixed among shops, pubs, and churches. There are 39 colleges, 60+ departments, and many associated groups as well. The colleges are independent in both the way they govern and finance their college. Colleges provide housing, food, and tuition (in Britain this means "teaching") in the form of tutorials with 1 or more students and a fellow (teaching member of the college) for their students. Tourists will be most interested in visiting the older colleges for their pre-19th century architecture and famous members. Most colleges admit visitors during the morning and afternoon and charge a nominal fee of...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 16, 2002

Oxford University
University Offices
Oxford, England OX1 2JD
+44 1865 270001

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Oxford University

Attraction | "The Collegiate System (Part II)"

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For the less adventurous, an alternative to random wandering through college is to pay £5 for a guided walking tour. There are several guides leaving from in front of Trinity as well as from the tourist office in Gloucester Green (near the bus station). These are general good but take you to a lot of random, less interesting bit--ie big time suck. For those tired of walking, the bus tours are a good option £8-£11 and you can jump on and off all day, a seat on the top of the double-decker buses will allow you to actually look over the wall into some of the colleges. Not recommended on rainy days since sitting up top is uncomfortable and down on the bottom you can't see anything...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on December 16, 2002

Oxford University
University Offices
Oxford, England OX1 2JD
+44 1865 270001