The Cook and The Gardener: August 2012

We have been to Oxford a few times, but as it was during term time we have been unable to access any of the campuses. However our most recent visit was during holidays so we could have a good explore. Oxford is easily accessed by a park and ride system. You park at an out area and a bused into the centre. The centre is mostly pedestrianised with lots of tourists and locals cycling also. It is easy to forget about the cyclists and there are some near misses.

We caught a one hour free walking tour which was guided by a real Oxford enthusiast. As always a tour like this is full if useful bits of info that makes the day mean so much more.

We started of with lunch at a cafe called the Vault. This was the first purpose built teaching room of the whole city. It is part of the College of St Mary of the Virgin

The vault.

Our walk took us part the oldest tower, which was part of the city walls and is all the remains of them

The Tower

We then headed down to Christs College. The dining room from this Hall was the inspiration for the dining room in the Harry Potter movies. The campus was hosts to a wedding that day. If your or your parents have attended one of the colleges then you after permitted to get married there.

Entry into the College

The Wedding Bus for guests

Area where dining room is, but could not go in because of wedding.

The City is picture postcard gorgeous with its lovely buildings and buzzy feel. Another campus we went into was Trinity. This was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas Pope and his wife. He was a highly successful lawyer under Henry VIII and during the reformation he amassed a considerable fortune as treasurer of revenues of dissolved monasteries.

Overseas students were sitting exams in the dining room so we had to wait to get in there.

As always the campuses have the most perfect area of lawn in the quadrangle.

The dining room

Some of the gorgeous grounds

The rowing houses.

The most famous building on Oxford is the Bodelian library. The main library
Originally housed manuscripts of scholastic and legal texts. However Thomas Bodley restored it in 1545-1643 and they how receive a copy of everything published in print. Each week they get 5000 items which need to be stored. The library is reference only so nothing can be removed. The library is T shaped and the end of the T has beautiful gothic windows. We stood near the part used in the Harry Potter movie where Harry wears his invisibility cloak and takes a book from the shelf. (first movie I think)

Underneath this main library is the Divinity School which was built a the first examination room for oral exams. The ceiling is very Gothic and has 455 bosses, both religious and family shields and monograms. It survived the reformation which was quite remarkable. It was his room that Harry Potter was visited by Dumbledore in the infirmary and in the background you can see the headless body of a priest which was one of the minor things destroyed during the reformation.

Gothic ceiling in Divinity School

It is said that Oxford was not bombed during the war as Hitler intended to live here after the war and make it his capital.

Oxfords own
Bridge of Sighs

View of Trinity College Campus

Ceiling in Chapel at Christs College

Entry into Trinity College.

Am including some picture of the interior of the mainhouse and grounds here at Knightcote.

Main dining room - the doorway beyond is to the Kitchen. This is the first room you enter from the main door.

Two shots of next room which is lounge. The beams are so low by the fireplace that even I bang my head when dusting.

View of next room which is another lounge. The desk is where I am sitting typing this blog.

Games room- a boys dream.

The Kitchen which has been modernised, but still has a lovely country feel.

Our accommodation with tower on end looking from front door of main house. The tower is where you would sleep if you visited.

View of lawn looking across sheep paddock. There is a very clever haha to keep sheep out. It runs along where the grass is green and turns brown.

During Michelle McDonnell's stay with us she arranged a day helping Rosemary when her garden was open for the National garden scheme. Sadly it was quite wet and cold, but we were allocated jobs that included tying up sweet peas, picking hundreds of beastly gooseberries off very prickly bushes and assisting with the afternoons tea. We did have fun and her garden is just gorgeous. She runs a garden design school both in London and in France and Dubai. She studied with the Inchbald design school herself and has had quite a career in garden design.