Not dreaming of these spires

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From Bath, I was Oxford bound. I was excited about seeing it, because it's so famous and always recommended by those who visit. To make sure I got there without delay, I reserved my seat on the only daily NX service between the two cities. This turned out to be a bit of a joke, since I was one of only half a dozen passengers on the coach.

Arriving in the evening, I saw masses and masses of bicycles glinting in their serried ranks, the traditional steeds of the city on display, awaiting the five o'clock rush. Once I had had myself a home, I spent the evening writing some blog updates on Harry (and if you’ve noticed I’m behind, even so... um, sorry 'bout that.)

The next morning I was up and dressed, and after a quick phone call to my parents I was out the door with a spring in my step, ready to uncover Oxford's secrets and admire the famous architecture. Two seconds later, I was back inside, what spring I'd had wholly rusted away by the rivers of water which were gushing from the skies as though they’d heard someone call gravity in to question.

This is the UK, and I'd had a fairly good run with the weather until then, so I extracted my umbrella, zipped up my waterproof jacket, and set myself against the elements. After a while, I took refuge in the Tourist Office in the centre of town. I had walked a third of a mile in one of England's most celebrated towns, whilst seeing nothing but the inside of my umbrella and the dirty puddles of water wicking from the flagstones up my jeans, almost to the knee.

For an exorbitant sum, I joined one of the TIC's guided walking tours. (Well, £6.50 sure seemed exorbitant after the brilliant FREE tour in Bath.) The walks run daily, rain or shine, and our waterproofed and golf umbrella toting guide, Rob, assured us that there was plenty we could see while remaining dry. Ish.

Setting up at a brisk pace and attempting to stop where the group could take shelter under overhangs, Rob took us past some of Oxford's finest buildings. I was impressed by D shaped Sheldonian Theatre, where generations of students have attended matriculation and graduation ceremonies, and still do today. It was the first architectural effort of Christopher Wren, the young man who would later go on to rebuild half of London after the Great Fire of 1666, and create a little thing called St Paul's while he was at it.

We were granted entry to two colleges, which is definitely a reason to take a tour: both of those we visited had signs announcing that they were closed to visitors, yet for us, the doors were opened wide. Crossing Exeter College's bleak quadrangle first off, we sat for a while in the dim dining hall, while Rob attempted to make the complicated structure of the University clear to us. I had not known that there is only one University - while the students live and socialise in their College, their classes are held in the University itself. It’s a Halls of Residence arrangement, just like my Uni was/is, but on a much, much larger scale. There are presently 39 colleges in Oxford, though two of them are set to merge next year.

Exeter is the fourth oldest college, founded in 1314, although the buildings were added to so much as numbers grew that there is very little left from its foundation. The dining hall is typically dark, with stone walls and a heavy wooden roof. Banker’s lights line the three long tables, and portraits of past Rectors and preeminent graduates line the walls. The students of the College gather here for their meals three times a day, sleep in the dormitories beyond the hallucinatory green grass of the quadrangle, and take part in College sports or arts clubs. It used to be said that the University ran the classes, and the Colleges were for the students to "eat, sleep, play and pray."

And each College still has its chapel. Though small, (it does not seem like the entire population of the college would actually fit into the pews, so it is probably lucky that it is no longer compulsory to attend daily service) Exeter's chapel is a stunningly beautiful, with bright stained glass and ornately carved Gothic stonework. It's actually a Victorian creation, though it looks far older - and not only were we in awe of the surroundings - we were treated to the thunder of the organ scholar practising.

New College, founded in 1379, is a completely different kettle of fish. In the enormous garden encompassing the remnants of Oxford's City Walls, which the college is charged to protect, we felt the wet exceedingly. The paths around the quadrangle are cloistered, and we gathered in the covered walkways to view the memorials and rescued statuary, brought inside for protection. It was too near lunchtime for us to visit the Hall, but we were allowed in to the chapel. Whereas Exeter's is a chapel of joy and pleasing colours, the chapel in New College seems to crush one with its awesome solemnity. It has a vast antechamber of mausoleum-like quietness, lined with memorials and statues, including Epstein's interpretation of Lazarus rising from the grave, which apparently disturbed one foreign Head of State so much he had to be escorted out of the College.

The New College chapel also contains a rare complete window of 14th century stained glass, and an El Greco, which, philistine that I am, I thought was rather boring. I was drawn instead to the massive stone reredos behind the altar. It is an absolutely magnificent screen, containing at least fifty statues standing under individual canopies, and covering the whole wall, right up to the ceiling. The original was very badly damaged during the reformation, so I think a lot of the figures have been replaced or restored, but still - it's incredible.

Back out on the streets, we passed the Bridge of Sighs and walked through the wooden doors embossed with the College's Coats of Arms into the Quad of the Bodleian. This building was built in the early seventeenth century, to house the growing number of students. St Mary’s Church, which had once served as classroom as well as chapel to the whole University, was now far too small. All classes were held on the bottom floors of the building, while the library occupied the top floors. Now the building isn’t even big enough to hold the library - most of that’s now underground, under the very streets we’ve been walking on.

After the tour, I wandered in an aimless fashion through the University Church of St Mary’s and down to the famous gates of Christ Church College, where I was lucky to find them just opening the Great Hall to the public, so I was able to see all of the College that opens to the public.

It is deservedly famous. I loved the intricate stonework, the enormous Great Hall, with its Henry VIII, Lewis Carroll and Harry Potter associations; so large it could have swallowed Exeter’s hall whole, and the novelty of the College chapel also being the Cathedral, and built on the spot St Fredeswide had her nunnery.

I was done for the day after a disappointing view of the city from Carfax Tower - I guess I should reign in my imagination. I knew Oxford couldn’t really look like the Philip Pullman/fantasy novel view I had in my mind’s eye, but I’d still like to remonstrate with the nineteenth century poet Mathew Arnold, for his line “that sweet city with her dreaming spires.” Don’t you think that sounds like there’s a forest of ‘em?

I walked home past the castle, which once served as a prison and is now an Experience with a capital E, operating under the very exciting name Unlocked! and took a quick peek inside the back room of the Eagle and Child, otherwise known as the “Rabbit Room” which J.R.R Tolkien, C.S Lewis and the other Inklings met in.

I had survived the day with only a little rising damp. I had very much enjoyed walking around the Colleges, and agreed with Rob that it was wasted on the students, many of whom were stumbling along the ancient cobles of their history rich colleges, spikes of unsuitable boot heels tripping them up (girls) or almost scuffing the ground with the crotch of their trousers (guys.) Or maybe I’m just old and the rain was affecting my rheumatism.

I think I’ll have to go back to Oxford, and catch it in a sunnier mood - if only to see some of the famous gargoyles. Either I was blinded by rain every time I looked, or they’d all gotten off the roofs to take cover from the deluge, because I didn’t see a single one.

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Photos

The Tom Quad
The largest Quad of any of the colleges belongs to Christ Church College, founded by the ambitious Wolsey.

Here is the Oxford of my dreams
The incredible fan vaulting above the Great Stair, in Christ Church College. The lucky students of the College walk up and down the stairs under this every mealtime.

The Chapel at Exeter College
Finely carved stone surrounds stained glass of jewel like brightness. Everything was light and pleasing to the eye - the Victorians really knew how to build.

Quadrangle at Exeter College
Keep off the grass! There are very strict rules about who can and cannot walk on certain patches of grass in Oxford. That's the Dining Hall on the right of the picture.

Oxford City Walls, New College
The gardens of this college are massive. The walls run down one side, and the tree covered mound in the middle is apparently where a number of victims of the Black Plague were buried.

The New College Quad
Cloistered and feeling very severe on this dark rainy day.

The Radcliffe Camera
Part of the Bodleian, it boasts the distinction of being Britian's first circular library.

Christ Church College Gardens
The buildings and gardens in front are actually outside the main walls of the College, backing on to the meadow. The big, church-like exterior in the background is the Great Hall.

Studious Ivy
Exactly as a proper intellectual institution should look.

No Peel
A political protest, or an outcry at being forced to eat potato peels as a means of fending off the Plague? (As believed and prescribed at the time.) My conclusion is that whatever the issue, students have always been protesters!

The real Hogwarts
Legend has it that JK Rowling based the Hall at Hogwarts on this grand example of a typical Oxford College dining hall. The Colleges always have three long tables facing the High Table, and of course Hogwarts has four - but otherwise...

What spires?
Somewhat disappointed by the view, Carfax Tower. Perhaps if it had not been raining down my neck?

City Spread
Different eras of housing jammed together in the streets, colleges interspersed around the city.