Radcliff Square:

Go back just a few steps and make a right on to the exceedingly narrow Brasenose Lane at the end of which the scene will open up into a wide square dominated by the presence of the circular domed building called the Radcliff Camera  (left) that was built in 1748 by James Gibbs as a memorial to the physician Dr. John Radcliff (1650-1714). This Baroque building is closed to tourists today as it serves the needs of researchers and students, being the entry point for the acquisition of any of the materials contained in the Bodleain Library.

The Bodleian Library:

Your next visit then should be to the main building of the Bodleian Library that was founded in 1320 and expanded in 1426 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (1391-1447) and brother of Henry VI when his collection of manuscripts would not fit into the old library. It was refounded in 1602 by Thomas Bodley for whom it has been named. Thomas Bodley forbid the keeper of the museum to marry. This library is one of the six copyright deposit libraries in the country and is entitled to receive a copy of every book published in Britain.

To enter the Old Schools Quadrangle of the Bodleian, you will use a small doorway on the left side of Radcliff Square. Once inside, you will see The Great Gate on your right hand side, at the base of the monumental Tower of the Five Orders of Architecture (left) . On your left, you will see the sculpture of Sir Thomas Bodley in the garb of a knight (above right). Right behind him is the entrance to the Divinity School (1488) which has a spectacular pendant vaulted ceiling in stone with 455 carved bosses representing Biblical scenes, mythical and real beasts. It is one of the country’s finest Gothic interiors and must not be missed (see below).

Exiting from the main hall of the Divinity School (left), you will pass through the Bodleian Library Gift Store from where you can purchase all kinds of memorabilia associated with your visit. The interior of the Bodleian Library might be visited on special tours that involve an admission fee of five pounds, but for our purposes, it is adequate to know that the Bodleian is one of the world’s greatest libraries and one in which academics feel privileged to carry out research. While I did use the Bodleian Library as a student at Oxford, many years ago, most of the material I required for my doctoral research, was located in the Indian Institute Library, which is a part of the New Bodleian Library and has an entrance that is located on Parks Road which can be reached by continuing on Catte Street where it intersects with the Broad.

Church of St. Mary The Virgin:

Walk out of the Bodleian Library Complex on to Catte Street and make a right. You will pass right by the Radcliff Camera on your right hand side with All Souls Collegeon your left. Straight ahead of you is the entrance to the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (above), the official church of the University and the most-visited parish church in England. It is certainly worth spending some time inside the church and, if time permits, do consider climbing up the steps to get some truly stunning views of the colleges and the town from the rooftop. In particular, you will notice the downs and fells that surround the city. It was in this church that Oxford’s three martyrs, Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were pronounced heretics and were condemned to death by burning at the stake in 1555 during the horrors of the Protestant Reformation in England.

A good place to stop for lunch is the Vaults and Garden Restaurant of the Church which serves a very decent meal and some fine wines. Depending on the weather, you might choose to sit out in the garden as I did on my last visit with my friend Annalisa Oboe to enjoy a meal in the shadow of the Radcliff Camera. Inside, the restaurant has a pub-like atmosphere and is an ideal spot in which to rest for a while before undertaking the next leg of our walking tour.

Continue Walking Tour of Carfax and Christ Church College