Last Day in Oxford: Extensive Walking Tour and Visit to a Colleague at St. Antony's College.

Last Day in Oxford: Extensive Walking Tour and Visit to a Colleague at St. Antony's College.

Oxford 

Friday, May 27, 2022

The day finally dawned when we had to leave Oxford. Having spent so much time in the Cotswolds over the past few days, we had not really roamed around this medieval city of learning. I told Llew I could take him on a walking tour of the Town. He has been to Oxford on a few occasions, of course, with me, and had done the rounds of my favorite nooks and crannies. But he was keen to get a ‘refresher round-up’, as it were—so that was our plan for the day. In the afternoon, I had a professional appointment at St. Antony’s College that included lunch…but for the most part, at least until 5.30 pm, we were free to do as we  pleased. 

We awoke to wash, shower and pack up our bags for our departure in the evening for London. Our friends Sue and Tony would be back in the evening and we’d only have time with them for a quick cup of tea before we would need to leave ourselves. With our packing done, we got dressed and left our lovely digs on Marlborough Road and decided to walk along the river Thames to Oxford City Center. It was another glorious day in Oxford and temperature was simply perfect for endless walking. 

Breakfast at Paul’s Patisserie:

One of my favorite coffee shop chains is Paul’s, the Belgian patisserie that makes the crispiest croissants and the most delectable hot chocolate. No matter where in the world I may be, I make the time for a breakfast at Paul’s. This time round, I could not believe I had been in the UK for almost a month and had not indulged. This had largely to do with the fact that many of Paul’s outlets have closed down, probably as a result of Covid. Spying one on The High, a couple of days ago, Llew had suggested we go there whenever we had the chance as he knows how much I love their baked goods. This was the day. So, although we stopped to take pictures at the lovely perennial gardens in front of Christ Church College Meadows, where the light was just perfect, we did not linger long as our tummies beckoned urgently.

Paul’s provided the almond croissants and hot chocolates we both craved and we sat down and ate in and savored every sip and tasty mouthful. However, we did not linger too long as we did need to move on if we wanted to cover as much of the town as we hoped.

So on we marched and here are the places to which I re-introduced Llew on our walking tour. 

1. Oriel College with its lovely facade that features sculptures of Kings Charles I and Charles II. This is often a location for television serials set in Oxford as it presents a most photogenic appearance.
2. Merton College—the oldest college in Oxford, it dates from the 12th century. This was also the college in which Llew’s nephew, Cyril, elected to study British jurisprudence when he won the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. However, as all the colleges are open to the public only between 2-5 pm, we were not able to visit the college chapel which is supposedly striking.
3. Wolfson College—this college has a very interesting obelisk in the center of the quad that features a gilded bird that looks like a cross between an eagle and a stork. This was the location for the last scenes in an episode of Morse that had starred Geoffrey Palmer.
4. Merton Street—this is one of the oldest streets in Oxford and because it is not a main thoroughfare used by heavy duty vehicles such as buses, it has remained relatively protected. It is the only street in Oxford that still sports the cobbled stones with which every street in this town was once paved. I also practiced my videography skills on this lane as I intend to take Llew on a tour of Queens Lane at which point I would begin running my camera. 
5. Back on The High, we were right in front of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin which is the official university church. It glowed beautifully in the morning’s rays as did the rest of High Street.
6. University College—I took Llew in here to show him the Oxford college in which President Clinton was enrolled when he was on the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. I believe his daughter  Chelsea Clinton went to this college too (but I am not sure). I know she is an Oxonian but I have no intel on her college. Once inside the premises, we saw the lovely little bridge that forms an arch to connect two of the buildings.
7. Queens College—this college has a lovely architectural detail in the cupola that tops its main entrance. I believe the Queen in question featured in a sculpture inside the cupola is Queen Anne.  
8. Entrance to Queens Lane: This is where my video tour began. We started at the corner of Queens and St. Edmund Hall College and began to make our way down the lane. As I spoke into the camera, Llew could hear what I was saying and received information about each of the venues.
9. St. Edmund Hall College and New College—Queens Lane becomes New College Lane when it is outside New College. I showed him the entrance to New College.
10. Outside of New College Lane, you spy your first glimpses of Oxford’s “Dreaming Spires,” as Matthew Arnold put it. You see the twin spires of All Soul’s College, which is the Scholar’s College as it does not admit undergraduate students—only graduate students can work towards a Master’s degree or a Doctorate at All Soul’s. 
11. Glimpse of the Bridge of Sighs and St. Helene’s (Turf) Passageway—We broke out of the narrowness of the lanes to arrive at the point where the Bridge of Sighs which connects the two parts of Hereford College was right in front of us. However, I did not take Llew under the bridge at this time. What I did instead was make a right down a really dark and narrow alleyway that only Oxford insiders know. This passageway leads to two important Oxford landmarks.
12. Home of Jane Burden Morris—The first of these landmarks is the former home of the embroiderer Jane Burden who became the wife of the Pre-Raphaelite artist, William Morris. Thanks to the fact that she became the Muse of all the artists that comprised the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, her’s is also one of the most well-known faces in late 19th century art. The tangled story of Jane’s association with the Pre-Raphaelites is interesting: apparently, Morris was walking quite casually on the streets of Oxford (he was a student at Exeter College) when he literally brushed past or bumped into Jane. He fell in love with her at first sight and without wasting too much time, asked her father for her hand in marriage. Now Jane came from a poor, working class background while Morris was from the upper middle-class. Although their economic backgrounds were radically different, the two of them did marry and were very happy for a long while. Jane integrated herself well into artistic upper crust society and served her purpose well as she became not just her husband’s Muse but indeed that of his closest friends, Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. You will find Jane’s portrait in every single one of the paintings by this close circle of friends who bought homes and used their skills and talents to decorate them. They spent their weekends painting the walls and ceiling and floors of their homes (eg. William Morris’ Red House and his better-known home in Lechlade called Kelmscott Manor). Things went swimmingly until Burne-Jones fell in love with Jane and the two launched into a relationship that rocked the very foundations of a long and lasting friendship. By then, Jane had borne Morris children including a daughter they named May Morris—who, like her mother, became a famous embroiderer in her own right. I believe the affair was short-lived and Jane returned to Morris who attempted to repair the rift although their marriage was never the same again.
13. Turf Tavern—The second important landmark in this passageway is the Turf Tavern. This is advertised as the oldest pub in Oxford, but I have to say that the same boast is also associated with The Bear Pub on Magpie Lane which is filled with neck ties left behind by the various students who could not pay for a drink. The Bear pub is filled with thousands of ties in glass cases. The Turf Tavern was one of Morse’s favorite watering holes and was the location of many drinking breaks in the various episodes of the Morse mysteries (of which I am a huge fan). Bill Clinton is also reputed to have drunk in this tavern. It is also the venue in which he is supposed not to have inhaled!
14. The Sheldonian Theatre: Out of the narrow Turf Tavern Passageway, we made a right to walk under the Bridge of Sighs. One has a full and uninhibited view, at this point, of the Sheldonian Theatre. This unusual building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren who re-designed London after the Great Fire of 1666. This building, his first commission for the University of Oxford, was meant to be the official gateway to the world upon a student’s graduation. And indeed, it continues to be used mainly for such purposes—i.e. all official ceremonies take place in this beautiful sunken amphitheatre with its gloriously painted ceiling. It was the location for a very important section of one of the Morse episodes which, in fact, guest starred the great Sir John Gielgud playing the role of the University’s Chancellor. The Sheldonian is also used for musical concerts today and if visitors wish to see its interior, there is a small fee. Outside, the building is shaped like a horse-shoe with a lovely verdigris-green cupola that is its most distinctive feature.
15. The Clarendon Building—To the right of the Sheldonian Theatre is another one of the major official buildings of the University. The Clarendon functions as the main seat of administration and houses most of the major departments. It is designed in true Neo-Classical style with Ionic columns holding up the structure and a gorgeous pediment at the top graced by four Grecian statues. 
16. The Bodleian Library Building—Right opposite the Clarendon Building is the exterior of the main quadrangle that comprises the Bodleian Library. It is a large quad with a tower on one side of it that features King James I as Thomas Bodley gave the university a huge grant during his reign, which led to the creation of the Bodleian. The Tower comprises four tiers each of which features columns in the classical Greek styles—Doric, Ionic and Corinthian with a Combination style at the very top. In the quad, there is also a sculpture of the Earl of Pembroke in full knightly garb.  
17. Holywell Music Center—Leaving this segment of the town behind, I led Llew down Holywell Street outside New College so that he could see the Holywell Music Center. This little building is the venue of all the auditions and examinations of students majoring in Music. It played an important part in the first serial of the Lewis detective series, a spin off of Morse. In the episode, which opens in this building, Morse has passed away and Lewis has taken over as Inspector. He arrives in the building to listen to the auditions of young Oxford students looking to win the Morse Scholarship based on an endowment Morse had written in his will to support Music Studies at Oxford. It is the only time during the entire Lewis series that reference is made to Inspector Morse.
18. Parks Road to Rhodes House—We re-traced our steps to Parks Road and made a right on it to walk past Wadham College on our right and Trinity College on our left to arrive at the lovely little building that is called Rhodes House. The name Rhodes has gained notoriety in recent years as it belongs to Sir Cecil Rhodes who made his fortune in diamond mining in South Africa and used it to endow the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships in Oxford. In the era of political correctness, there was a massive drive to wipe out his name and his legacy from the university as revisionist history is re-examining colonialism from the point of view of the suffering of the native peoples from whose misery vast fortunes were acquired. However, the university won in this debate and Cecil Rhodes’ statue at Oriel College remains in place. Here, at Rhodes House, all Rhodes Scholars have a place to gather, to make friends and socialize and find common goals. Most of the time you need an Oxford University ID card and on the occasions when I have had a temporary one (when on my research grants, for instance), I have been permitted inside. The building that was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker (the two designers of the new capital of India, New Delhi) is based on the concept of the rotunda that was given to the world by Andrea Palladio. Other Palladian elements include the sash windows and the Doric columns. Inside, there is a huge tapestry entitled The Romance of the Rose based on a cartoon (draft drawing) by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by his Pre-Raphaelite colleague and friend, William Morris in the Morris factories. Its twin is in the Chapel of Exeter College and I would take Llew to see it later in the afternoon.
19. The Museum of Natural History—we then made a right to continue walking along Parks Road to arrive at the stirring facade of the Museum of Natural History which is a piece of Victorian architecture that bears a striking resemblance to Crawford Market in Bombay and Empress Market in Karachi.  Indeed, this style of public building was conspicuous in the British colonies. The collection is huge and impressive and includes a variety of animal and bird skeletons, the large recreation of the skeleton of a whale (including its jawbone) and that of a reproduced dinosaur. Its most famous highlight is the real soft tissue of the Dodo, the extinct bird that Lewis Carol (Charles Ludwig Dodgson—who had a stammer and pronounced his name as Do-Do-Dodgson) felt an affinity to and used as an important character in his Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. I showed Llew the Dodo and then we moved on.
20. The Pitt-Rivers Museum—the most interesting aspect of this museum is that it is concealed behind the Museum of Natural History—so unless you are an insider, you are unlikely to know this. Pitt-Rivers was a passionate anthropologist who traveled around the world amassing thousands of objects to represent native and ethnic peoples. He bequeathed his entire collection to Oxford University which had to build a whole new building to house it. The end result is a jaw-dropping space that contains scores of glass vitrines in which all manner of cultural object and artifact is artfully displayed. This collection continues on the second floor—so you can just imagine how extensive and staggering it is. 
21. The Chapel of Keble College—we tried to enter the Chapel of Keble College but it was closed to visitors and would only be opened between 2-5 pm. We resolved to get back to it later.
22. Lunch at St. Anthony’s College—By this time, it was almost 1.00 pm and I had to cut across Bevington Road to arrive at the campus of St. Antony’s College where I had a 1.00 pm lunch appointment with Faisal Devji who used to be in-charge of the South Asian Seminar. He is a historian of South Asian Studies and, knowing that I am a Senior Associate Member of the College (I had been elected to this position before his time), he had invited me to give a lecture on my research on Britain’s Anglo-Indians (which had been the subject of one of my earlier books), a few years ago. I gave Llew a tour of the campus including the unusual library building shaped like a giant stainless steel tunnel that had been designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid just before she passed away. Faisal arrived at 1.00 pm and met us in the lounge just below the Buttery where we adjourned for lunch. It was institutional but very good indeed. I chose to have the Fish Pie which was lovely because I had really wanted to eat the Fish Pie at the chain of restaurants that is known as Bill’s—but it no longer carries this item on its menu! This Fish Pie was served with potatoes and a stewed concoction of leeks and tomatoes. Llew had the Lamb and Faisal had the Stuffed Tomato. Over lunch, we chatted about our respective current projects and the work in which we are involved. I also brought Faisal up to speed on my own future plans with regards to moving to India, a concept that was not entirely bizarre to him as he sees the wisdom in it, being that he has an Indian partner. After lunch and after sitting in the sun outside for a long while, Faisal had to see a student who came looking for him. It was time for us to say goodbye and we did so with promises that we would definitely keep in touch.
23. The Chapel of Keble College (Again)—By this time, it was past 2.00 pm and Llew and I were able to see the Chapel of Keble College—an unusual building in itself as it is not designed in Gothic style but rather in the elaborate Victorian manner with its combination of red and white ornamental brick work. We walked past the Porter’s Lodge to arrive at the sunken quad and made our way to the chapel where we spent a while admiring the elaborate Byzantine mosaics that run from floor to ceiling in a matt design that is very interesting.
24. Weston Library—Back towards Broad Street we went to arrive at the entrance of the Weston Library where I also pointed out the Indian Institute to Llew and told him about my connections with the building as a venue for research 35 years ago. In the Weston Library, we used the facilities and then examined the gift shop. I had pointed out to Llew the scraps of the Sheldon Tapestry Map of Oxfordshire which dates from 1590. It has pride of place on the Library’s Ground Floor and parts of it that feature Oxford are printed on tote bags that are sold in the gift shop. I bought two bags with the idea of making cushion covers with them. I know I shall very proudly place them in my apartment, a most unusual souvenir of our times in Oxford and all the neighboring towns through which our bus had passed as it wound on its way from Oxford to Chipping Norton and further into the Cotswolds daily.
25. Blackwell’s Bookstore and The Norrington Room—Just next door, we popped into Blackwell’s Bookstore. Of course, Llew has never met a bookstore he has not loved and this one was no different. He spent a while browsing through the collection and left me wondering seriously whether or not I should pick up the John Byfield Illustrated Oxford which has been on my Wish List for a very long time. Only my baggage weight concerns stopped me from buying the book. Perhaps on a future trip I will…I also took Llew down the five flights of stairs that lead underground below Trinity College to bring us to the wonderful Norrington Room, a really rare space and perhaps the only one of its kind in the world.
26. The White Horse Tavern—we then passed by the White Horse Tavern next door but did not enter it for lack of time. However, I did point out to Llew that it was also one of Morse and Lewis’ favorite watering holes. 
27. The Museum of the History of Science—From this point, we were rather quick as we were getting fatigued plus time was of the essence. If we intended to get back to Sue and Tony by 4.00 pm so that we could have a cup of tea with them before left for London, we needed to hurry things along. In this museum, the highlight is the blackboard in Einstein’s own handwriting—on it, he had demonstrated his Theory of Relativity which giving a guest lecture at Oxford It was purely by chance that the blackboard was saved and tis contents not erased!
28. Down Turl Street to Exeter College—Of course, as it was past 2.00 pm I could take Llew into Exeter College (my college) to show him the main attractions. We started off in the Chapel, designed by George Gilbert Scott, the same person who designed the Rajabai Clock Tower Building of the University of Bombay at Fort. Designed in the manner of Paris’ Saint Chapelle, it sports the black spindly spire and the closely worked stained glass windows in the royaume style. We also took in the Byzantine mosaics at the altar that are worked in glittering stone, the William Morris fabric that covers the altar and the large tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones (executed by William Morris) entitled ‘The Adoration of the Magi’. More exploration of Exeter College included the Margary Quadrangle where my room was located when I was on a research grant there, the Junior Common Room that led us to the Fellow’s Garden. Unfortunately, as there was some construction going on there, visitors were not allowed to venture too far into it and we could not climb up the stairs that lead to the ramparts of the college that offer the incredible views of the Radcliff Camera. 
29. Passing by the Dining Hall of Exeter College (that we have visited on a precious occasion), Llew and I entered Radcliff Square to take in the facade of the circular Radcliff Camera (or Rad Cam, for short) which is the most iconic building in Oxford. It was designed by James Gibbs and in decorated in the Baroque vein inside. Only students with valid ID cards are allowed inside and I have been privileged on a few occasions to spend weeks gathering data in this hallowed space where I often sat upstairs so that I was closest to the grandeur of the ceiling dome.
30. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin—just beyond the Rad Cam is the official church of the University, St. Mary the Virgin. We did not enter it today because Llew has been inside on past occasions. Instead, we used Brasenose Lane to return to Turl Street to cross over into the Covered Market
31. Covered Market—this unique market dates from mid-Victorian times and is reminiscent of covered markets in British colonies such as India (New Market in Calcutta and Crawford Market in Bombay) as well as Empress Market in Karachi, now Pakistan. It is full of one-of-a-kind shops but we always make sure we stop at the Cake Shop whose windows attract large numbers of visitors to watch the artistic bakers hard at work. There were a number of cakes on the theme of the Queen’s Jubilee which will be celebrated this coming week with much gusto.
32. High Street—our next stop, having arrived at the High Street, was a visit to Christophe who is Faisal’s partner and who I know through my friend Marianel. He works in one of the shops and it was a real pleasure to see him and reconnect with him.
33. Cornmarket—We then arrived at the fancy clock tower at Carfax, crossroads of the medieval world as it brings together four streets—Cornmarket, George, St. Aldate’s and The High Street. We walked along the pedestrian plaza that is Cornmarket, stopping only to purchase a few odds and ends from W.H. Smith (the stationery store) that was closing down. I was able to get the cello tape and packing tape I wanted at a sale price!
34. The Randolph Hotel and the Ashmolean Museum—this time we did enter the Randolph Hotel which is Oxford’s fabulous five-star hotel and scene of many an episode of Morse. In fact, so much does it feature in the series that the hotel has named the Morse Bar after the clever inspector! We peeped in at the lobby, took pictures at the Morse Bar and left. We did not enter the Ashmolean Museum this time as Llew had seen its highlights a week ago. 
35. Pre-Raphaelite Paintings in the Oxford Student Union Building: From this point on, we re-traced our steps to find the Student Union Building that was bang opposite Ship Street on the other side of Cornmarket. Our aim was to try and find the paintings in the library that had been done by the Pre-Raphaelites while they were still students at Oxford’s Exeter College. Our friend Fiona Mann, who had driven us to Waddesdon Manor yesterday, had told us about them and had instructed us to go and take a look at them. We did find someone to open the gates for us. Inside, as the students were preparing for a ball, there was a bit of commotion, but we were able to make inquiries and find our way to the library where we were instructed exactly how we could see them. They were simply amazing. Sadly, because the artists were untrained rookies, still ignorant about the need to prep painting spaces, who had taken on the assignment for a lark, the paintings are fast deteriorating (as Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper is doing in Milan). However, Llew and I were able to get to the upper storey of the library to see the paintings of the walls and ceilings at close quarters. They represent various episodes from Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur (the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table) and are very appealing indeed.
36. With this item done and dusted, we came to the end of our walking tour of Oxford. Yes, we were dropping with fatigue as we had covered about 11 miles on our feet or 19,000 plus steps.,
37. We then walked quickly to St. Aldate’s to take the bus back to Susan and Tony’s place at Grandpont. They had returned from their own trip to Cambridge and were full of their own tales of travel. Susan made us a cup of tea and told them all about our adventures in the Cotswolds with our friends Sam and Mary. It was a joyous reunion but it was bitter-sweet as we would be leaving them and going back to London.

Not long after, we made our way to the bus stop where we could pick up the Oxford Tube. We had a wait of about 20 minutes, and when the coach arrived, there were already many passengers on it In fact, it completely filled up at Queens Lane and was packed all the way to London. Llew and I enjoyed our last sights of the Oxfordshire country as it passed outside our window. We were in London in good time and got off at Marble Arch.

Dinner with our Friend Bande Hasan at Zizzi:

A bus at the corner of Edgeware Road then took us to Sussex Gardens where, if you can believe it, the driver actually got off his cabin and on to the road  to guide us when he saw that we were confused and did not know which was the shortest walk to our friend Bande Hasan’s home. Once there, we quickly washed and got dressed for diner as he was keen to take out for an Italian night out.

I have been to Zizzi before with our friend Bande but it was the first time for Llew. As they had a nice selection of starters, we chose the Tomato Bruschetta with pesto and the Mushroom Brindisi which was scrumptious. For our main, all of us chose the Pasta with Prawns and sun-dried tomatoes—very nice indeed. I had a Passionitini—a passion fruit cocktail while Llew had a glass of Malbec. We have been singularly fortunate with the meals we have eaten out as, for the most part, they have been superb.

Another short drive in Bande’s Mercedes brought us back to his apartment where we settled down again in his guest room for the night. 

What a brilliant time we’d had in Oxford and how wonderful it was to have another 48 hours in London before we had to call it a day.

Thanks for following me on this extensive walking tour of Oxford. I hope you will have a chance to follow in our footsteps someday.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!