City
guide to Oxford, including Oxford hotels by Maria Williams
Oxford
Featured Hotels
Oxford is a city and local
government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248
(2001 census). It is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university
in the English-speaking world. It is known as the "city of dreaming spires",
a term coined by Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture
of the university buildings. The Oxford suburb of Cowley has a long history
of carmaking, and still produces BMW MINIs.
| History
Oxford was first occupied
in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxenaforda". It began with
the foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century. The University
of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's earliest
colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264).
During the English Civil
War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled
from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian
cause. In the 19th century the controversy surrounding the Oxford Movement
in the Anglican Church drew attention to the city as a focus of theological
thought. Oxford's Town Hall was built by Henry T. Hare, the foundation
stone was laid on 6 July 1893 and opened by the future King Edward VII
on 12 May 1897. By the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid
industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries
becoming well established by the 1920s. |
 
Dreaming
of Spires, Oxford, England Photographic Print
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at AllPosters.com
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Places of Interest
Oxford has numerous major
tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and colleges. As
well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax
Tower and a historical themed ride, The Oxford Story. In the summer, punting
on the Thames (sometimes called the Isis as it flows through Oxford) and
the Cherwell is popular.
Other notable attractions
include:
- Christ Church Cathedral
- The Church of St Mary
the Virgin (the University Church)
- Martyrs' Memorial
- Ashmolean Museum
- Pitt Rivers Museum
- Museum of Natural History
- Museum of the History
of Science
- Oxford University buildings
- The University Parks
- The University Botanic
Garden
- Cornmarket Street Oxford
- Turl Street Oxford
- Little Clarendon Street
Oxford
- Covered Market
- Westgate Shopping Centre
Ivy
Covered Wall, Oxford University, England, United Kingdom Photographic Print
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Museums and Art Galleries
Oxford has a large number
of museums and galleries open for public. Following are the world famous
and a major tourist spot in Oxford:
-
Ashmolean Museum, Britain's
oldest museum
-
Pitt Rivers Museum, Museum
of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford Dodo
-
Museum of the History of
Science, in Britain's oldest purpose-built museum building
-
Museum of Oxford
-
Museum of Modern Art Science
Oxford
Shopping
Golden Cross, an arcade of
first-class shops and boutiques, lies between Cornmarket Street and the
Covered Market. Parts of the colorful gallery date from the 12th century.
Many buildings remain from the medieval era, along with some 15th- and
17th-century structures. The market also has a reputation as the Covent
Garden of Oxford, with live entertainment on Saturday mornings in summer.
In its way, Alice's Shop, played an important role in English literature,
it functioned as a general store (selling brooms, hardware, and the like)
during the period that Lewis Carroll, at the time a professor of mathematics
at Christ Church College, was composing Alice in Wonderland. It is believed
to have been the model for important settings within the book. Today, the
place is a favorite stopover of Lewis Carroll fans from as far away as
Japan, who gobble up commemorative pencils, chess sets, party favors, bookmarks,
and in rare cases, original editions of some of Carroll's works. The Bodleian
Library Shop, specializes in Oxford souvenirs, from books and paperweights
to Oxford banners and coffee mugs. Castell & Son (The Varsity Shop),
is the best outlet in Oxford for clothing emblazoned with the Oxford logo
or heraldic symbol.
Food and Drink
Oxford offers European and
Middle-East and Asian cuisine. Some of the restaurants are:
-
Cherwell Boathouse Restaurant
-
Gee's Restaurant
-
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
-
Rosamund the Fair
-
Al-Salam Browns.
Except these restaurants Oxford
hosts some Traditional and historic pubs
-
The Eagle and Child
-
The Turf Tavern
-
The Lamb and Flag
-
The Bear
Education
The University of Oxford,
located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the
English-speaking world.
Events and organizations
and institutes officially connected with the University include:
-
Worcester College, Backs of
medieval cottages
-
The Oxford Union Society
-
The Oxford University Press,
the world's oldest and largest university press
-
The Bodleian Library
-
Major Research Libraries (including
the Sackler Library)
-
Oxford University Department
for Continuing Education
-
The Taylor Institution
-
The Oxford University Student
Union
-
Oxford University Newman Society
-- Catholic speaker society
-
The OICCU, the undergraduate
Christian union
-
The Oxford University Museum
of Natural History (sometimes called The Oxford University Museum)
-
The Pitt Rivers Museum
-
The Ashmolean Museum
-
The Bate Collection
-
Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt
Arboretum
-
Oxford University Sports Federation
-
Oxford University Boat Club
-
The O'Reilly Theatre
-
Moser Theatre
-
Rothermere American Institute
-
Said Business School
-
The Ruskin School of Drawing
and Fine Art
-
Computing Laboratory Isis Innovations
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Sports
Oxford City FC and Milton
United FC among others are two famous football club and play regular club
and league matches.
Oxford Cavaliers Rugby League
Club is the rugby club playing for Oxford city. Drayton Leisure Golf Driving
Range is the golf course with 9 HOLE (PAR 3) COURSE and 6 HOLES FLOODLIT.
As a city in UK it has a number of cricket teams and hosts tournaments
like Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup, National Cricket Club Championship,
The Cricketer National Village Championship etc
Tours and Sightseeing
There are a number of tour
operators in Oxford. The tourist information center is also very helpful
to find out a way to enjoy the visit of Oxford. |
Hotels and Accommodations
Accommodations in Oxford
are limited, though recently, motels have sprouted on the outskirts --
good for those who want modern amenities. In addition, if you have a car,
you may want to consider country houses or small B&Bs on the outskirts
of town
Some of the notable hotels
are:
Transport
Oxford is located some 50
miles (80 km) north west of London; the cities are linked by the M40 motorway,
which also links northwards to Birmingham.
Rail connections include
services to London (Paddington), Bournemouth, Worcester (via the Cotswold
Line), and Bicester. The city also has regular train services northwards
to Birmingham, Coventry and the north. The railway service connecting Oxford
and Cambridge, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968.
The Oxford Canal connects
to the River Thames at Oxford.
Oxford Airport at Kidlington
offers business and general aviation services. Local bus services are largely
provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach South Midlands.
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/ Oxford Featured Hotels
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