Testimonials
Testimonials for Oxford History Tours
The tour was well thought out and Sophie was an engaging guide with a mine of interesting information, much of it new to me even as someone who's lived in Oxford for the past 30 years. Definitely recommended.
J Willams, Oxford
La visite avec Anne-Sophie était parfaite ! Très intéressante , nous n’avons pas vu le temps passer . N’hésitez pas une seconde vous découvrirez oxford et son histoire de manière passionnante .”
“Merci beaucoup Sophie pour cette visite nous avons vraiment adoré!
Kathleen, Switzerland
Sophie offered us a tailor-made tour that perfectly met our expectations.
Steve, Munich, Germany
Wonderful tour about Oxford, very knowledgeable guide. We enjoyed every minute of it.
Maria, USA
Sophie is a congenial host with vast knowledge of the colleges and general Oxford area. Good communication and instruction for meet up. Would highly recommend her tour!
Andrew, New York, USA
Fascinating tour by a wonderful guide!
Michael, USA
Sophie is so knowledgeable! Oxford is a city of history, and she knows it so well. Her recommendation for our dinner after the tour was perfect! She also took care of me beforehand in suggesting other things to do before her tour. She’s the best. A pro’s pro!
Kori, USA
My history tour with Sophie was informative and entertaining. The horror was made funny and the ridiculous serious. I was surprised by how much I didn't know and went away with new insights into, not only the university's history and traditions, but the history of England generally. I also got some good ideas for the rest of my stay in Oxford. Thank you!
James, UK
Nous avons eu une visite très intéressante d’une heure et demie focalisée sur les vitraux originaux qui ont été conservés à Oxford. Nous avons pu en apprendre davantage sur cet art, notamment la manière dont il était pratiqué, et les particularités de celui-ci à Oxford. Sophie est très enthousiaste et sait communiquer sa passion pour ces ouvrages. Nous avons aussi fait un tour d’Oxford qui était très agréable. Nous avons eu l’occasion de visiter un collège, emblème d’Oxford et d’en apprendre plus sur sa chapelle. Cette visite nous a permis de remonter le temps dans cette magnifique ville dont le patrimoine historique est très bien préservé.
Marie, France
This tour was a lovely introduction to Oxford University. As a recent transplant from the US, it was a great way to get my bearings of the area, visit a college, and learn about some fascinating local history. Whether we were gazing at gargoyles or admiring beautiful stained glass, Sophie was a true delight – very knowledgeable, thoughtful, and well-articulated. I highly recommend this experience!
Megan, USA
Fascinating, thoughtfully constructed tour of Oxford University encompassing a thousand years of history. I've lived in Oxford for thirty years, yet in this tour learned new and intriguing nuggets about the city, discovered hidden gems in ancient stone buildings that I've been strolling past all these years. Accompanied by an expert medievalist, Sophie escorts the group into at least one carefully selected college to showcase the origins of the college system and how they expanded throughout history, diversifying facilities and lodgings with successive waves of building reflecting the architectural fashions of the time. At each stop we heard anecdotes of the historical figures involved, stories ranging from the enlightening and inspiring, through to the salacious and horrific. Meanwhile Sophie's resident historian Terri is on hand to answer more detailed questions, especially about the ecclesiastical history in which Oxford is drenched. I had great conversations with Sophie, Terri and also fellow members of the tour group. A delightful way to spend two hours learning enough to inspire many more hours of research about the city's past. No wonder so many books, plays and films are set in Oxford!
Maria, Oxford, UK
Sophie is a superb, experienced and enriching guide. We are a retired US professional couple. We've hired individual local guides throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and Sophie tops our list! She spent hours with us in advance, curating our day in Oxford, then filled our tour with history, architecture, art, education, culture…and fun. The day was perfectly paced and suited to our needs. It was a graduation day, so like the happy students, we too tossed our hats in celebration. Brava Sophie!
K & A Krupsky, Chicago, USA
Es war eine tolle Tour durch Oxford mit Sophie. Sie bringt einem die Geschichte der Colleges und der Stadt allgemein mit allen Facetten der Kunst und Architektur sehr nah. Man spürt ihre eigene Begeisterung für diese Themen deutlich und sie vermittelt sie.
Thea, Germany
An excellent tour! Sophie is very knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to personalize the tour to your interests. Highly recommended!
Ted and Melanie, New York
Nous avons eu une visite très intéressante d’une heure et demie focalisée sur les vitraux originauxqui ont été conservés à Oxford. Nous avons pu en apprendre davantage sur cet art, notamment lamanière dont il était pratiqué, et les particularités de celui-ci à Oxford. Sophie est très enthousiasteet sait communiquer sa passion pour ces ouvrages. Nous avons aussi fait un tour d’Oxford qui était très agréable. Nous avons eu l’occasion de visiter un collège, emblème d’Oxford et d’en apprendreplus sur sa chapelle. Cette visite nous a permis de remonter le temps dans cette magnifique ville dont le patrimoine historique est très bien préservé.
C Boulet, Postgraduate Magdalen College
The most brilliant, nimble and personable guide we could have hoped to learn with. Her insights, vast knowledge-- along with her great academic and rich local experience completely elevated the afternoon. The experience was both conversational and instructional. We also gained a real appreciation for all the legacies, subjects, symbols and culture existing in the Oxford community beyond all the narratives and epic history surrounding the numerous, excellent examples of these true treasures of light. Run, don't walk, to book and get to this tour! Thank you, Sophie.
Robin, USA
Excellent tour. Sophie's knowledge and storytelling was wonderful. We got so much insight into Oxford. Great responses to questions, a pleasure to spend time with her too.
Daniel, USA
Sophie is excellent! She knows everything about Oxford because she studied there and now lives there. There is so much history and culture in this area. Sophie took us to the most important historical places while providing background information and entertaining anecdotes. Her friendly demeanor along with a great sense of humor made the trip a wonderful experience. She is the best!
Susan Werner, USA
Bonne expérience et très bon guide.
Emmanuelle, France
Kids friendly et en francais ! Tout à fait ce que nous cherchions.
Nicolas, France
Sophie est une guide très sympathique. Sophie a su nous faire partager sa passion sur l’histoire de cette ville et de ses universités. Je recommande.
Francois, France
We really enjoyed our tour, Sophie was an engaging and informative guide leaving us with a thirst to delve deeper into the origins of the University. Her historical knowledge was fabulous and we highly recommend this tour to glimpse the hidden cloisters of college life.
Simon and Wendy, UK
Sophie's tour was amazing in many ways and a real delight! Sophie really gave life to the town centre and the colleges we past by talking about the city's history, the architecture of the buildings and by telling us insightful anecdotes. I have left the tour with a much better understanding of Oxford's past, despite having walked the very same streets for the past 15 years. The tour itself lasted a little over 2 hours, which really flew by. We were part of a small tour group which really made the whole experience personal. We would definitely recommend it to locals and tourists alike.
Antoine, France
Sophie makes her tours so fun! Among many years of having France’s historical and artistic heritage explained to me the finest insights came from Sophie Duncan during one of her earliest tours of Cathar County in the Languedoc. Her knowledge and flair for uncovering the more subtle trends occurring behind the scenes made one feel part of the narrative rather than a mere onlooker. Sophie is now back in Oxford where she studied in the '80s and has elaborated this University tour. Her multi-layered background in Literature, Medieval History, restoration of her own chateau and tour organisation and guiding of international groups clearly brings a polish to her tour of this amazing city. With Sophie as your guide, you will discover parts of Oxford which will surprise and delight you.
Danielle Eubank, Los Angeles, USA