Out and About in Oxford.

 We had a very quiet night, apart from the rain that is. That kept coming don until about 08:30. After breakfast we headed off into town for a look around, and to take something back to M&S. Sorry, there are a fair few photos!

Instead of walking up the shopping streets we walked along by the Castle Mill Stream, along Fisherman's Row and guess what we came to, yes, the Castle. You can see the bridge is called Quaking Bridge. It has this name it is said as it was originally the drawbridge from the castle so would have creaked and shaken when loads were driven over it.

After returning an article to M&S and a bit more Christmas present buying in shops that we don't find easily at home we headed to the Ashmolian Museum for a look about. It is free and so we headed for a coffee first. I have a question about art. How come the standard picture of a face was so different in the 'old days'. Was it just the style that was painted or where they no good at painting lifelike faces until a few centuries later when the collective accumulation of skill meant that they could produce a lifelike portrayal?

After a finding a bite to eat at the covered market we found The Bear on Alfred Street for a pint. The building is from the 13 Century and has been a pub since 1774. A feature is the collection of 4,500 snippets of club ties that were taken by the landlord from 1952. The cutting was rewarded by a free half pint. It would take a very longtime these days to amass that collection as hardly anybody seems to wear a tie out and about these days.

The rain had been coming and going but we decided to brave getting off the shopping streets and heading out into college land. This is Oriel College. It was started in 1324 and received a Royal Charter in 1326. Its original name was The House of the Blessed Mary the Virgin. A bit of a mouthful so over time it was given the name of the original building on the site 'La Oriole'.

This is the first Quad inside the college and the buildings around it all date from between 1620 and 1642. The doorway was added later and is not attached to the building actually but was added during the reign of Charles I. Above the doorway are the statues of  Edward II who gave the college its charter and either Charles I or James I. Above them is the Virgin Mary after which the original college was named.

The Hall, accessed through that portico, has a hammer beam roof with a louvre originally to let the smoke out. It was being set up for the evening meal in high YHA style. (As I call it). The paneling was added in 1911. We also went to visit the chapel that dates from the same time as the rest of the buildings. It was a very spiritual place and John Henry Newman was the here twice.

Looking back across the quad from the Hall you can see an oriel window, like on the exterior of the building too, and you can also see graffiti by the students painted on the walls celebrating victories in rowing matches through the years. 

After Oriel College we walked down Merton Street and saw that Merton College was also open, so we thought we would have a nosy in their too. This is St. Alban's Quad that originates in the 13th Century and was incorporated into the college in 1882.

This is the entrance to one of the stairwells to the rooms around the quad. I wonder if each new student knows who else has had the room over the years?

This is Fellows' Quad dating from 1608/10 around the centre can be seen columns that represent the four Orders of Architecture, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Tuscan.

This is the Mob Quad, the oldest in Oxford as it dates from 1288 to 1378. The name was first recorded in 1797 and probably refers to the undergraduates who lived here.

The Chapel at Merton is very large and dates back to 1290/94 and it would be great to attend a choral evensong here. We will try to remember for future visits.

Once out of Merton we continued down Merton Street that was deserted. On the right is the Old Warden's Lodgings that seem to be student accommodation. On the right is the entrance to Logic Lane that runs through University College to the High Street and is named as this is where the school of logicians was!

This is the Examinations Schools where exams are sat, lectures given and the Freshers fair held. It was completed in 1882 and is one of the largest buildings owned by the University.

Looking back down New College on New College Lane. On the left are the cloisters of the New College Chapel and on the right that of All Souls (I think).

At the other end of New College Lane is the 'Bridge of Sighs' after the one in Venice, but more properly called Hertford Bridge. It was constructed in 1914. There is a story that on hearing the Hertford students were found to be the fatest the bridge was built to make them walk up and down stairs. It joins two parts of the college.

With all the history we needed another drink and headed down Wheatsheaf  Yard off High Street to the pub of that name. There was a pub on this site from 1654 but the buildings down here were demolished in 1896/97, and the present building constructed in 1897. Above the bar was the meeting room of the Albion Lodge of the Ancient Order of Druids!

The rain was now coming down like stair rods but we had booked to go to the pictures to see the 'Great Escaper' with Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson. It is a true story and had me sobbing. A lovely British Film and well worth watching. Afterwards we headed home and as we had got chilled being so wet I lit the fir for the first time. Earlier I had bought a new smoke detector and CO monitor as ours were out of date. I think we will definitely need the fire lit next week, but at least there will be sun. We had a very good day out and about in Oxford despite it being Friday 13th! My Mum was born on a Friday 13th so can't be that bad.