The History Faculty Library, on the right, was originally built as the Indian Institute, to train civil servants for the empire.
It original use is commemorated by carvings of tigers,hindu gods, and a weather vane in the shape of an elephant.
As we turn left into Broad Street, to our left, on the corner of Catte Street and Broad Street, is the Clarendon Building, built in 1713, the first design by Hawksmoor in Oxford.
It was built as a printing-house for the Oxford University press, but designed in the form of a gateway to the group of university buildings behind.
The bible presses were on one side of the passage, and the presses for academic books on the other.
From the west side of the building, lord clarendon looks down his nose on his surroundings.
Beyond the divinity school is a quadrangle of other schools - Music, Natural Philosphy, etc. The carvings are not medieval, they originate from restoration work in the 1950s.
From 1435 to his death in 1447, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, gave the university so many new manuscrpits that they had to build more spacious accommodation above the divinity schools. By 1556 the contents of Duke Humphrey's library had scattered, and the best libraries were run by individual colleges rather than the university.
| To the Vice-chancellor, the University of Oxford. |
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Sir, Although you know me not, as I suppose, yet for the farthering of an offer of evident utilitie to your whole universitie, I will not be too scrupulous in craving your assistance. I have been alwaies of a mind, that yf God of his goodness should make me able to doe any thing for the benefit of posteritie, I would shew some token of affection that I have evermore boarne to the studies of good learning. I know my portion is too slender to perform for the present any answerable act to my willing disposition, but yet to notifie some part of my desire in that behalf, I have resolved thus to deale. Where there hath bin heretofore a publicke library in Oxford, which you know is apparent by the rome itself remayning and by your statute records, I will take the charge and cost upon me to reduce it again to its former use, and to make it fit and hadsome with seates and shelves and deskes and all that may be needfulll, to stirre up other mens benevolence to help to furnish it with bookes. And this I purpose to begin, assone as timber can be gotten, to the intent that you may reape some speed profitt of my project. And where before as I conceave, it was to be reputed, but a store of bookes of diverse benefactors, because it never had any lasting alowance for augmentation of the number or supplie of bookes decaied, whereby it cam to pass that when those that were in being were either wasted or embeziled, the whole foundation cam into ruin: To meet with that inconvenience, I will so provide hereafter (if God do not hinder my present designe) as you shall be stil assured of standing annual rent to be disboursed every yere in buying of bookes, in Officers' stipends, and other pertinent occassions; with which provision, and some order for the preservation of the place and of the furniture of it from accustomed abuses, it may perhaps, in tyme to come, provide a notable treasure for the multitude of volumes an excellent benefit for their use and ease of students, and a singular ornament in the university.... |
| Feb 23, 1597 your affectionate friend, Thomas Bodley |
In 1598, Thomas Bodley determined to re-establish the university library, which opened in 1602, stocked by his gifts, and other donations. It became known as the Bodleian Library in his honour. In 1610 he agreed with the stationer's company that they would send the library a copy of every new book published. Together with a series of huge donations this has resulted in cotinued pressure on space ever since.
The reading room can only be visited on a guided tour.
Opposite the Clarendon building is the new bodleian library.
Arguably the ugliest institutional building in Oxford, it was built to hold the overflowing stocks of the library between 1937 and 1940 with funding from the Rockerfeller Foundation.
Until the 1660's university ceremonials were held in St Mary's church.
Then, in 1663 the university commissioned Christopher Wren, a mathematician, scientist, and professor of astronomy rather than an architect, to design a theatre for dramatic performances, and lectures.
This was Wren's first major commission (he had previously designed a chapel in Cambridge for his uncle).
There had been little public building since the start of the civil war, and Wren adopted two significant innovations.
Later the Sheldonian became, and remained, the forum for the ceremonial functions of the University. Subsequently Wren visited France to study arcitecture in more depth, and on his return in 1666 the great fire gave him the opportunity to supervise the rebuilding of London's churches.
The Sheldonian is accessible, and worth a visit for the interior, with its amazing ceiling painting, and for the views from the cupola over the roofs of Oxford.
Surrounding the Sheldonian is an array of carved head known as "The emperors heads".
They originate from 1669, but their features eroded and they were replaced in 1868, only to deteriorate so quickly that in 1970/72 they were replaced again.
There are 13 heads around the Sheldonian (and four more around the museum next door). With his tongue firmly in his cheek, Max Beerbohn, in Zuleika Dobson, wrote, "they are, by American visitors, frequently mistaken for the 12 apostles"
Beyond the heads lies Exeter college.
The oldest public museum in Eng;and {and the world?} was built shortly afterwards (1679-83), alongside the Sheldonian.
It had multiple purposes The basement contained a chemistry laboratory. The ground floor was used for lectures The top floor housed a collection of curiosities acquired by Elias Ashmole and donated to the university.
The most impressive part of the building is the doorway on the east wall, facing the Sheldonian.
Today, the remains of Ashmole's colection can be seen in the new Ashmolean museum in Beaumont street.
This building now houses the Museum of the History of Science.
Highlights of a visit will include the blackboard which Einstein used when he lectured in Oxford, the apparatus used to extract pennicillin, Lewis Carrol's camera, as well as a wide collection of scientific intruments and apparatus.
No visit to Oxford would be complete without a visit to a bookshop, and the mother of all bookshops is Blackwell's on the north side of Broad street.
From outside this looks like a small regional bookshop. But the inside resembles Doctor Who's Tardis, extending in all directions, with the basement room in particular seeming to go on for ever.
The local interest section is to the left, in the small room at the front of the shop. The Practicalities page of this guide describes some of the options.
If you prefer more general literature, but with Oxford associations, try:
Trinity lies on the North side of broad street behind three plain 17th century cottages (actually totally rebuilt in 1969).
Originally founded by monks from Durham in 1286 as Durham college, but this ceased to exist when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
Sir Thomas Pope, a wealthy civil servant, then bought the property, and re-established it as Trinity college.
The chapel is particularly fine.
It is often attributed to Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren did build the north range of Garden Quad, but there is no evidence that he designed the chapel.
Magnificent grounds stretch to Parks Road.
We return to these at the end of the third walk.
Founded in 1263, and one of several claiming to be the oldest Oxford college.
William Morris founded the "Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings" after watching the medieval college being torn down to make way for the present buildings in 1867-8.
Balliol has held a reputation for being one of the most influential colleges since the 19th century.
Memers include three Prime ministers: Asquith, Macmillan and Heath; the current chancellor of the university, Roy Jenkins; novelists Aldous Huxley, and Graham Greene; and Lord Peter Wimsey, the hero of Dorothy L Sayers detective novels.
Further along Broad street the first permanent charity shop was opened by Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in 1948.
It is still an Oxfam shop, and a small plauqe marks its historical importance.
The Oxford Committee for famine relief was formed in 1942 to provide relief to the people of Greece who were starving under Nazi occupation and allied blockade.
Subsequently it extended its work to victims of other wars and famines, and became a powerful and well-known force for lobbying and education: addressing the causes of famine as well as emergency relief.
Nearby, Baliol college is reflected in the window of Thornton's second hand book shop.
In the centre of Broad street, opposite Thornton's second hand book shop, a cobble cross in the road, marked with yellow paint, recalls the spot where three anglican martyrs were burned at the stake.
All had supported the reformation under Henry VIII, who died in 1547.
Henry's son, Edward, became king, and let the reformation proceed.
But when Henry's daughter, Mary, took the throne on Edward's death in 1553, she began to bring back catholicism.
Her sister, Elizabeth was imprisoned; Lady Jane Grey, and her family were executed.
On Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain, the persecution began which earned her the title "Bloody Mary"
Together with Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer (a former Bishop) and Nicholas Ridley (formerly Cranmer's chaplain) were condemned to death as obstinate heretics. In October 1554, after 18 months and a second trial, Latimer and Ridley were burned, while Cranmer watched from jail. Latimer's last words have passed into history:
"Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out"
In March 1556 Cranmer followed them. He had retracted the recantation which he wrote earlier, and held his right hand in the fire saying "This hath offended, oh this unworthy hand".
In 1841 a memorial to the martyrs was erected in St Giles.
We will visit the martyr's memorial on the second walk: for now we turn left into Cornmarket Street.
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