OXFORD CASTLE & GAOL:
The development of Oxford Castle began in 1071 when, having fought alongside him during the Norman Conquest of 1066, Robert d’Oilly built Oxford Castle for William the Conqueror. Legend has it that in 1142 Princess Matilda, Henry I’s only legitimate child and known as the Empress Maud, escaped from Oxford Castle by fleeing across the frozen Thames, camouflaged against the snow and ice by her white nightdress. She was running from her cousin Stephen who had seized the throne on Henry’s death in 1135 and had now besieged the Castle. In 1230 the Castle is officially recorded as being a prison, although, it is believed that it was used in part as a prison long before then. In 1611 during the reign of King James, the Castle was purchased by Christ Church College. 1642 - 1651 the Castle was refortified and garrisoned during the English Civil War but was eventually destroyed by Parliamentary troops, keen to remove symbols of Royalist loyalties. It remained the site of the Gaol however and the prison buildings were repaired and extended. In the 1770’s a Prison report by John Howard condemned the buildings, stating that years of neglect had made them unfit for human habitation. The site was reacquired by the Government and a major redevelopment programme ensued. The new and austere buildings, some of which were designed by Prison architect William Blackburn, formed the basis of the Gaol’s lugubrious appearance today.In 1800 the site then became home to a new County Hall and remodelled County Gaol and Court. Within the walls, designed to keep prisoners in and the public out, were the Debtors’ Tower, the Governor’s House and Office, A, B, C and D Wings, Punishment Cells and an Exercise Yard. In 1878 the Prison Commissioners took over the site and Her Majesty’s Prison Oxford was established. The prison, sometimes housing three men to a cell. In 1996 the Prison Closes. In 1996 - 2004 the site was then acquired by the County Council and gained popularity with film makers. Inspector Morse, Bad Girls and The Bill have all been filmed there and it reached the big screen when featured in 102 Dalmations, The Spy Game and Lucky Break. May 2006 - Oxford Castle is officially opened by the Her Majesty the Queen and the Goal developed into the Malmaison Hotel using the cells as guest rooms.
BLENHEIM PALACE: (www.blenheimpalace.com/)
Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown, the magnificent Palace is surrounded by sweeping lawns, award-winning formal gardens and the great Lake, offering a unforgettable day out for all. Blenheim Palace is a unique example of English Baroque architecture. Inside, the scale of the Palace is beautifully balanced by the intricate detail and delicacy of the carvings, the hand painted ceilings and the amazing porcelain collections, tapestries and paintings displayed in each room. On the first floor ‘Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story’ brings to life enticing tales from the last 300 years. Situated in Woodstock, just 8 miles from Oxford, the Palace was created a World Heritage site in 1987.
ASHMOLEUM MUSEUM: (www.ashmolean.org/)
November 2009 the Ashmolean’s £61 million redevelopment opened to the public, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Award-winning architect Rick Mather has created a new building that has doubled the Ashmolean’s gallery space, incorporating full environmental control, a new Education centre, and state-of-the-art conservation facilities.The Ashmolean now has a world-class building to match its world-class collections.
PITT RIVERS MUSEUM: (www.prm.ox.ac.uk/)
Anthropology and World Archaeology. The Pitt Rivers Museum cares for one of the world's great collections. It is equally famous for its celebrated displays and its leading role in contemporary research and museum curatorship. This site introduces visitors to both.
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & SCIENCE: (www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/)
The Museum of the History of Science houses an unrivalled collection of historic scientific instruments in the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean on Broad Street, Oxford. By virtue of the collection and the building, the Museum occupies a special position, both in the study of the history of science and in the development of western culture and collecting.
THE BATE COLLECTION: (www.bate.ox.ac.uk/)
Welcome to the Bate Collection, one of the most magnificent collections of musical instruments in the world. The Bate has over 2000 instruments from the Western orchestral music traditions from the renaissance, through the baroque, classical, romantic and up to modern times. More than a thousand instruments are on display, by all the most important makers and from pre-eminent collectors.
NEW COLLEGE CHAPEL: (www.new.ox.ac.uk/)
New College, like most Oxford colleges, was a religious foundation. The Chapel remains a focal point in the lives of many of its members, both spiritually and musically. Further information can be found in the chapel pages.The chapel choir has an international reputation. During term there is a full Choral service every evening of the week apart from Wednesday and the weekend services attract many outside visitors. Further information about the choir and its activities can be found in the choir pages.
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL: (www.chch.ox.ac.uk/)
The Cathedral is visited by thousands of people each year who pray, worship, or simply enjoy the stillness and the profound sense of history it inspires. On this site stood the convent church where Oxford's patron saint, Frideswide, was buried in the 8th century. Around her shrine in the 9th and 10th centuries a group of priests lived a communal life, doing pastoral work, and in the 12th century the monastery became the Augustinian priory of St Frideswide. By the 13th century it was a major place of pilgrimage.
WINSTON CHURCHILL GRAVE & FAMILY TOMB: (www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/Bladon.html) Bladon lies on the south side of Blenheim Park with many quaint cottages. St Martin's Church is a Victorian reconstruction of 1894 on the site of an earlier church rebuilt in 1801. In January 1965 Sir Winston Churchill was buried in the churchyard at the head of the grave of Lady Randolph Churchill his mother. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill is buried alongside.
INSPECTOR MORSE'S HAUNTS:
The Randolph Hotel is situated in St Giles immediately opposite The Ashmoleum Museum. Built in 1864, this landmark city centre Oxford hotel has played host to prime ministers and presidents, the Randolph Hotel's renowned Morse Bar is instantly recognisable as the watering hole of Colin Dexter's world-famous detective, Inspector Morse.
The Eagle and Child is a pub in St Giles', Oxford, England which is owned by St. John's College, Oxford. The pub had been part of an endowment belonging to University College since the 17th century. It has associations with the Inklings writers' group which included J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. A small, narrow building, the pub reputedly served as the lodgings of the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the English Civil War (1642–49), when Oxford was the Royalist capital. The landmark served as a pay house for the Royalist army, and pony auctions were held in the rear courtyard. These claims are inconsistent with the earliest date usually given for construction of the pub, 1650, and the fact that the pub lies outside the city walls may also give some cause for doubt.
The Turf Tavern (www.theturftavern.co.uk/)
The Turf is "probably Oxford's oldest pub".The current timbered front part is seventeenth century when it was progressively a malthouse, a cider house (1775) and finally an inn (circa 1790), the Spotted Cow. It was renamed the Turf Tavern in 1805 and thus it remains to the present. The pub has been frequented by such likes of Inspector Morse (John Thaw)Iand Ex President Bill Clinton, and some would claim that it is the "obscure and low-beamed tavern up a court" visited by Jude Fawley in Hardy's Jude the Obscure.
THE BEAR INN:
The Bear Inn (or just "The Bear") is one of the oldest public houses in Oxford, England, dating back to 1242. It stands on the corner of Alfred Street and Blue Boar Street, opposite Bear Lane in the centre of Oxford, just north of Christ Church. The original Bear was a coaching inn on an adjacent site, closer to the High Street. It had previously been called Parne Hall and Le Tabard, but adopted its present name in the 15th century, after either a bear pit on site or the bear and ragged staff on the crest of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. It was especially fashionable in the 17th century, when judges and royal commissioners were among the patrons. The heir to the throne in Denmark visited in 1652. When it closed in 1801, there were over thirty bedrooms, with stabling for a similar number of horses. The present building was built in the early 17th century as the residence of the inns ostler. It was converted into a separate tavern, The Jolly Trooper, in 1774, and took over the name of the Bear when the other inn closed.
WARWICK CASTLE: (www.warwick-castle.co.uk/)
The history stretches back almost 1,100 years. In 914AD Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the building of a 'burh' or an earthen rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick from Danish invaders. In 1242 Thomas, the last de Beaumont Earl of Warwick, dies without an heir and the castle and estates passes to his sister Margaret, and her husband John Du Plessis. In 1260 Stone replaces wood in the Castle Construction.
In 1397 Thomas de Beauchamp (1370-97, 1399-1401) confesses to treachery and is exiled to the Isle of Man by Richard II. Only when Richard is usurped by Henry IV in 1399 does Thomas reclaim his inheritance. A full history from the 11th Century to the present day is available on-line.
The development of Oxford Castle began in 1071 when, having fought alongside him during the Norman Conquest of 1066, Robert d’Oilly built Oxford Castle for William the Conqueror. Legend has it that in 1142 Princess Matilda, Henry I’s only legitimate child and known as the Empress Maud, escaped from Oxford Castle by fleeing across the frozen Thames, camouflaged against the snow and ice by her white nightdress. She was running from her cousin Stephen who had seized the throne on Henry’s death in 1135 and had now besieged the Castle. In 1230 the Castle is officially recorded as being a prison, although, it is believed that it was used in part as a prison long before then. In 1611 during the reign of King James, the Castle was purchased by Christ Church College. 1642 - 1651 the Castle was refortified and garrisoned during the English Civil War but was eventually destroyed by Parliamentary troops, keen to remove symbols of Royalist loyalties. It remained the site of the Gaol however and the prison buildings were repaired and extended. In the 1770’s a Prison report by John Howard condemned the buildings, stating that years of neglect had made them unfit for human habitation. The site was reacquired by the Government and a major redevelopment programme ensued. The new and austere buildings, some of which were designed by Prison architect William Blackburn, formed the basis of the Gaol’s lugubrious appearance today.In 1800 the site then became home to a new County Hall and remodelled County Gaol and Court. Within the walls, designed to keep prisoners in and the public out, were the Debtors’ Tower, the Governor’s House and Office, A, B, C and D Wings, Punishment Cells and an Exercise Yard. In 1878 the Prison Commissioners took over the site and Her Majesty’s Prison Oxford was established. The prison, sometimes housing three men to a cell. In 1996 the Prison Closes. In 1996 - 2004 the site was then acquired by the County Council and gained popularity with film makers. Inspector Morse, Bad Girls and The Bill have all been filmed there and it reached the big screen when featured in 102 Dalmations, The Spy Game and Lucky Break. May 2006 - Oxford Castle is officially opened by the Her Majesty the Queen and the Goal developed into the Malmaison Hotel using the cells as guest rooms.
BLENHEIM PALACE: (www.blenheimpalace.com/)
Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown, the magnificent Palace is surrounded by sweeping lawns, award-winning formal gardens and the great Lake, offering a unforgettable day out for all. Blenheim Palace is a unique example of English Baroque architecture. Inside, the scale of the Palace is beautifully balanced by the intricate detail and delicacy of the carvings, the hand painted ceilings and the amazing porcelain collections, tapestries and paintings displayed in each room. On the first floor ‘Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story’ brings to life enticing tales from the last 300 years. Situated in Woodstock, just 8 miles from Oxford, the Palace was created a World Heritage site in 1987.
ASHMOLEUM MUSEUM: (www.ashmolean.org/)
November 2009 the Ashmolean’s £61 million redevelopment opened to the public, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Award-winning architect Rick Mather has created a new building that has doubled the Ashmolean’s gallery space, incorporating full environmental control, a new Education centre, and state-of-the-art conservation facilities.The Ashmolean now has a world-class building to match its world-class collections.
PITT RIVERS MUSEUM: (www.prm.ox.ac.uk/)
Anthropology and World Archaeology. The Pitt Rivers Museum cares for one of the world's great collections. It is equally famous for its celebrated displays and its leading role in contemporary research and museum curatorship. This site introduces visitors to both.
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & SCIENCE: (www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/)
The Museum of the History of Science houses an unrivalled collection of historic scientific instruments in the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean on Broad Street, Oxford. By virtue of the collection and the building, the Museum occupies a special position, both in the study of the history of science and in the development of western culture and collecting.
THE BATE COLLECTION: (www.bate.ox.ac.uk/)
Welcome to the Bate Collection, one of the most magnificent collections of musical instruments in the world. The Bate has over 2000 instruments from the Western orchestral music traditions from the renaissance, through the baroque, classical, romantic and up to modern times. More than a thousand instruments are on display, by all the most important makers and from pre-eminent collectors.
NEW COLLEGE CHAPEL: (www.new.ox.ac.uk/)
New College, like most Oxford colleges, was a religious foundation. The Chapel remains a focal point in the lives of many of its members, both spiritually and musically. Further information can be found in the chapel pages.The chapel choir has an international reputation. During term there is a full Choral service every evening of the week apart from Wednesday and the weekend services attract many outside visitors. Further information about the choir and its activities can be found in the choir pages.
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL: (www.chch.ox.ac.uk/)
The Cathedral is visited by thousands of people each year who pray, worship, or simply enjoy the stillness and the profound sense of history it inspires. On this site stood the convent church where Oxford's patron saint, Frideswide, was buried in the 8th century. Around her shrine in the 9th and 10th centuries a group of priests lived a communal life, doing pastoral work, and in the 12th century the monastery became the Augustinian priory of St Frideswide. By the 13th century it was a major place of pilgrimage.
WINSTON CHURCHILL GRAVE & FAMILY TOMB: (www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/Bladon.html) Bladon lies on the south side of Blenheim Park with many quaint cottages. St Martin's Church is a Victorian reconstruction of 1894 on the site of an earlier church rebuilt in 1801. In January 1965 Sir Winston Churchill was buried in the churchyard at the head of the grave of Lady Randolph Churchill his mother. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill is buried alongside.
INSPECTOR MORSE'S HAUNTS:
The Randolph Hotel is situated in St Giles immediately opposite The Ashmoleum Museum. Built in 1864, this landmark city centre Oxford hotel has played host to prime ministers and presidents, the Randolph Hotel's renowned Morse Bar is instantly recognisable as the watering hole of Colin Dexter's world-famous detective, Inspector Morse.
The Eagle and Child is a pub in St Giles', Oxford, England which is owned by St. John's College, Oxford. The pub had been part of an endowment belonging to University College since the 17th century. It has associations with the Inklings writers' group which included J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. A small, narrow building, the pub reputedly served as the lodgings of the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the English Civil War (1642–49), when Oxford was the Royalist capital. The landmark served as a pay house for the Royalist army, and pony auctions were held in the rear courtyard. These claims are inconsistent with the earliest date usually given for construction of the pub, 1650, and the fact that the pub lies outside the city walls may also give some cause for doubt.
The Turf Tavern (www.theturftavern.co.uk/)
The Turf is "probably Oxford's oldest pub".The current timbered front part is seventeenth century when it was progressively a malthouse, a cider house (1775) and finally an inn (circa 1790), the Spotted Cow. It was renamed the Turf Tavern in 1805 and thus it remains to the present. The pub has been frequented by such likes of Inspector Morse (John Thaw)Iand Ex President Bill Clinton, and some would claim that it is the "obscure and low-beamed tavern up a court" visited by Jude Fawley in Hardy's Jude the Obscure.
THE BEAR INN:
The Bear Inn (or just "The Bear") is one of the oldest public houses in Oxford, England, dating back to 1242. It stands on the corner of Alfred Street and Blue Boar Street, opposite Bear Lane in the centre of Oxford, just north of Christ Church. The original Bear was a coaching inn on an adjacent site, closer to the High Street. It had previously been called Parne Hall and Le Tabard, but adopted its present name in the 15th century, after either a bear pit on site or the bear and ragged staff on the crest of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. It was especially fashionable in the 17th century, when judges and royal commissioners were among the patrons. The heir to the throne in Denmark visited in 1652. When it closed in 1801, there were over thirty bedrooms, with stabling for a similar number of horses. The present building was built in the early 17th century as the residence of the inns ostler. It was converted into a separate tavern, The Jolly Trooper, in 1774, and took over the name of the Bear when the other inn closed.
WARWICK CASTLE: (www.warwick-castle.co.uk/)
The history stretches back almost 1,100 years. In 914AD Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the building of a 'burh' or an earthen rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick from Danish invaders. In 1242 Thomas, the last de Beaumont Earl of Warwick, dies without an heir and the castle and estates passes to his sister Margaret, and her husband John Du Plessis. In 1260 Stone replaces wood in the Castle Construction.
In 1397 Thomas de Beauchamp (1370-97, 1399-1401) confesses to treachery and is exiled to the Isle of Man by Richard II. Only when Richard is usurped by Henry IV in 1399 does Thomas reclaim his inheritance. A full history from the 11th Century to the present day is available on-line.
