An Oxford Graduate’s Guide: From the Ashmolean Museum to St Mary the Virgin

The University of Oxford is England‘s oldest university and, having spent four years studying here, I hope to give you a peek into its rich history and an insight into student life. On this walking tour, you‘ll see some of the amazing architecture that the city’s known for, at its ancient colleges and university buildings.

Starting outside the Ashmolean Museum, you‘ll follow in the footsteps of past students and esteemed professors, along Broad Street and through the Bodleian Library to end up at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, with its beautiful gothic architecture. As you walk, you‘ll learn how Oxford University differs from other universities across the country. You’ll also see Blackwell’s Bookshop, one of the most famous academic bookshops in the world, and Radcliffe Camera, which serves as a reading room for the nearby Bodleian Library. I’ll also point out colleges where many famous people studied, including no less than 30 Prime Ministers.

On this 45-minute walk, you‘ll have a chance to:

• Visit the world‘s oldest university museum, home to the stuffed body of Europe‘s last known Dodo
• Admire the towering monument to the Oxford Martyrs, who were burnt at the stake in the reign of Mary Tudor
• See four of Oxford‘s oldest Colleges – Balliol, Trinity, All Soul‘s and Brasenose – and find out about the famous people who studied there
• View the Sheldonian Theatre, built by Sir Christopher Wren, where all university degree ceremonies take place
• Learn about Oxford‘s history from its foundation in the 1200s, and how the college system works
• See the Bodleian Library, Britain‘s oldest library, surrounded by the original university lecture theatres, with Latin inscriptions above the doors

The University of Oxford has been named the best university in the world for a record seventh consecutive year in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023. I hope you’ll join me in exploring it on this walk around its main colleges and sites.