Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Secret Home for Old Masters
Often overlooked by the average visitor
is an unheralded little gem known as
Christ Church Picture Gallery ( &   01865/
276172; www.chch.ox.ac.uk), entered
through the Canterbury Quad of Christ
Church. ( Insider Tip: To visit the gallery
without paying for entrance to the rest
of the college, enter through Canterbury
Gate off Oriel Square, from King Edward
St.) Here you'll come across a stunning
collection of Old Masters, mainly from
the Dutch, Flemish, and especially the
Italian schools, including works by
Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The
gallery is open May through September,
Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to
5pm, Sunday 2 to 5pm; October through
April, Monday to Saturday from 10:30am
to 1pm and daily 2 to 4:30pm. Admission
is £3 for adults, £2 for students and
seniors. If you've already paid to visit
the college, you get a 50% discount.
Cathedral; and bowler-hatted “custodians” still patrol the pristine lawns. No surprise
that Evelyn Waugh, in his novel Brideshead Revisited, had effete snob Sebastian Flyte
attend Christ Church. More recently, many scenes from the Harry Potter films have
been shot here, with the cloisters, quads, and staircases standing in for Hogwarts.
The college was established by Cardinal Wolsey as Cardinal College in 1525, and
refounded as Christ Church by Henry VIII in 1546. It boasts the most distinctive main
entrance in Oxford, Christopher Wren's Tom Tower, completed in 1682. The tower
houses Great Tom, an 18,000-lb bell. It rings at 9:05pm nightly, which used to be
closing time for all colleges (no longer—students have keys). The 101 times it peals
originally signified the number of students in residence when the college was founded.
Walk through the gate and you'll immediately face the largest quadrangle of any col-
lege in Oxford (“Tom Quad”), with a small ornamental pond and a statue of Mercury
in the center. The two main highlights inside the college are the 16th-century Great
Hall, where there are some portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and the cathe-
dral, with its delicate vaulting dating from the 15th century.
St. Aldates. &   01865/276150. www.chch.ox.ac.uk. Admission £7.50 adults, £6 students, free for seniors,
and children 17 and under. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 1-5pm. Last admission 4:30pm. Closed Dec 25.
5
Magdalen College HISTORIC SITE Pronounced Maud -lin, this is the
most beautiful college in Oxford, thanks to its bucolic location on the banks of the
River Cherwell and some dazzling Gothic architecture, notably the elegant Magdalen
Tower. There's even a deer park in the grounds and tranquil Addison's Walk, a pictur-
esque footpath along the river.
The college was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, bishop of Winchester
and later chancellor of England. It's another influential college with an alumni rang-
ing from Thomas Wolsey to Oscar Wilde; prominent ex-students in the current
Conservative Party include William Hague and George Osborne.
Soaring above the tranquil Botanic Garden (the oldest in Britain), Magdalen Tower
is the tallest building in Oxford (44m/144 ft.), completed in 1509 and where the
choristers sing in Latin at dawn on May Day. You can also visit the 15th-century
chapel, where the same choir sings Evensong Tuesday to Sunday at 6pm.
High St. &   01865/276000. www.magd.ox.ac.uk. Admission £4.50 adults, £3.50 seniors and students,
free for children 15 and under. July-Sept daily noon-7pm; Oct-June daily 1-6pm or dusk (whichever is
earlier). Closed Dec 23-Jan 3.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search