Oxford, Part 1

Awhile back, Joe had a paper accepted to a conference in Oxford and since he was making the journey, I decided I should as well! It was extra fun as friends of ours were also heading down for the same conference, so we got to travel there with Katy and Jeremy and see some of the sights with them as well!

Oxford is, obviously, most well known for being the home of Oxford University, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities (it is actually the 3rd oldest university in the world and the oldest English speaking institution; teaching here dates back to the 11th century). Interestingly, the University is made up of 38 colleges, each with it's own facilities and internal structure. Some of the well known colleges include Christ Church College, New College, Balliol College, Magdalen College, and All Souls College. Each consists of their own buildings, usually surrounded by a wall and many have lovely scenery and walking paths. I'm not sure how long it would take you to visit every college, but we tried to visit as many as we could in the few days were were there (in addition to some beautiful churches and other sights).

The architecture throughout Oxford is clearly breathtaking. The buildings are magnificent and the grounds are simply stunning. It is an absolutely picturesque town to visit. Not to mention incredibly historic.

Christ Church College
Founded in 1546, this is one of the most stunning colleges we visited. Really awe-inspiring. We must not be the only ones to think so, as this was used as the setting for parts of Brideshead Revisited and Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol was a student here and there is a great story about how the story of Alice came to be). After taking a tour of Christ Church College, we decided to come back later in the evening to attend the evensong service. The service was beautiful and we really enjoyed the chance to hear their renowned boys' choir. Definitely don't go to Oxford and miss this!

Christ Church College

Christ Church Cloisters

Christ Church Dining Hall
Hogwarts, anyone?

Christ Church College

Christ Church College

Balliol College: Founded in 1263.

Alfred Waterhouse's Chapel/Balliol College

Balliol College Fellows' Garden

Balliol College (I think)

Oxford isn't just about the University...there are also some really stunning churches, like the University Church of the Virgin Mary, Oxford's largest parish church dating back to the 1200s. It is also the site of the 1555 trial of the Oxford Martyrs (the three Protestant men were found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake just a few streets over). John Wesley preached there, as did John Henry Newman. Some interesting history here.

Looking back onto the Radcliffe Camera

I really loved the history and architecture of the city. And, the colleges just charmed me. There was so much to take in that I've decided to do two posts of the various sights! So, stay tuned!