Historic places in Oxford

Historic places in Oxford

1. See

   Ashmolean Museum

   Vast, impressive, and has undergone major redevelopment, the Ashmolean is Britain's oldest public museum, having been founded in 1683. The museum displays ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, a fine collection of Western art and artifacts and a sizeable Eastern Art collection. Highlights include the Amarna Princess Fresco and the Alfred Jewel. A restaurant and gift store also feature.

   Daily 10AM–5PM·Free

2. See

   Museum of the History of Science

   This museum is in the Old Ashmolean building and houses an unrivalled collection of early scientific instruments. The Old Ashmolean building is the world's oldest surviving museum-purpose building. It is a department of Oxford University and a public museum. Its website offers an online database of their collection.

   Tue–Fri noon–5PM; Sat 10AM–5PM; Sun 2–5PM·Free

3. See

   Oxford Castle

   Oxford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest. The castle later became a functioning prison until the late 20th century. Today, guided tours take visitors through cells, the Saxon St George’s Tower, and up to the motte for sweeping views over Oxford.

4. See

   Oxford University Museum of Natural History

   Houses the university's scientific collections of zoological, entomological, geological, palaeontological and mineralogical specimens, accumulated in the course of the last 3 centuries. The exhibits occupy a large central court with elegant Victorian cast-iron columns supporting the great glass roof, and surrounded on four sides by upper and lower arcades. They are devoted to the history and diversity of life on Earth and the rocks and minerals that form it. Highlights include the famous Oxford Dodo, the largest display of dinosaur remains outside London, a great collection of skeletons, and the nesting swifts in the museum's main tower.

   Daily 10AM–5PM except for Easter and Christmas·Free

5. See

   Oxford University Press Museum

   This small museum explains the history of the University of Oxford's involvement in printing and publishing from the 15th century to the present day. Among other things, the exhibitions show the OUP's buildings, printing equipment, the first publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and how the Oxford English Dictionary came to exist.

   The museum closed due to COVID-19·Free

6. Drink

   Turf Tavern

   A well-hidden pub, but also well known by locals. Good range of beers. Nice beer garden with coal fires where you can roast marshmallows on chilly evenings in spring and autumn. This ancient pub (a favourite with Inspector Morse) is an unmissable Oxford institution that many consider to be the best pub in the city — in the summer watch out for drenched students enjoying the end of their exams. Pint >£5. Famously the location where U.S. president Bill Clinton "Did not inhale" marijuana during his time at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

   Mon-Sat 11AM–11PM; Sun noon–10:30PM

7. Do

   Ultimate Picture Palace

   Small independent cinema housed in a majestic grade II listed building with an assortment of viewings available.

8. See

   University Church of St Mary the Virgin

   Some of the best views of Oxford are afforded from the tower of the church, dating to 1280. The church, rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries (with various additions after this time), is full of architectural and historical interest. The church has a coffee shop, the Vaults and Garden, now re-opened under the management of Will Pouget (already known for his 'Alpha Bar' in the Covered Market) and specialising in organic food and fair trade tea and coffee.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Oxford (CC BY-SA 4.0).