The Quad at Magdalen

We finished our tour with afternoon tea by the Charwell at Magdalen.  We tried to work out how many members of the cabinet studied here.  Tired now, and it's back to the reality of the road works on the southern bypass.   

Exeter College

Exeter is quite a gem.  It is 700 years old and was popular with the sons of the Devonshire gentry in it's early years.  Michaelmas daisies in the college garden are seen above. 

J R R Tolkein, a hero of my daughter, studied here. 

We enjoyed views of the Radcliffe Camera which is part of the Bodleian Library. 

 

Sheldonian Theatre

The theatre was one of the first projects of Sir Christopher Wren.  It was erected between 1664 and 1669, based on an Ancient Roman design.  The theatre is named after it's main financial backer, Gilbert Sheldon.  It is used for university ceremonies and lectures, as well as musical concerts.  

Harris Manchester College Chapel

The college started life  as the Warrington Academy in 1757 where its teachers included Joseph Priestley, the dissenting clergyman who also discovered Oxygen.   It was refounded as the Manchester Academy in Manchester in 1786.  Originally run Presbyterians, it was one of several dissenting academies that provided non conformists with higher education. At the time, the only universities in England - Oxford and Cambridge - were restricted to Anglicans.  The college taught radical theology as well as modern subjects, such as science, modern languages, language, and history; as well as the classics. 

The college changed its location five times before settling in Oxford.  It moved to York to acquire Charles Wellbeloved, the Unitarian minister as it's head as he would not move to Manchester. At first Charles taught all subjects, but hired additional tutors after a year. In 1840, when he retired,  the college moved back to Manchester.  Wellbeloved did not allow the school to be called Unitarian because he wanted students to have an open mind and to discover the truth for themselves.  The college was accepted by Oxford in 1889, which incidentally is the year my grandmother was born.  Harris Manchester College continues to have a reputation for independent and radical thought.  It accepts mainly mature students, some of whom study in the Unitarian Ministry.  Unitarians have no creed but welcome all who are searching for spiritual growth.  The windows of the chapel are designed by the Pre-Raphaelite Burne-Jones.   

St Michael at the North Gate, view from Saxon Tower

This is the view from Oxford's oldest building.  The tower of St Michael's was built around 1040 and was part of the North Gate to the city.  

The North Gate was known as the Bocardo and was once part of the church itself.  Sadly it was torn down in 1771 to improve the traffic flow.  I had no idea environmental problems started so early. 

St Michael"s as it is today dates in part from the 14th century.  We were impressed with its simplicity.