Oxford - City of Dreaming Spires

by Madhu

Yet, O ye spires of Oxford! domes and towers!
Gardens and groves! your presence overpowers
-William Wordsworth (1770-1850), Oxford, May 30, 1820

And it remains true, even a century and half later...

When you first walk through the city's streets, crossing a college or another with every step you take,admiring the spires decked skyline, amongst the exuberent students and the excited visitors, its not difficult to imagine why this quaint little town boasting of innumerable colleges and libraries and the vast green college playgrouds is called the "City of Dreaming Spires". What IS difficult to imagine is its 900 years of history.Its difficult to comprehend at first glance, why a town like this is the hub of many a scietific inventions and discoveries, of literature , of art and political foundations.



Walking through the high street, you come cross the plot where Robert Boyle came up with th Boyle's Law and his assistant and colleague Robert Hooke invented the "Air Pump". Enter the Christ Church college, and you see the steps leading up to the dining room, the wide stone steps used in the Harry Potter movies. These are the very steps where Harry and his friends are shown waiting when they first arrive at Hogwarts and in many other scenes in Part 1 and Part 2. The tall ceilings, the intricate designs on the arches justify the selection of these very steps for the movie. Another reason also being that Christ College was the Alma Mater of J.K Rowling. The dining hall of the college is also used as the dining hall in the movie. The sheer majesty of the hall is imposing. And for Potter fans, it weaves magic! This hall and college also has a close connection with the book we've all loved in our childhood, "Alice in Wonderland". Charles Dodgson, the author(popularly known as Lewis Carol) , studied and later taught Mathematics in this very college.One might wonder " A Mathematics tutor and fairy tales?". This is the magic of this wonderland. The extraordinary fairy tale grew out of tales that the mathematics tutor used to entertain the daughters of the dean of the college with,one of the little girls being, Alice Lidell.

Every college in this university has a story to tell if one would just stop by and listen to it. They have been home to famous personalities, each amongst the best in their fields and are now home to the students who'll probably leave their mark in the future., and are now labouring away at the laboratories and the great Bodlein library. Speaking of the Bodlein library, its probably worthwhile to mention that each and every book published in the UK, gets a shelf space here.

The "Oxford Story" , an exhibition, takes one through the 900 years of history of Oxford.Gives a feel of how life would have been over all these years, of life led by royalty and the common man in the university, of the inventions and discoveries, of literary and political stalwarts. One gets to see Halley discovering the comet, Boyle and Hooke inventing the Air Pump, Lewis Carol telling a story to Alice. A potrait of Mrs. Indira Gandhi adorns a wall too!

Climb over to the top of the Saxon Tower,the oldest building in the town, that was once a part of the Bocardo prison and now a part of the City Church,serves as a view point for the city. and what a view it offers!! The breathtaking views of the spires of the colleges, the chapels and the abbeys, the hustle bustle of the students and tourists below on the streets, the sweet scent of freshly baked bread wafting up the air from the streets below, the buzz of an "alive" city, and you on top of it, is simply magical. Take a moment, stand still. and imagine the city without the tourists, sans all the modern fixtures and developments, replace the tarred roads with cobbled pathways, the modern street lamps with lanterns, the cars and busses with horse driven coaches, the jeans and skirts with robes and gowns and you've an entirely different perspective of the city. Try. Its not so difficult to imagine and dream in this city.

After the Saxon Tower, take some time out and get away from the high street, and walk into the Magdalene College and head straight for the river side in the backyard.Walk along the pretty flowers and humming river, away from the hum drum of the city and now its not so difficult to understand , why "this" place and no other has been home to so much creativity and why this place breeds inspiration.

Oxford is best tacled on foot.Its worthwhile to spend time at 2 or 3 colleges at the most instead of trying to cover all that you can. Other tourist attractions are the "Radcliffe Camera" and the "Bridge Of Sighs". The best thing to do is to wander around the streets of the town and take in the sights. A leather bookmark or a sweatshirt with OXFORD sprawled over it would be the most appropriate souvenir to take back. If you have enough time and energy after this, you can visit some of the bookshops and try to find some old and rare books , buy antique pieces that once adorned the hallways and the walls of homes in the past and will add character and a story to yours. The best thing you can take back with you is of course "The Experience".