Slowly but surely, we’re crossing non-London locations of the UK off the list. Today, we’re visiting non-London location #4: Oxford!
Let’s jump right in.
Oxford in 2 Minutes
You’ve probably heard of Oxford, but not for the town itself; for the school that bears its name. Indeed, the University of Oxford is one of the oldest, most famous, and most prestigious universities in the world. Often mentioned in the same breath, Cambridge is also extremely comparable to Oxford: small English town, extremely charming, most famous for the historic, world-class university that bears its name (the University of Cambridge). These schools are both still extremely relevant today! Both are always ranked extremely highly in the European, and global university rankings. And, within the UK, they are pretty much guaranteed to be in the top 3 spots. But, I will note here that my alma mater—Imperial College—has beat them both for the #1 spot 2 years in a row now.
But then again, how great can Imperial be if they let ME in? 👀
ANYWAY, it’s a bit hard for me to disentangle Oxford the school from Oxford the town. They are inextricably linked and have developed co-dependently throughout the centuries. Yeah, you read that right: centuries. The University of Oxford was actually founded in 1096. 🤯 This is so long ago that the exact date is actually unknown! To give you a bit of perspective, that makes Oxford older than the Aztec Empire, Genghis Khan’s founding of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan’s founding the Yuan dynasty in China, The Crusades (which saw the sacking of Constantinople), and the Magna Carta.
At the time of its emergence in historical records, it was primarily associated with Europe’s Catholic education system, with its curriculums primarily centered around Christian theology. However, Oxford is a fully-fledged university in the modern day. And it’s a free-standing town in its own rite! I haven’t visited Cambridge (yet!), but I’m told that it’s mostly just the university, whereas Oxford has a good bit more to offer. Here it is on the map for context; zoom in and poke around at your leisure!
Walking Tour of Oxford
To me, the school and the town center sort of blended together into a single entity, so that is how I’m going to present them. While there are some exceptions, the historic buildings in both areas—many of which date back to Medieval times—are predominantly in the Gothic style. These buildings are mostly made of the same type of light creamy-colored, smooth stone, giving the whole place an incredible continuity. This is called “oolithic” limestone and is locally known as “Cotswold limestone”. You’ll see a lot of this material in the beautiful towns around this region, including Bath! However, there are also more modern buildings scattered around the town and especially around the university campus. An especially ugly example of this is the Department of Engineering, Science and Physics… see if you can guess which one it is in the gallery below. Hint: it’s a tower that is wider at the top than at the bottom.
Overall, Oxford—at least, the school and the town center—is quite a lovely little place! After seeing Oxford and Cambridge make cameo appearances in many historical films over the years, it’s honestly exactly how I pictured it. It’s not hard to imagine Oxford’s many esteemed alumni walking around this campus or sitting in a local cafe or pub. Here’s a quick list of Oxford’s more famous alumni (including both students and professors):
26+ British Prime Ministers, including Theresa May, David Cameron, Boris Johnson, a.k.a. BoJo (does this mean Oxford gets credit for Brexit??), Tony Blair, and Margaret Thatcher.
International leaders such as: Bill Clinton (U.S. President), Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister of India, not to be confused with Mahatma Gandhi), Aung San Suu Kyi (Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Leader of Myanmar), Benazir Bhutto (1st female Prime Minister of Pakistan) and Desmond Tutu (Archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize laureate)
Authors and philosophers, including but not limited to J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings), C.S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia), Oscar Wilde (super famous author, poet, and playwright), Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland), Thomas Hobbes (famous philosopher, author of Leviathan) and John Locke (the "Father of Liberalism.")
Super important scientists, such as Stephen Hawking (Theoretical physicist who probably needs no introduction), Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web, which is not quite the same thing as the Internet… but still super important), Edmund Halley (astronomer and namesake of Halley’s Comet, and Howard Florey (co-developer of penicillin).
Famous actors, such as Hugh Grant, Emma Watson, Kate Beckinsale, and, my personal favorite: Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean)
Oh, and Ghislaine Maxwell also went to Oxford. So, there’s that.
ANYWAY, enough information. Let me show you this beautiful little corner of England…
The University Parks
Another piece of this puzzle that feels central to what I had envisioned of Oxford prior to my arrival is its parks. Parks, I think, are quite fundamental to the English identity; or at least to the identity of any city or town worth visiting. The most notable park in Oxford, I would come to learn, is aptly and unimaginatively named “University Parks”. It’s about 70 acres of open space, and it feels worlds apart from the rest of Oxford. It’s easy to see how this would be a great place to come clear your head for stressed students and faculty alike. In early summer, this was a lovely place to walk through.
One of the things that lured me into this park in the first place was the “J.R.R. Tolkien Bench”. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so I wanted to come see where this legendary author used to sit! However, it turns out that this was just a bench donated as a memorial for him. So, he never actually sat on this bench. My time would probably have been better spent visiting his grave, which is also in Oxford, in Wolvercote Cemetery. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Venturing Outside Oxford’s Town Center
Oxford is gorgeous, but, to be honest, there are many parts of the UK that are not. From an outsider’s perspective, there’s lots of areas that are downright depressing as well. The gray skies don’t help either. Once you get outside of Oxford’s photogenic academic area and town center, it’s surprising how quickly it becomes just another English town. It’s got its fair share of run-down street corners and trash-covered sidewalks, but it also has echoes of the personality, grit, and diversity that have made me fall in love with London. Here are a few photos to give you a flavor for these parts of Oxford…
Once night falls—even back in the town center—Oxford quickly becomes a very quiet place. In the early days of summer, I believe the academic year had recently ended, so this may have emptied out the town a bit… but central Oxford still had a bit of ‘hustle and bustle’ during the day. Night time was peaceful, albeit, a bit chilly. Passing by the gently illuminated windows of these perfect little English pubs, my mind wandered to imagining myself grabbing a pint with a few good friends on a fall day. Sigh.
Here are a few snaps of quiet Oxford streets at night. It’s a vibe.
That’s Oxford! I’m eager to visit Cambridge next so I can compare, but I’m sure I’ll be back in Oxford soon for one reason or another.
However, as far as the UK is concerned, before any of that happens, you’ll be getting more from my London home. But that will have to wait a ‘lil while, because up next, we’re off to TURKEY. Stay tuned.
