Being a Tourist in Oxford!

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Oxford

Being a Tourist in Oxford—Exploring Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Castle and Prison, Afternoon Tea at Grand Cafe, ‘Talking Maps’ Exhibition at the Weston Library, Poking Around a Few Oxford Colleges

     Hiya from Oxford!

     With my friends Sue and Tony having left yesterday for Bristol, I awoke alone in their home at about 6.30 am and looked at Twitter and my email. I also made a call to my Dad and to Russel in Bombay just before they could sit down for lunch.

A little later, I decided to have my breakfast while watching the BBC Breakfast Show and catching up with world news. For breakfast, I had two slices of Tony’s home made bread with butter and cheddar cheese that I found in the fridge. I also had a flat white peach (which was superbly ripe, sweet and delicious) and a few really gorgeous English cherries. This with a cup of coffee saw me well through the morning.

     After a quick shower, I got dressed and left the house. I made my way first to Hinksey Park as I wanted to get some pictures of the ducks on the pond in the soft light of the morning. That done, I walked along Marlborough Road but this time, I took a detour back to the Abington Road in order to get some pictures of the river Thames at Folly Bridge. I also got some nice pictures of Christ Church College.

     I was at the Ashmolean Museum a little after 10.15 and heard from my friend Rosie Hawes whom I was meeting with her two girls, Mathilda (Mattie) and Molly. After following each other on Twitter for ten years, we were meeting for the first time. Her mother Elizabeth had first become my Twitter friend and through her, I had started following all her children. Sadly, Elizabeth passed away within about four years of my getting to know her well. I was very much saddened by her passing—so it is good that my relationship with her continues through her children.

     About a half hour after I arrived at the Ashmolean, I met up with Rosie and the girls who had taken the train in from Tackley where  they live in a little village.  It was so good to find such a warm and vibrant person and to finally see the children that I have known for years through Twitter as ‘the Ms’. 

Without wasting too much time, we went one floor down to the basement cafe where Rosie treated me to a cafe latte and the girls had lemon drizzle cake with hot chocolate.  We used about an hour to get to know a little bit about ourselves and then, because they were free for the rest of the morning, I asked if they would like to go the Oxford Castle and Prison. The place was a real prison until 1996 when it was closed and it was in 2003 that it was opened as a tourist attraction. So, during my time in Oxford in the late 1980s, it was a functioning prison.Today, the castle has been turned into a tourist attraction and the prison is a hotel run by the Malmaison group. 

Exploring Oxford Castle and Prison:

The ticket to the Castle cost 10.50 pounds but it came with a guided tour that lasted an hour. In fact, one can only explore the castle with a tour guide—wandering around on one’s own is not allowed. 

     There is also a full-scale gift shop attached to the Castle and I was pleased to find all manner of typically English items sold there from Harry Potter memorabilia (his school, Hogwarts, is after all, a castle) to lavender scents. We managed to have a browse around before the guide assembled us together and began with an introduction.

As in the case of most tours of this kind, there is always some terribly gruesome detail that stays with you long after the commentary has passed. It is best not to report it here but suffice it to say that the place was used as a prison practically from medieval times almost at the same time that the castle was constructed about a thousand years ago soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. We learned about the moat and bailey and the need to construct a fortification after the Vikings passed through Oxford and burned it to the ground. We learned about Queen Mathilda and her fierce fight against her captors that led to her escaping on skates in the winter upon the ice-bound River Thames.  We learned about Victorian England and the kind of prisoners (mostly thieves imprisoned for stealing—usually bread because they were starving) and the horrible punishments to which they were subjected. We were taken up to the Tower which offered fabulous views of the city and its famous ‘dreaming spires’. It was all quite wonderful, and especially wonderful if you were a child. The Ms were enthralled. They were allowed to place their heads in the pillory (which is called the ‘stocks in America) and get a feel of what it might have been to have things hurled at you while you were helplessly restrained.  Talking of which, I saw a straitjacket for the very first time. The Ms were able to try on period costumes and take pictures in them at the end of our tour after which we had one more treat in store. I was fascinated to hear (as we left the premises) that one episode of the Morse mysteries (“The Wench is Dead”) was actually shot in this prison—and I could immediately see why as I did remember that episode vaguely. It is not one of my favorites, but I shall now be sure to see it again.

Climbing the Mound at Oxford Castle:

Our ticket included entry past a secure electronic gate that permitted us to climb up the Mound that is attached to Oxford Castle and which was one of the first man-made structures of the complex as it served as a look-out by alerting residents of the Castle to enemy presence as they sailed up the Thames. There is a well-hewn path that is also well-trodden that allows visitors to climb to the top for spectacular views of the Oxford colleges and chapels with their glorious domes and multiple spires. I was able to spy the spindly spire of Exeter College and the girls were able to get a sense of where Pembroke College is located as that is where their Dad is a don. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone full and golden upon this ancient city that was seen in its most stunning light on this lovely summer’s day. But much as we would have liked to stay longer, we had to move on as the girls had hairdresser appointments. 

Visiting Former Oxford Prison:

However, I did not want to let them leave without taking in what used to be Oxford Prison. It has now been converted into a luxury hotel by the Malmaison Group and the astounding thing about it is that some genius of an architect has actually managed to retain the interior of the building without altering it at all.  The result is that when you get past the Reception and enter the main body of the hotel, you are actually in what used to be the Prison—and this is clearly evident if you have watched any prison movies.  There are the tiered corridors that rise above you with the occasional step ladders that allow access to the various floors; there are the cells with their secure doors lined up along the corridors--these are now the individual rooms of the hotel. The entire set-up is quite enthralling and both Rosie and I were amazed as were the girls.

At the end of the afternoon, we were all so thrilled that we’d had the opportunity to finally meet and get to know ourselves a bit better. Rosie was super company—she is as funny and vibrant in person as she seems on Twitter. Having grown up with the Ms on Twitter, I felt as if I had known them forever. We took several pictures to memorialize our meeting before we hugged and said goodbye and they hurried off to enjoy the rest of their day.

Taking Afternoon Tea at The Grand Cafe:

I do believe that one ought not to leave the UK on an extended stay without eating a pub lunch (we’d had our fish and chips), eating a traditional breakfast (I’d had my ‘full English’ at  Battersea) and taking Afternoon Tea. I had not quite completed the third ritual—so Tea it would be, even if I was alone and had no company to enjoy it.

     I have also made the very recent discovery that The Grand Cafe on the High Street is the oldest coffee shop in England (having been opened in 1650). It actually vies for attention with Queens’ Coffee House which is just across the road and which opened in the late 1600s. I have had tea and scones in the latter place but had never set foot into The Grand Cafe although I have had many teas in Oxford at various places over the years (including  the ultra-posh Randolph Hotel and in many of the cafes of the department stores). So, determined to make this visit as much fun as it was historic, I had decided to skip lunch and have lunch and tea together at this place.

Afternoon Tea at the Grand Cafe:

The Grand Cafe is really a very small place-it is just one large room really with space for about 30 covers at any given time. It advertised its Afternoon Tea on the menu at the entrance as costing 18 pounds—I thought this was very reasonable, especially as it said that one would receive sandwiches, scones and cakes. Inside, I was asked by a waiter if I would be dining—I told him that I wished to order Afternoon Tea. He looked pleased with himself and led me to a corner which was perfect for me. I have gotten over most of my embarrassment at dining alone in public, but sometimes I do feel a remnant twinge of discomfort when I am in this situation. Having this corner table allowed me to stay away from the curious eyes of other patrons who might have wondered why I was alone.

     A waitress then came up and asked me for my choice of tea. I told her that I wanted something decaffeinated and she pointed me to the English Breakfast which was the only decaf black tea--the rest were herbal teas. A little later, my tea pot arrived with the tea bag steeped in it. As my tiered tea stand took a long while to arrive, my tea got very strong. I, therefore, ordered a canister of hot water so that I could mix the brew and make it more pleasant to my taste.

  When the tiered cake stand arrived, I found that it had only two types of sandwiches: Egg Mayonnaise and Smoked Salmon (most Afternoon Teas give you at least three types). The Egg Mayonnaise was tasteless because it was completely unseasoned. I asked for salt and pepper and with the addition of these condiments, it became edible. The smoked salmon sandwich, on the other hand, was superb: they did not stint on the salmon which was thick and very fresh. Two scones were provided (one plain, one fruit)—they were huge and extremely fluffy and light—they literally melted in my mouth as I enjoyed them with little pots of clotted cream and strawberry jam (which I was told could be refilled). However, you had to finish your pot first before the same one was refilled—hard to believe that a long-standing cafe with such a sterling reputation does not have adequate pots to go around! As for the cakes, well, those were an apology for anything you would find at Afternoon Tea in a place that calls itself a grand cafe! Far from expecting delicately constructed and decorated petits fours (which was what the advertisement had boasted) I got two tiny little pieces of sponge cake—so tiny and so poorly presented, they made me sick—one was a crumb of lemon drizzle cake (and I literally mean a crumb) and the other was a piece of Victoria sandwich sponge (equally minuscule—you literally needed a magnifying glass to see them). I could not have been more disappointed because for me the cakes are the best part of Afternoon Tea. 

I took my own time lingering over the meal, however, as I really did need the foot rest after being on my feet all day and because it was a good way to kill time. I paid my bill soon enough and left and said to myself, “been there, done that”. Would I recommend this place to anyone? Certainly not. You are much better off going to the Quod hotel next door where the Afternoon Tea costs just a pound more and I can bet the cakes will actually look like cakes! 

Taking in the Exhibition at the Weston Library:

I inevitably found myself making my way down the High Street to Radcliffe Square to take in the most superlative architecture in the city. Needless to say, I clicked a lot of pictures as the buildings are one of my favorite parts of this city.  Reaching Broad Street, I took some more pictures of myself on the webcam and then wandered into the Weston Library that was advertising a ‘Talking Maps’ exhibition that I thought would be a lot of fun as I really do love maps and navigating the world through them.

The exhibition was very small and was based on a few ancient tomes that are in the possession of the Bodleian Library (as the Weston Library is a part of it). It is a very interesting building that dates from the 1800s on the outside (so that the original shell is still standing in its clean Cotswold stone) but the inside was completely gutted and redone. It is still a working library and I have had the pleasure of working in here, but it is to the cafe and to the seasonal changing exhibitions that most visitors come.

   

Meeting Sally Stuart at the Martin School:

With some more time to spare, I decided to make one more effort to meet Sally Stuart, one of the staffers of the Martin School which opened about 15 years ago. Prior to this time, this building used to be the Indian Institute where all studies pertaining to the Indian sub-continent were undertaken. There are still heads of cows, lions and elephants that decorate the facade of the building to reflect the original scholarly interest of this place. I have used this building myself and have spent a lot of time in it when I was a grad student here. Hence, this place and its camera (perched in the cupola upstairs) is special to me. It’s webcam telecasts on You Tube a live stream of the goings-on down Broad Street and when I discovered its existence, I got hooked. For most of the past year, while living in Bombay, I had this channel on my TV playing all day while I sat at my laptop and worked. It made me feel as if I were sitting at one of the windows of the Martin School working hard while looking down upon the scene on Broad Street. Hence, for almost a year, I have lived in my imagination. When the camera stopped working for 3 days, I became so upset that I found the email address of the Communications person (who turned out to be Sally) and requested her to look into the matter. She responded to me in minutes and got the camera working again. Someone had inadvertently turned it off. I wanted to meet Sally to thank her for responding and I was quite delighted that I succeeded today. She came down to meet me and spent abut fifteen injures chatting with me. She told me that I was not the only one using the site. She told me that if anything happens to the streaming telecast, the Martin School gets emails from all around the world. It turns out that their time in Oxford was precious for thousands of people around the world and they are all tuned in to what is going on in the city. In fact, my friend Rosie was amazed that I know more about what has happened in Oxford in the past year (such as the introduction of the public bus service going to Wytham Woods and the Harwell campus) than people who live in Oxfordshire themselves!  Well, after our visit, I was very pleased with myself and felt that I’d had a really fruitful day.

Exploring a Few Unfamiliar Areas of Oxford:

I was quite tired by this point as my plantar fasciitis has made it very difficult for me to walk as much as I am normally used to doing. Still, with about two hours of real solid day light left (it gets dark very late in the summer in the UK), I decided to go out and explore parts of the town with which I am still not familiar. For instance, I had seen the central monument of Corpus Christi College in an episode of Morse (‘The Daughters of Cain’) but I had never come across it myself (because I had never ventured into this college quadrangle). I decided today to go out there and try to find it. But I was not sure where Corpus Christie was!

That’s when I had a brain wave! I remembered that The Tuck Shop on Catte Street had a beautifully illustrated map of Oxford that was in its front window. If I could take a picture of that map (I have that map on my wall at home and in my office at NYU), I would be able to find the college. And that was exactly what I did! I walked out the shop, took a picture, found out that I could access Corpus Christie through Oriel Square and then set off to find it.

Exploring Corpus Christie and Merton Colleges:

In a sort time, I went past Carfax and arrived at Magpie Lane that took me past ‘The Bear’, the oldest pub in Oxford which has the largest collection of ties plastered in cases all over its walls and ceiling--there was a time when one could pay for a drink by leaving the publican a tie (not any more!). 

I arrived then at Oriel Square which had suddenly become very quiet as the colleges close their doors to visitors by 5.00 pm and we were long past this hour. Still, security was quite lax and I was able to go back the door of Corpus Christie College and stand in the Porter’s Lodge where I spied the monument with the golden pelican at the top. I was able to take a few pictures of the college in the rays of the dusk sun which made it look honey-toned. 

A little later, I took a turn down Merton Lane and found myself in the only street in Oxford which still has cobble stones. This makes it difficult to walk on, no doubt, but it adds an air of antiquity that is very special indeed. I passed alongside the exterior of Merton Chapel as I strode the pavement and was sorry to learn that it is very special and open to visitors during set hours (including for Vespers and Evensong) on some days of the week during term time. Merton happens to be the oldest of the Oxford colleges and dates back to the 1300s. It is also the college in which Llew's nephew had been a Rhodes Scholar, a few years ago. I had never been inside it and it was with great pleasure that I went through the doors to the Porter’s Lodge to look upon paths leading to multiple quads inside. Sadly, I will have to keep visits to these two colleges for a later visit. I have now learned not to say Never Again to any place I visit because, like the proverbial bad penny, I keep turning up! 

     That done, I walked along Merton Lane which has featured in so many of the murder mysteries I have watched on TV—from Morse to Lewis to Endeavor. It is a favorite motif of the film-maker to have his detective protagonists walk along this street at the end of the episodes while the credits are rolling. It is an incredibly quiet street with barely an occasional car swinging by. This explains, probably, why it is so popular with film crews. In fact, there was a crew wrapping up when I arrived at Merton

A Quiet Last Evening at ‘Home’:

I was absolutely wiped out, as you might imagine by this point and was looking forward to a quiet relaxing evening on my own in the house in Grandpont which has an easy way of making me feel as if I am home. Today, I had better luck opening the front door than I had yesterday (when the resident across the street had come forward to help me!). Once inside, I crashed on the sofa in front of the telly and after I felt a bit refreshed, I got up and went into my room to get priorities right—I needed to attend to my packing as I would be leaving early tomorrow to take my coach to London.

     The packing took a while and much ingenuity but I managed to get everything in (as well as the cakes I had bought at M and S and the underwear that Llew had requested). I managed to fit these all into three bags, two of which were backpacks (worn one in front and one at the back!) and the third was an M and S shopping bag that I would carry in my hand. It would be challenging but I would manage.

     With my packing done, I had a nice shower and changed for the evening before getting my dinner sorted--I finished the leftovers (lasagne and apricot tart) from the fridge and indulged in a slice of the Pecan Roulade that is one of my favorite desserts and that I cannot resist buying when I am in the UK. Feeling much more strengthened by my meal (although I was still quite full from my big tea), I decided to get ready for bed. 

     I lay down on my final night in the UK and on the last night of my year-long travels away from home. It is amazing what a lovely end I had to an absolutely unforgettable year. I know that I was deeply privileged and blessed to have this opportunity and I am truly grateful to the Lord and His Blessed Mother that they smiled upon my prayers and granted me my wishes. I do not believe that I shall ever have a year like this again.

     It was past 11.00 pm when I fell asleep but was awakened by some guys talking really loudly as they went past my window. Following this disturbance,  I took a long time to go back to sleep—so I was glad that I had set my alarm for 6.15 am with the idea of giving myself an hour to leave the house (at 7.15 am) for my 7.45 coach to London.

     Until tomorrow...