Days 58 – 59 June 7 – 8th 2018 Oxford
Despite extensive time in the UK over our lifetimes neither had spent time in the home of Oxford University. Oxford – What a treat
Once we had miraculously found our way to our friends apartment – sans Google Maps. After a cup of tea our host offered to show us the city. Keen to explore we set off, surprised at how close we were to the colleges and city centre. The apartment block itself was fascinating housing University professors and staff some of whom had been in the block since post World War 2.
Oxford has a mind boggling number of colleges making up the University of Oxford – 38 colleges with wide ranging specialities. As we walked along Rob pointed out each college and their particular focus – so many I was lost in it all. What remained was memory of the old magnificent buildings, the lively streets of students many finishing exams. Some Colleges stuck in my mind –
Balliol College is strongest in memory because we visited there first, and we ventured inside. A wander through the lovely gardens and into the Balliol College Dining Hall gave a sense that came to me many times over our visit – a sense of the wonder it must be to study here. The dining hall did appear rather daunting with portraits of famous alumni around the walls, including 3 past British Prime Ministers. As we walked by the Chapel the organ was playing – calling us inside. Nothing more stirring than the sound of those huge pipes – well maybe the bagpipes!
Merton Hall – the oldest college with students since 1264 incomprehensible! Attended by names such as TS Elliot and Tolkien
St Hildas College – founded in 1893 it was a women’s college becoming co-ed in 2008.
All Souls College – this I remembered as it seemed elite – only research and post graduate work.
Christ Church College lining the Christ Church Flood Meadow with the Thames river behind.
After a pint at the riverside pub sitting out in light rain pretending it was summer we four of us went to the The Parsonage and Grill . A wonderful night where the lovely building and food, while delicious, was secondary to our endless animated conversations. Old friendship for me and for Chris new friendship instantly comfortable and enjoyed.
Next morning after breakfast and farewell to Bronwyn to had to go off to work we set out on another sightseeing venture well planned by Rob before we headed off to Wiltshire. A brief visit to the courtyard at the Bodleian Library the evening before had us keen to do the library tour offered.
The Bodleian library has an extensive history being one of the oldest in Europe. The concept of “library of legal deposit” was new to me and astounding – that the library collects a sample of every printed item published in Britain and then some. Not surprising that the size of the collection has meant the library is not multiples with underground tunnels and conveyor belts connecting them.
What a treat our guide was. An absolute treasure and filled with information about the history and collections of the Bodleian library.
The visit into the ancient collection of manuscripts was fascinating not only the collection itself but the cataloguing and imagining studying these ancient texts most written in languages no longer used.
A walk up the tower of St Mary Church of the Virgin followed our tour where we could walk the balcony for a 360 view of Oxford along with close up views of the gargoyles and dragons on the tower top. Cream stone buildings, green rectangles, red gabled rooves with multiple chimneys and ornate towers and turrets. From another side the shopping street with its colourful shopfronts and visible in the distance the green fields and farms.
The third and newest of the Bodleian libraries was the Weston Library – so named after a large donation to replace the windows around the perimeter and let in more light. It was here there was a small but exciting exhibition Sappho to Suffrage – Women Who Dared Who could resist such a title! Celebrating 100 years of granting of the vote for women in Britain. It was also a display of items chosen from the Bodleian’s vast treasure collection. As in the title the first exhibit was fragments of a poem written by Sappo the Greek poet (6th century BC). I was intrigued by an early newspaper article citing Wyoming first, New Zealand second, granting women the vote.
We drove out of Oxford hoping to return and vowing to not leave it so many years before we catch up with Bronwyn and Rob again.
