Free to see - Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church is a College with pedigree. Being a location for Harry Potter and inspiring the Hogwarts dining hall has made it more famous still. It’s also the most highly priced college to visit and frequently sells out.
Although a visit is worthwhile, you’ll find links to buy a ticket independently or accompanied by a guide below, for the history lover there is a gem in Christ Church that you do not need to book for and which is free to enter for those who know.
Christ Church cathedral’s rose window from the meadow
Christ Church’s founding was a messy affair. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey meant it to be bigger and better than his alma mater Magdalen College, but relations with Henry VIII went awry and when Wolsey died suddenly en route to London for a trial, his ambitious building projects were left unfinished for many decades.
Henry VIII in the meantime made Oxford a city and chose the Chapel of the Augustinian Priory on the site before Wolsey’s college, the city cathedral. This is the wonder that is free for visitors at precisely 18h05, every evening as a rule.
Eventually the reins of building ambition were taken up again and Christ Church grew into Oxford's mightiest college with an entry porch by Sir Christopher Wren, the biggest Quad, it produced 13 of Oxford’s 30 prime ministers.
The real Alice in Wonderland’s father, Dean Henry Liddell took steps to ensure that the Cathedral was welcoming and restored for non-University visitors as well as members of Christ Church’s community..
During Dean Henry Liddell’s renovations substantial fragments of the Anglo Saxon Saint Frideswide’s shrine were found in a well. In the spirit of the Oxford Movement, they were returned to the cathedral. The shrine is remarkably restored and alone would make a visit to the cathedral worthwhile.
Add the stained glass window by Pre-Raphaelite Sir Edward Burne Jones telling the life of St Frideswide, a 14th century image of Thomas Becket in stained glass and other tokens of Charle’s 1st affection for Oxford in stained glass make the Cathedral a feast for lovers of the decorative arts. There are in addition architectural treasures including the rare and extraordinary vaulted ceiling of the chancel and a number of monumental 19th century extravaganzas.
England’s smallest medieval cathedral, however its domestic scale does not detract from its impressiveness. Au contraire the scale adds to the special experience of discovering this sacred and ancient site.
Arrive for evensong at 18h05 at Christ Church's main gate. Why 5 past the hour? That’s another story.
You may prefer to visit Christ Church with an accredited guide and historian. Look here. The two hour tour includes a guided stroll through University and City highlights after the tour of Christ Church itself.
If you would like to pop in yourself and see the famous staircase where Professor Minerva McGonagall welcomes Harry to Hogwarts, and the famous dining hall you can consider your options on the Christ Church website.