Oxford and it's University

 

Yesterday we arrived at Heathrow. We had been quite nervous. It’s been 2 ½ years since our last foreign trip, the news has been full of lost luggage at Heathrow, and London had an all time high of 104 , 2 days before. We arrived with luggage and 70 degrees. If you prefer watching a video of this trip, it is available on youtube. 

Radcliff Camera

Oxford was founded in the 8^th century at an ox ford across the Thames. Oxford University is the 3^rd oldest in Europe founded in the 12^th century. Priests had studied in France until Henry II started a war with France, so Oxford was founded to provide their education. By the 13^th century, there were 39 colleges, each consisting of a chapel, a library, a dining hall, and dorms. Right next to our hotel was Morton college. We started walking, passing college after college. Some notable buildings were Radcliff Camera (library), All Souls College with its sundial built by Christopher Wren, and Bodleian College (the school of divinity). The Bodleian library was destroyed by Henry VIII when he broke with the Catholic church. It has been Britain’s copyright library since  1610. After our tour Mary and I walked to the Christ Church gardens. We had missed our turn to the hotel and ended up wandering the wrong way until we realized our mistake. You can get a good view of the University from the University Church Tower

Christ Church Gardens

In the afternoon, I visited the Ashmolean museum, a smaller version of the British museum. It is the Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology It included Iron Age, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian, Assyrian artifacts, and art work up to 19 century paintings. More surprising were artifacts from India and Japan, as well as an historical exhibit on money.

Statue of Sobeck, Egyptian 12th Dynasty