Backpacking in the United Kingdom - Top Things to See in Oxford

February 15, 2023 | Tagged: United Kingdom
I made a day trip from Milton Keynes to the University City of Oxford. Here are my 16 Top Things To See in this stunning historical city.
I went and backpacked the world-famous university city of Oxford.

Among those who have studied or taught at the Univeristy of Oxford are 28 British Prime Ministers, at least 30 international leaders, 50 Nobel Prize winners and 120 Olympic medal winners.

Baroness Margret Thatcher, President Bill Clinton, Clement Attlee, Steven Hawking, Imran Khan. The list is incredulous.

Check out the full list of Famous Oxonians on the University of Oxford website.

The night before, I scanned Google Maps, highlighted some notable sites and that was my Oxford Day Trip planning done. I had a list of about 10 things that were worthy of my time. There would be others, found along the way and the result was 16 top sights in Oxford:

My Oxford Top 16
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1. 24-26 Cornmarket Street

The building at 24-26 Cornmarket Street, is one of the oldest buildings in Oxford, a jewel merchant ran the timber-framed 14th-century building as an inn, known as the “New Inn”. It is now a Grade II listed building and houses Pret A Manger. Philistines.

2. Martyr's Memorial

The Martyrs' Memorial was built 300 years ago to commemorate the Oxford Martyrs, the Church of England bishops Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury who were burnt at the stake in Oxford on 16 October 1555 after having been convicted for heresy.

3. Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683.

To be honest, it was a bit like the British Museum in London.

And I only went in because it was free. But you have to do these things to find out if they were worth it. And then report back.

4. Rewley Road Swing Bridge

The Rewley Road Swing Bridge is a disused, now-restored railway swing bridge over Sheepwash Channel.

The 73ft long, 85-ton bridge was built for trains on the 31-mile route from Oxford’s Rewley Road station to Bletchley, my home town, which opened in May 1851 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway Company.

5. Walk along the Thames Path

I walked from the Rewley Road Swing Bridge to Folly Bridge.

6. Folly Bridge

A Grade 2 listed stone bridge across the River Thames built in the early 1800s, built in 2 sections, separated by an island with the well-known restaurant The Folly and the Folly Bridge House Hotel

This is also the spot where Lewis Carroll created Alice In Wonderful.

7. Christ Church Cathedral

This Grade I listed Romanesque, Gothic-style Church built between 1160 and 1200 is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Oxford and is the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford.

8. Boathouse Island

This is where you'll find the University Boathouses where the college teams trained.

Matthew Pinsent studied and rowed for Oxford before becoming Olympic Champion.

9. Magdalen College

Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, and Lord Chancellor. It is one of the oldest, largest, and most beautiful colleges in Oxford.

Magdalen is regarded as one of the three greatest colleges in Oxford, the others being Christ Church and New College.

10. Carfax Tower

The 74-feet tall Carfax Tower is all that remains of the 12th-century St. Martin's Church and was the official City of Oxford church and no building in Oxford may be constructed higher than it.

11. Tom Tower

The Gothic-Style Tom Tower was designed by Christopher Wren, who designed St Paul's in London which I visited on Day 2 of my recent Backpacking London adventure the other week. Built in the 1680s, it houses the 7-ton Great Tom bell and is the loudest bell in Oxford. It stands at the entrance to Christ Church College.

12. University Church of St Mary the Virgin

Located in the very centre of Oxford, this University Church is the 'spiritual heart' of the oldest university in Britain.

This English Gothic-style Grade I listed Church dates from as far back as 1280.

13. Radcliffe Camera

The neo-classical style Radcliffe Camera is an iconic landmark in Oxford and is part of the central Bodleian Library complex. It is linked to the Bodleian Old Library by the underground Gladstone Link.

It was built between 1737–49 to house the Radcliffe Science Library and was designed by James Gibbs.

14. Sheldonian Theatre

The Sheldonian Theatre was named after Gilbert Sheldon, Warden of All Souls College and later Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is a Grade I listed building built between 1664 and 1668 which was designed by Christopher Wren. Despite its name, it has never been used for theatrical performances, instead, the building serves the role of the official ceremonial hall of the University of Oxford and classical music concerts.

15. Clarendon Building

The Clarendon Building is an 18th-century neoclassical, now Grade I, listed building in Oxford.

16. Bridge of Sighs

​The Bridge of Sighs, built in 1914, official name Hertford Bridge, joins two parts of Hertford College over New College Lane.

Not to be confused with the Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice nor the Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge or Chester.

Bonus Photo: Merton College

How to get to Oxford from Milton Keynes for just £2

My last post detailed how to get from Milton Keynes to Oxford using the £2 bus fare cap scheme running in England until March 31 2023
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