My Downton Abbey Weekend in Oxford and Newbury Pt1
As a fan of the Downton Abbey drama, I have been dreaming of visiting the set at the beautiful Highclere Castle so when the Spring tickets went on sale last year, I managed to buy two tickets to visit the Castle.
In April, we decided to go for a long weekend and visit Oxford along the way.
Highclere Castle
Bridge of Sighs
Oxford
Oxford is recognised for its colleges and beautiful architecture. Famous writers have lived and studied here, including JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Nevill Coghill and Charles Williams.
We had parked the car in the Redbridge Park and Ride and took the bus into the city centre, approx 5 minutes journey. There was a parking charge and a charge on the bus. If you're planning on spending the day here, I would recommend the Park and Ride. It makes it easier to travel into Oxford and as most of the attractions are within walking distance in the centre, you shouldn't need to drive.
Christ Church
Christ Church is the largest and one of the most famous Colleges in Oxford. It also has a cathedral and contains the shrine of St Frideswide. The college has been used in many film sets; The Golden Compass and Harry Potter to name a few!
Ticket prices range from £8-9 depending on the time of the season and I would recommend checking the opening times before you visit to ensure you get to see the Great Hall. The Great Hall closes for lunch.
The Great Hall
Bodleian Library
Founded by Thomas Bodley in 1613, the Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest in Europe and the second biggest library in the UK. There are more than 12 million printed items and over 80,000 e-journals.
We went for the Standard tour and we were lucky to be able to visit the Radcliffe Camera as an extra feature on the tour. It was interesting to learn the history of the library where books were chained to the shelves and a bell was rang to tell people the library was closing. The Divinity School has a vaulted ceiling and showcases English Gothic architecture.
Bridge of Sighs
This is more of a photo opportunity. The Bridge of Sighs is a skyway joining two parts of Hertford college. The design resembles the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. There was filming in Oxford at the time so some of the roads were blocked, see the yellow sign.
The Covered Market
An indoor market with stalls and shops ranging from cafes, toys, babywear, jewellery, butchers and cheese stalls. It was nice to walk around and browse the shops. We were tempted to try the Thai food at SaSai Thai, it smelt amazing and there was a long queue - two signs of a great place however to save money we had already packed some sandwiches.
Blackwell's Book Store
A recommendation from a work colleague, Blackwells Book Store is a traditional book store with specialised sections of books. Definitely a place for any book worms! They even have specialised stores for Art, Medicine, Music, Maps and Travel.
Museum of Natural History
The museum has a huge collection of natural history and sciences including fossils, minerals, insects and even dinosaurs! Its free to visit and a great place for the children.
Pitt Rivers Museum
Located at the back of the Natural History Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum contains collections and pieces from around the globe from musical instruments, firearms, jewellery, clothing and much more! Pitt Rivers had collected unique, interesting cultural objects from his travels and built up a collection of over 500,000 pieces in the museum.
New College
New College was previously named St. Mary's College by William Wykeham however as there was another college with the same name, it was changed to New St. Mary's and later became New College. The college was founded for the eduction of priests and has a quadrangle - this was used in Harry Potter. The beautiful gardens run against the medieval wall.
Coming soon, the second part of the adventure in Oxford and Newbury.
Related Posts
All images and material on the Under the Olive Branch blog are copyright protected and all rights reserved. Images and material are for personal viewing and evaluation only and are copyrighted @Undertheolivebranch unless otherwise indicated.