Discover Christine’s Walking Tours

The first mention of Oxnaforda is in 912 and of the Universitas 1214.

Oxford was a small but prosperous Saxon town, a place of Council, surrounded by a defensive wall built on the order of King Alfred nestling on the banks of the River Thames; a site of strategic importance.

Monasteries grew up in its shadow bringing wealth and learning.

The Saxon tower of the North Gate still survives as does the building where the University

‘parliament’ first met and the site of the University’s first library.

See where the scribes, book sellers and parchment makers plied their trade. Whilst their ancient shops no longer survive, great Colleges have arisen in their stead.

In 1066 the Normans arrived, a castle was built, the Jewish people were invited and the Town settled down to become the oldest university in the English speaking world that it is today.

When you walk through Oxford you walk through centuries and step in the footsteps of the great.

Oscar Wilde delighted at the beauty of the City but Jane Austen shuddered at its “grimy halls”.

We will explore the university’s iconic buildings including the Bodleian Library.

See where the first antibiotic and covid vaccines were developed.

Glimpse the walk that Alice took when she fell down the rabbit hole and where Tolkein and C S Lewis wrote their seminal books.

Chaucer’s student roamed inside the great wall which encircled the city built by King Alfred in the ninth century.

Here Queen Elizabeth I was greeted with great pomp and ceremony and Sir Christpher Wren

designed his first public building.

We enter a medieval college, learn how they developed and see how they are lived in today.

Each college is full of mystery with strange stories and traditions and each one is a world in itself and behind the ancient windows great work is taking place.

From secret agents to Peter Pan, romantic poetry to science fiction - Oxford has inspired a hugely diverse range of literature both old and new, as well as numerous TV producers and movie makers.

Walk down Wordsworth’s Golden Street; seeing the place where Thomas Hardy's 'Jude the Obscure' finally "awoke from his dream” and realised the colleges with their quads, chapels and libraries were not for him.

See the college which expelled Percy Shelley for ’contumaciousness’ and salute the pub where C.S. Lewis, Tolkein and their circle of friends spent many an evening over a congenial pint.

Included on the tour will be a visit to at least one college with interesting literary associations, and a glimpse inside part of the old library, a building which goes back nearly 600 years.

This tour appeals to all lovers of literature - and discover why Oxford is one of Britain’s most enchanting destinations, the city of dreaming spires.

**Duration:** 1.5 hours

Discover the astonishing history and beauty of Oxford on a walking tour which explores iconic landmarks and tells the story of over Oxford’s 1000 years of tradition and innovation.

You will se sties which tell the tale of Oxford's Anglo Saxon beginnings, the ever changing University, patrons, town and gown and the lives of the scholars, scoundrels and literary giants who made Oxford home.

Stops include the Divinity School, Bodleian Library’s Old Schools ‘Quad’, Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian theatre, the CS Lewis stop and University church and much more.

The highlights tour will leave you with a lasting memory of Oxford’s history, its role in the art, architecture, social upheavals and discoveries which have shaped the course of history.

This tour includes a visit inside one of Oxford's oldest colleges to see where students studied, worshipped, slept and dined and still do today..

Private Tour

£160 (up to 4 participants)

Extras:

Additional participants over 2: @ £10

Discussion in the pub (40 minutes): £60 (refreshment not included)

Discussion over a Cream Tea (40 minutes): £90 (refreshment not included)

Bodleian Library Tour (40 minutes): £80 (plus £10/person)