Best Cotswold Tours
OXFORD AND BLENHEIM TOURS
OXFORD AND BLENHEIM TOURS
TOUR INFORMATION
PRICES
Usually single-day tours, but 2 -3-day tours available upon request at a discounted price.
Full-day Tour from as little a £525/day depending upon the time of year. All tours are fully inclusive but do not include lunch tea or admission to attractions or sites.
Full Payment by card is requested on day of Tour.
DURATION
8 Hours
STARTING LOCATION
From your Hotel, train station, B&B or wherever you are staying in the Cotswolds.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Oxford, with a population of 170,000, is the city of “Dreaming Spires”. Oxford University, for some, is a temple of learning and elitism. Some 26 Prime Ministers have studied at Oxford, along with many heads of State and Government from around the world, and some notable alumni include Stephen Hawking, Oscar Wilde, J.R.R Tolkien and Hugh Grant. The university has 38 colleges, 24000 students and 70 research faculties. The acceptance rate is 17%. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English speaking world. It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry 11 banned students from studying in Paris. The University is very much part of the town, and unlike most other universities, it does not have its own campus..
OXFORD- THE CITY
Oxford was first settled in Anglo-Saxon times and was initially known as Oxenaforda, meaning ford of the oxen. In the 10thC Oxford became an important military frontier town between Mercia and Wessex. The city centre is relatively small and is centred on the CarFax Tower. Blackwell’s bookshop is the largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the Norrington Room. Oxford has attracted many filmmakers because of its beauty, with probably the most notable being Harry Potter, Inspector Morse, Brideshead Revisited, and Abba, “Here we go again.”
OXFORD BY RIVER
The River Cherwell is the place for punting and provides almost rural views of Magdalen College, founded in 1458, one of Oxford’s richest and spacious college and set in its own deer park. The University rowing crews train here. Oxford Botanic Garden, founded in 1621, is the oldest garden of its kind in Britain. Travel through this you can reach Christchurch meadow either on foot or by renting a punt from Magdalen Bridge or the Cherwell Boathouse..
OXFORD ARCHITECTURE
Beautiful honey-coloured buildings populate the “city of dreaming spires”, among them the Museum of History and Science, The Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Ashmolean, England’s oldest museum. Founded in 1638, it houses a huge collection of priceless art and antiquities. The famous and lovely Bodleian Library and Sheldonian theatre nestle nearby in an enclave of 17th C buildings. If you walk from Oxford’s high street, down Queens’ lane through New College lane emerging under The Bridge of Sighs, you will have walked from neoclassical architecture along a medieval passageway, under an Edwardian Bridge in front of another neoclassical building, The Sheldonian. By doing that, you will have experienced some 600 years of architectural history..
BLENHEIM PALACE
Home of the Duke of Marlborough and Winston Churchill’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace is an English Baroque masterpiece to rival Versailles. Fine furniture, sculpture, paintings and tapestries are set in magnificently gilded staterooms overlooking sweeping lawns and formal gardens. Capability Brown landscaped the 2000 acre park open to visitors and provides pleasant walks and beautiful views. Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough live in the Palace.
BLENHEIM GARDENS
Containing some of the finest formal and Baroque-style gardens in Britain, the gardens of Blenheim Palace is a “must-see” for students of garden history and those who enjoy gardens with plenty of “wow”. The scale and grandeur of both the palace and the garden lift it into a class of its own. Blenheim’s creator Sir John Vanbrugh and the garden’s designer Achille Duchene both considered Blenheim to be their greatest triumph. Water terraces, fountains, Pools, box knots, and yew topiary and a folly bridge over the main arch give the visitor the feeling of a very grand garden indeed.
BLENHEIM ESTATE
While The Grand Bridge was designed by Nicholas Vanburgh, the 2000 acre estate was landscaped by Capability Brown. He created the two large lakes through which the River Glyme, a tributary of the River Evenlode, flows. The footpaths across the Great Park give outstanding views of the palace and lakes. Many events such as concerts, light shows, and vintage car rallies are organised in the Park every year.
BLENHEIM HISTORY
Colonel John Churchill married Sarah Jennings in 1678, a great friend of the then Princess Anne who later came to the throne in 1702. In 1704 the Duke of Marlborough (John Churchill) defeated Louis XIV at the battle of Blenheim and was given land at Woodstock in recognition. The Palace designed by John Vanburgh and Nicholas Hawksmoor, and the grounds by Capability Brown. Work stopped in 1712 after a major row, and the Duke was exiled. George 1st. pardoned the Duke in 1716 after Queen Anne’s death, and the palace was completed in 1722 at a total cost of £180m..
“Thank you for such a wonderful trip yesterday. It was informative and we really enjoyed the Cotswolds. The restaurant served us wonderful food. ” Gayatri
Copyright 2024 | Mark Ransom | Cotswold Blog
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