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City Guide To Oxford, Including Oxford Hotels |
By:
Maria Williams |
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Introduction
Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire,
England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). It is home
to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the
English-speaking world. It is known as the "city of dreaming
spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold in reference to the
harmonious architecture of the university buildings. The Oxford
suburb of Cowley has a long history of carmaking, and still
produces BMW MINIs.
History
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was initially
known as "Oxenaforda". It began with the foundations of St
Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century. The University of
Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's
earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263)
and Merton (1264).
During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles
I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although
there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian
cause. In the 19th century the controversy surrounding the
Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church drew attention to the
city as a focus of theological thought. Oxford's Town Hall was
built by Henry T. Hare, the foundation stone was laid on 6 July
1893 and opened by the future King Edward VII on 12 May 1897. By
the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial
and population growth, with the printing and publishing
industries becoming well established by the 1920s.
Places of Interests
Oxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to
the university and colleges. As well as several famous
institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax Tower and a
historical themed ride, The Oxford Story. In the summer, punting
on the Thames (sometimes called the Isis as it flows through
Oxford) and the Cherwell is popular.
Other notable attractions include:
Christ Church Cathedral The Church of St Mary the Virgin (the
University Church) Martyrs' Memorial Ashmolean Museum Pitt
Rivers Museum Museum of Natural History Museum of the History of
Science Science Oxford University buildings The University Parks
The University Botanic Garden Cornmarket Street, Oxford Turl
Street, Oxford Little Clarendon Street Oxford Covered Market
Westgate Shopping Centre
Museums and Art Galleries
Oxford has a large number of museums and galleries open for
public. Following are the world famous and a major tourist spot
in Oxford:
Ashmolean Museum, Britain's oldest museum Pitt Rivers Museum
Museum of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford
Dodo Museum of the History of Science, in Britain's oldest
purpose-built museum building Museum of Oxford Museum of Modern
Art Science Oxford
Shopping
Golden Cross, an arcade of first-class shops and boutiques, lies
between Cornmarket Street and the Covered Market. Parts of the
colorful gallery date from the 12th century. Many buildings
remain from the medieval era, along with some 15th- and
17th-century structures. The market also has a reputation as the
Covent Garden of Oxford, with live entertainment on Saturday
mornings in summer. In its way, Alice's Shop, played an
important role in English literature, it functioned as a general
store (selling brooms, hardware, and the like) during the period
that Lewis Carroll, at the time a professor of mathematics at
Christ Church College, was composing Alice in Wonderland. It is
believed to have been the model for important settings within
the book. Today, the place is a favorite stopover of Lewis
Carroll fans from as far away as Japan, who gobble up
commemorative pencils, chess sets, party favors, bookmarks, and
in rare cases, original editions of some of Carroll's works. The
Bodleian Library Shop, specializes in Oxford souvenirs, from
books and paperweights to Oxford banners and coffee mugs.
Castell & Son (The Varsity Shop), is the best outlet in Oxford
for clothing emblazoned with the Oxford logo or heraldic symbol.
Food and Drink
Oxford offers European and Middle-East and Asian cuisine. Some
of the restaurants are:
Cherwell Boathouse Restaurant Gee's Restaurant Le Manoir aux
Quat' Saisons Rosamund the Fair Al-Salam Browns.
Except these restaurants Oxford hosts some Traditional and
historic pubs
The Eagle and Child The Turf Tavern The Lamb and Flag The Bear
Education
The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford,
England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Events and organizations and institutes officially connected
with the University include:
Worcester College, Backs of medieval cottages The Oxford Union
Society The Oxford University Press, the world's oldest and
largest university press The Bodleian Library Major Research
Libraries (including the Sackler Library) Oxford University
Department for Continuing Education The Taylor Institution The
Oxford University Student Union Oxford University Newman Society
-- Catholic speaker society The OICCU, the undergraduate
Christian union The Oxford University Museum of Natural History
(sometimes called The Oxford University Museum) The Pitt Rivers
Museum The Ashmolean Museum The Bate Collection Oxford Botanic
Garden and Harcourt Arboretum Oxford University Sports
Federation Oxford University Boat Club The O'Reilly Theatre
Moser Theatre Rothermere American Institute Said Business School
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art Computing Laboratory
Isis Innovation
Sports
Oxford City FC and Milton United FC among others are two famous
football club and play regular club and league matches. Oxford
Cavaliers Rugby League Club is the rugby club playing for Oxford
city. Drayton Leisure Golf Driving Range is the golf course with
9 HOLE (PAR 3) COURSE and 6 HOLES FLOODLIT. As a city in UK it
has a number of cricket teams and hosts tournaments like Bernard
Tollett Oxfordshire Cup, National Cricket Club Championship, The
Cricketer National Village Championship etc
Tours and Sightseeing
There are a number of tour operators in Oxford. The tourist
information center is also very helpful to find out a way to
enjoy the visit of Oxford.
Hotels and Accommodations
Accommodations in Oxford are limited, though recently, motels
have sprouted on the outskirts -- good for those who want modern
amenities. In addition, if you have a car, you may want to
consider country houses or small B&Bs on the outskirts of town
Some of the notable hotels are:
Victoria House Hotel Cotswold Lodge Classic Hotel Westwood
Country Hotel Ltd Holiday Inn Oxford The Oxford Hotel Oxford
Thames Four Pillars Hotel Express by Holiday Inn Oxford Kassam
Stadium The Bat & Ball Inn The Upper Reaches Abingdon Four
Pillars Hotel Oxfordshire Inn Days Inn Hotel Oxford The Plough
at Clifton Hampden Marlborough Arms Hotel The FEATHERS Macdonald
Bear Hotel White Hart Hotel
Transport
Oxford is located some 50 miles (80 km) north west of London;
the cities are linked by the M40 motorway, which also links
northwards to Birmingham.
Rail connections include services to London (Paddington),
Bournemouth, Worcester (via the Cotswold Line), and Bicester.
The city also has regular train services northwards to
Birmingham, Coventry and the north. The railway service
connecting Oxford and Cambridge, known as the Varsity Line, was
discontinued in 1968.
The Oxford Canal connects to the River Thames at Oxford.
Oxford Airport at Kidlington offers business and general
aviation services.
Local bus services are largely provided by the Oxford Bus
Company and Stagecoach South Midlands.
Biography
Name: Maria Williams Occupation: Traveller Website:
www.sleepuk.com Biography: Maria writes for Sleep UK - providers
of discounted hotels to make your stay in the UK as comfortable
as possible.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article13585.html |
Article: City guide to Oxford, including Oxford hotels
Author: Maria Williams
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