Oxford University Press (OUP)
Oxford is a city rich in history, so it’s unsurprising to see something new with each visit. I was at OUP for a Write Away Reviewers’ Event, (read author Anita Loughrey’s account here) after which we were treated to a guided tour – Oxford and Children’s Stories.
The guide I was with normally takes kids around so our tour revolved around scenes from the Harry Potter movies, and spotting the fact we weren’t aged 10, she generously tailored the tour and slipped us snippets about about Oxford’s literary alumni, from Amis to Waugh. We stopped at sites which provided inspiration for some of the best known children’s literature, most famously, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe‘. In her enthusiasm, our guide accidentally led smack into the centre of a location film set, and we were politely asked to move off the cobblestoned street… I think it’s safe to say we will have been cut from ‘Lewis’ – an Inspector Morse TV spin-off!
It was clear that our knowlegeable guide was none too appreciative of the post ‘Potter’ entrance fee charged to enter Christ Church College. Instead, we wandered into the charming courtyard of Lincoln College and visited its medieval dining hall, which as our guide accurately pointed out, has bench seating, not the high-backed chairs you’ll find in the the Great Hall at Christ Church.
Lack of true Hogwart style seating notwithstanding, I personally think the entrance fee to Christ Church College entirely worth it – I went some time ago out of my teenage acquired interest in ‘Brideshead Revisited’, as the desperately self-destructive Sebastian Flyte and his teddy bear, Aloysius resided there, so mix in a little ‘Alice’ history and magical scenes from Hogwart’s and it’s an interesting place, if not for the grandeur of the architecture, stained glass, and grounds alone.
Check out loads of photos here on Flickr’s Christ College, Oxford search, and visit Write Away for informed reviews, book guides and more.
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