Oxford – Queens Lane and “The Broad”

You will probably arrive in Oxford by coach. Your best bet is to alight just after the coach passes Magdalen Bridge—you will see the beautifully laid out formal pathways of the Botanical Garden on your left. This is Oxford’s High Street, long known as “The High” to Oxford undergrads. Shops line both sides of The High and you might well decide to stop for a quick cup of morning coffee across the street at The Queen’s Tea Room before we begin our exploration of the city on foot.

Queens’s Lane:

Let’s start our stroll on Queens’ Lane which you will find immediately to the left of The Queen’s Tea Room. This is probably the quietest street in Oxford and, depending on the time of day, you might well have this narrow winding lane all to yourself. On your left are the honey-toned walls of Queens College while on your right are the walls of St. Edmund (Teddy) Hall. If you are fortunate enough to be in Oxford in spring, you will be enthralled by the sight of a dozen blooming cherry trees on your right peaking above the walls and painting the lane a baby pink (above right).

A few feet ahead, you will start to see, on your left, the twin spires of All Souls College (left) which was founded in 1438. Press on ahead another few steps and one of the loveliest vistas awaits—position yourself in such an angle as to be able to view, at the extreme left, the single spire of The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the twin spires of All Souls College and peaking in-between them, the verdigris dome of the Radcliff Camera (below).

Queens Lane bends left and becomes New College Lane. Follow the bend in the road until you see a dead end on your right hand side—this is the main entrance to New College. One of the grandest colleges, it was founded by William of Wykeham in 1379 to educate clergy to replace those killed by the Black Death of 1348. Indeed, in its earliest years, Oxford, like its counterpart Cambridge University, was intended to be a residential institution to train young men to become ministers in the Church. Latin, Theology, and Divinity Studies, therefore, formed a mandatory part of the undergraduate’s syllabus.

Just in front of you is the lovely Bridge of Sighs (left), a covered bridge built in 1914 that joins together the Old and New sections of Hertfort College, based on the designs of the Bridge of Sighs in the Italian city of Venice.

Catte Street:

You will, no doubt, wish to take a picture at this point, both of the bridge itself and of the vista that lies just ahead on the other side of Catte Street—the oddly-shaped building of the Sheldonian Theater (right), one of the best-known buildings in Oxford. Completed in 1669, this was the first building designed by Sir Christopher Wren and paid for by Gilbert Sheldon, then Archbishop of Canterbury. This building is not open to tourists but if you are lucky enough, you might be able to visit it during the graduation ceremonies that are held here with much pomp and pageantry and which bring out the University’s highest dignitaries including the Chancellor himself. In the Inspector Morse series, Sir John Gielgud who plays the Chancellor in one of the episodes actually leads a procession along Broad Street to the entrance of the Sheldonian Theater in which chaos erupts following the murder of one of the marchers. The classical design of the oval building is based on the Theater of Marcellus in Rome. The octagonal Cupola that crowns the building was built in 1838. Do not hesitate to pass through the ornamental wrought-iron gates and stroll over the pebble-strewn yard of the Sheldonian. When you have posed for pictures with this lovely architectural monument in the background, you can return to Catte Street and turn left.

Broad Street or “The Broad”:

A few steps ahead, Catte Street intersects Broad Street. Make a left on “The Broad” (as it is known) and take in the sight of bookshops, pubs and tearooms all along the street. Cross The Broad and make your way to Blackwell’s Book Store. Before you enter the doors of this Oxford institution, take a look across the street and make sure you notice the busts of Roman philosophers that line the street just outside the Sheldonian Theater.

Blackwell’s has been in business in Oxford for centuries. Apart from selling new and used books to generations of Oxonians, it organizes interesting literary walking tours of Oxford, readings and signing sessions by famous writers (Christopher Ricks was scheduled to speak on Contemporary British Poets a few days after I last visited). In keeping with the trend that has seized bookstores world-wide, it now boasts a café on the second floor that serves good lattes and cappuccinos and a variety of baked goods. Feel free to browse among the stacks to pick up a treasure you might not have found anywhere else. If you do not feel the need to stop, you may continue the tour.

As soon as you get out of the bookstore, you will see on your right The White Horse Pub, one of England’s oldest, dating from the 1590s when it was called ‘The White Mermaid’. After restoration in 1660, it was named ‘The Elephant’ and, a hundred years later, it acquired its current name. Steps lead down through a little door into the dark interior of the narrow wood-paneled room beyond which dates back to the 18th century. During the rebuilding of the façade in 1951, a painted wall was discovered upstairs, and in the room was a witch’s broomstick—superstition discouraged anyone from touching it! The White Horse is sandwiched between the two halves of Blackwell’s and is a favorite haunt of Morse and Lewis in the Inspector Morse TV series. It is the pub in which Morse frequently stops for a pint of brew even while he is on duty whereas Lewis contents himself with a glass of orange juice!

Continue Walking Tour down Turl Street