Getting to know more about Oxford’s history

UNIVERSITY AND CITY TOUR
This popular introductory tour is enjoyed by many visitors.
The guide will take you through the heart of the historic city centre illustrating the history of Oxford and its university and describing the architecture and traditions of its most famous buildings and institutions.
Tour departs daily at 11am and 2pm, with additional tours at 10.30am and 1pm in peak holiday seasons.
This year this tour is offered in other languages — French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Visit the website www.visitoxford.org for more details.
Adult £7.00 Senior £6.50 Child £3.75

FAMILY TOUR
This is a delightful opportunity for all the family to enjoy Oxford.
Maybe step in the footprints of a dinosaur, or be surprised at the strange and quirky treasures in the Pitt Rivers Museum; discover the difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque, or hear more about Lewis Carroll, C S Lewis, Philip Pullman and their creations.
Tour departs at 1.30pm during the school holidays.
Adult £5.75 Senior £5.25 Child £3.50

THEMED TOURS
A full programme and brochure of the themed tours detailed below is available to download from the website www.visitoxford.org

INSPECTOR MORSE TOUR
Follow in the footsteps of the city's celebrated TV detective, created by Oxford author Colin Dexter.
Visit the scenes of Inspector Morse’s best-known cases, with lots of lively anecdotes along the way.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7, Child £4

POTTERING IN HARRY'S FOOTSTEPS
Many children’s stories have been set in Oxford. Recently the city has been the location for some of the scenes from the films of the latest children’s and adults’ hero, Harry Potter. This tour will take you back to Harry’s world.
Adult £11, Senior £11, Child £7

C S LEWIS & J R R TOLKIEN TOUR
Two highly popular university lecturers and authors, friends JRR Tolkien and C S Lewis, wrote some of the most popular books of the 20th century.
Share the environment in which they studied, lived and spent their leisure time in their beloved Oxford.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

TUDOR OXFORD TOUR
The Tudor period roughly coincided with the great change in church life known as the Reformation. Walk and hear history in its making in Oxford, from Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, Queen Mary’s persecution of protestants for their faith, to Queen Elizabeth I’s encouragement of university revival.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

WILLIAM MORRIS AND VICTORIAN OXFORD TOUR
The Pre-Raphaelites were closely connected with Oxford — from patron Thomas Combe, art critic John Ruskin, to artists Holman Hunt and Rossetti. Burne-Jones and Morris studied here, gained much inspiration from the medieval colleges, and left the city with some outstanding works. Join a tour with emphasis on this delightful period of Victorian art.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

LITERARY TOUR
Over the centuries, many famous writers, poets, novelists, critics and children’s authors have studied or lived in Oxford. Explore this rich heritage with a knowledgeable guide.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

MAGIC, MURDER AND MAYHEM TOUR
This is an alternative tour of Oxford to find out about secret societies, alchemists, martyrs, traitors, rogues and criminals. Discover too, one of the world's largest collections of amulets, talismans and magical items.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

GARDEN TOUR
Oxford is full of gardens and parks open to the public. Enjoy the vast expanse of Christ Church meadow, the magnificent University Parks, containing the scientifically important hybrid garden, as well as many college gardens. Enjoy their varied beauty in all seasons from stunning carpets of spring bulbs, through magnificent summer herbaceous borders to glorious autumn leaves.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

STAINED GLASS TOUR
The city of Oxford holds one of the finest collections of stained glass in the UK, including the window depicting St Frideswide at Christ Church. Almost every style and period of English glass-painting is represented, from Gothic to modern times, including beautiful 17th-century windows and a wealth of 19th-century glass particularly by William Morris and Co. Enjoy the opportunity to see some fascinating craftsmanship. Bring your binoculars!
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

WOMEN IN OXFORD TOUR
This tour will revive the stories of many women connected to Oxford. From Saints to Mistresses: St Frideswide, Patron of Oxford; Medieval Empress Matilda; Mrs Wadham, instrumental in a college’s creation; future Prime Ministers Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, and famous authors, from Dorothy Sayers to Iris Murdoch.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

OXFORD CHILDREN'S STORIES TOUR
Explore the Oxford of Alice, Lyra and Will, of Prince Caspian & Susan. The characters and magical literary worlds created by well-known Oxford authors in Alice in Wonderland, The Golden Compass, The Narnia Stories. Delight in the make-believe, the clever use of words and language.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

AMERICAN ROOTS TOUR
Many academic and cultural links with America’s past and present exist in Oxford; there have been, and are, American heads of colleges. Oxford college architecture has been copied in American universities, Oxford scholars have been founding fathers in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Georgia, and American students come to Oxford as Rhodes scholars.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

CIVIL WAR TOUR
Oxford in the Civil War was at the centre of the national stage, with King Charles making his headquarters at Christ Church. Ramparts enclosed the city, college gold and silver was melted down to make coins and Oxford became a garrison rather than a university town. Join this tour to hear more about life in Oxford during the Civil War.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

OXFORD'S WEST END TOUR
The Western Quarter of Oxford is one of the city’s little known secrets containing a late 18th-century prison (now a hotel), the remains of a Norman Castle, the sites of the first college and the original Thames. There is evidence of occupation from the Bronze Age, the Roman occupation and early Anglo Saxon settlements. Where friars lived and beer was brewed. The tour covers the area’s long history, its ancient buildings and riveting stories.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

SCIENCES AT OXFORD TOUR
Take a fascinating tour to hear of the transformation of the study of sciences at Oxford. By the 14th century, Oxford was famous for the work of Bacon and Grosseteste, for developments in mathematics and astronomy. The 17th century saw Boyle, Hooke and Halley make their respective discoveries. Hear of the impact of medical research under Florey and of 21st-century programmes.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

JOHN & CHARLES WESLEY TOUR
John and Charles Wesley both went to Christ Church in Oxford. Charles had the ideas and John put them into practice. Out of this grew the Methodist Movement. Join this tour to visit the many sites in Oxford where the two brothers made their mark.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR
Walk around the medieval Jewish Quarter and learn about Jewish life in the city and significant events before the expulsion of 1290. Come up-to-date with the story of the Jewish population since the 17th century readmission and remarkable facts about the Jewish contribution to Oxford University in the 20th century.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

OXFORD FILM SITES TOUR
Oxford is one of Britain’s busiest and most instantly recognisable places for film and TV drama locations. See the backdrop for historical recreations and literary adaptations from fantasies to thrillers. Hear of the links with some of the biggest names in cinema and history.
Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

HOW TO BOOK
In Person: From the Tourist Information Centre, 15-16 Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AS
By telephone: Book in advance on 01865 252200. A £1 booking fee is applicable.
Online: At least 48 hours in advance at the website www.visitoxford.org and click on the e-shop link
Private tours: The Tourist Information Centre can pre-book private tours for 1-100+ people. Call the tours assistant on 01865 252037. Adult £7.50, Senior £7.50, Child £4

BILL SPECTRE'S OXFORD GHOST TRAIL
This intriguing and entertaining walk of old Oxford is conducted by a costumed professional actor. Two meeting places depending on length of tour you would prefer.
One hour 45 minutes or one hour 15 minutes Start outside Oxford Castle Unlocked at 6.30pm or Tourist Information Centre at 7pm for a shorter tour.
Adult £6, Children £3
Tickets are available from Oxford Tourist Information Centre, or from Bill Spectre, who will be dressed in his distinctive black top hat, outside Oxford Castle Unlocked on the night.
The tour takes place every Friday and Saturday until December 19, whatever the weather.