﻿Oxford, in England, is famous as one of the world’s oldest and best universities.
It's also a beautiful and exciting city, with well-preserved historic buildings and much to
admire. We'll be taking you on a bus tour showing you all the highlights of this city, as we roll
around enjoying views from the top of the bus, passing many of the famous and beautiful colleges
that make Oxford so special, as seen here along Broad Street, which is converted into a pedestrian
promenade with benches and outdoor cafes. But first we'll take a little walk around town and
show you a two-minute summary of the beauties of Oxford. Among principal attractions are the dozens
of college campuses that make up the university of Oxford, many with the original Gothic architecture
still standing. The Ashmolean Museum holds treasures of artistic and archaeological wonders,
with a vast collection including ancient Greece and Egypt. But Oxford is so much more than
just a collection of university campuses and museums. It's a thriving city that is a lot of
fun to explore, including a modern shopping mall and several main streets for pedestrians only,
lined with shops and outdoor restaurants. Pitt Rivers is the other great museum of the city,
with its vast collection of cultural history displaying artifacts from throughout the
world. Visiting some of the many campuses of the university will certainly be a main activity here,
such as that New College which, despite the name, is one of the oldest Oxford campuses,
with a peaceful cloister and part of the original medieval wall that surrounded the city, and with
the Harry Potter-style dining hall as found in many of the colleges, and a chapel dating back to
the Gothic. Some streets are like an architectural museum with buildings dating back many centuries.
Other streets are lively outdoor pedestrian malls. There goes the open-topped tour bus that we're
going to hop on right now and take you on a ride around the city, starting from Sheldonian Theater,
designed by Christopher Wren, passing some buildings in Neo-Classical and many other kinds of
fine architecture. The King's Arms is one of the oldest pubs in town, opened 400 years ago in 1607.
Coming up next to Keble College, founded in 1870, an architectural landmark with its red brick style
of Gothic Revival architecture. While Oxford is a very walkable city with very nice pedestrian
lanes and wide sidewalks and a compact historic center, the bus tour is a nice way to get out to
the edges of town, to see various neighborhoods and sites that are a little bit beyond walking
distance from the center, including some ordinary blocks that are better seen from the comfort of a
bus ride. You can see on the map of our bus route how we got started driving about one mile north,
and now we're returning back towards the center, continuing along on a looping route, going around
in about and end up back where we started. Saint John's College was founded in 1555 and became
co-educational in 1979. Now all of the colleges here are co-educational with more women than men.
Our bus route has taken us into the very center of town, at the intersection of four main streets,
including Cornmarket, which is the most popular pedestrian lane of the city. Next, we pass the
Ashmolean, the crown jewel of Oxford's museum collection. Founded in 1683, it is Britain's
oldest public museum. We'll be presenting more movies about Oxford with detailed visits to many
of the places that we're driving by in the bus tour. Worcester began as a residence for monks,
then founded as a college in 1714. The bus tour lasts about one hour and has 20 different stops
where you could hop off and hop back on again, but you'll find it's much easier to just stay on board
the bus. Then at the end, just get off the bus at the same place where you got on. Castlemill Stream
is a branch of the Thames which flows past the city. We drive into the Oxford Bus Station, which
has intercity buses with connections that reach out to many parts of the country. For example,
when I landed at Heathrow, I took a one-hour bus ride straight to Oxford. That was quite useful
because on this trip I was not going to London. But if you are in London, there's a direct train
that just takes 75 minutes. The bus station is in the middle of town, right on George Street.
Passing the mound of Oxford Castle, originally founded during the Norman days, now in ruins, with
the museum behind it showing the transformation of the site from a military fortress to a prison,
with Saint George's Tower you can climb for a view. Next to it we've got Oxfordshire County Hall
looking like a medieval castle but constructed in the mid-19th century, open to the public
hosting events and exhibits. But the main council offices and activities are in the new county hall
built next door in the 1970s. Tempting to hop off at the Castle pub for a refreshing drink,
but we carry on. Passing Christ Church College, founded by Henry the Eighth in 1546, it's one
of the most prestigious and oldest colleges of the university, with spectacular architectural
style blending the Gothic and the Renaissance. The large courtyard leads to Christ Church Cathedral,
famous for Evensong concerts. That college is located on Saint Aldate’s, another major street
in the central part of town, pulsating with a mix of historical charm, friendly places to eat,
and modern shopping. Also located on the street is the Oxford Town Hall, a magnificent Victorian
building that serves as both the seat of the Oxford City Council and a venue for various
events. Officially opened in 1897, it boasts a grand facade. Passing Town Hall brings us to
the main crossroad of downtown, with Queen Street on the left and then passing the pedestrian lane,
Cornmarket, heading on to High Street, which is generally considered the most important road in
town. Extending for nearly a mile, High Street is lined with historical buildings, including
several colleges and many shops and restaurants and pubs, and just a lot of great sights to see,
sometimes considered one of the great streets of England. Coming up on Brasenose College,
founded in the 15th century with a mix of Gothic Revival buildings and later Victorian additions.
Next passing the Church of Saint Mary, considered the spiritual heart of Oxford University,
an exquisite example of 13th century Gothic architecture, followed by All Souls, one of
the oldest colleges, founded in 1438. We've got a wine bar, a cafe, art gallery and clothing shops,
along with dozens of other stores and eateries. Then we see Oriel College founded 700 years ago in
1326. Founded just 15 years later in 1341, Queens College is a majestic presence on the High street,
with its varied architecture exuding history and grandeur. Among the oldest is University College,
founded around the year 1280, with architecture reflecting that long journey, a beautiful blend of
medieval, Gothic and Neoclassical styles. Behind the stone facades, the university campuses have
beautiful quads with green park-like landscaping and numerous historic buildings extending for
blocks, providing a peaceful atmosphere for the students. Examination Schools is the venue
for student testing and also functions as an event space, its grand architecture yet another
reminder of the importance of academics. There are a few hotels on High Street, putting them in
an excellent location in the center of town, such as the Eastgate Hotel. It's a four-star property
from Mercure in the Accor chain. Continuing along, we are reaching the end of High Street,
which arrives at the river, the Chirwell River, and here you can go on a boat ride, they call it
punting, with several different companies offering a variety of services. You can rent your own boat
and push it along yourself, or you can just join a public group boat ride -- less expensive and
let a professional push the boat along. At this point, our tour bus turns around in order to
make a brief return visit to High Street. We'll be passing Magdalen College, one of the most famous
of all the schools here in Oxford, also one of the wealthiest and top-ranking academically.
This college embodies scholastic excellence along with architectural splendor, predominantly Gothic,
and boasts beautiful grounds, including a deer park, founded in 1458. It has a rich history and a
distinguished alumni list, including Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis, and T.S. Eliot. Long Wall Quad is the
setting for an impressive library, and there are four other quads with tranquil courtyards,
also a chapel with stained glass windows and intricate fan vaulted ceiling. As we depart
the town center, we pass Saint Cross Church with medieval and Victorian architecture,
adjacent to a cluster of more of those grand old stone buildings and various academic offices
throughout the neighborhood. Rhodes House is another architectural jewel that looks something
like a small version of the Pantheon in Rome. It houses the Rhodes Scholar program, offering
international scholarships to foster global intellectual exchange. Next, we get a glimpse into
the back lawns of Trinity College, one of the most important schools here. That brings us full circle
back to Broad Street, where we began this bus tour about one hour ago. Sheldonian Theater is Oxford's
official ceremonial center and concert hall, a prestigious venue for graduation ceremonies.
Which brings us to the history of science Museum and the end of our bus ride. That tour is well
worth taking to get an overview of the entire town along the main streets of the center, as well as
some of the more distant neighborhoods. Then you can get off and start walking to get a closer
look at these fascinating places that you've been riding past, as we will show you in other movies,
sharing the grandeur of the amazing city of Oxford. We frequently upload new movies. So
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