Immersed in History: A Family Adventure at Christ Church, Oxford
We don’t normally pay for audio guides when we visit historical places, but it’s included in the entry fee into Christ Church in Oxford, and so the three of us put headphones on and walked towards the signpost labelled with a number one. To the little traveller’s great delight, the audio guide also had a children’s option (which I also listened to, and let me tell you, it’s a lot more fun than the adult version!) with videos and puzzles and games to keep him entertained and eager throughout.
And so, with the voice of a well-spoken English gentleman vying against the Harry Potter theme tune on repeat in my head, we set about exploring the hallowed halls of this historic university.
We traversed a movie-famous staircase on our way to the Great Hall, where we gaped at portraits of people whose names are highlighted in history books, imagining them chatting over dinner and dreaming up ideas that would change the future. Lewis Carroll is also among the college’s famous alumni, to my great delight, and explained why the children’s guide centred around following the white rabbit down various interesting holes.
An atmosphere of studious quiet hung across Tom Quad, where we paused to learn more about the architecture and enjoy the view of Mercury’s statue and Great Tom, the iconic bell tower. It reminded me of my own days at university (although not one as illustrious as this!) and I desperately started brainstorming topics for a thesis so that I can return to academic life again.
Then it was onwards past the library (unfortunately, we couldn’t go in, but we did disturb a few people by peering through the windows), across various old quads flanked by impressive-looking buildings (with names such as Wren and Palladio linked to them), past the gallery (housing works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, no less) and onto the cathedral and cloisters.
I do love old cathedrals, especially if there are beautiful stained-glass windows, as this one has. Originally built around the end of the 12th century, the cathedral was redesigned in the Gothic style in the 19th century and also features grand flying buttresses, colourful floor tyles and entombed knights! What more can a girl ask for?
(PS: I loved the cathedral so much, it became one of the key settings of the book I wrote, set in Oxford!)
Lastly, we walked through the gardens of the old cloisters, a good place to pause and reflect on all the beauty and history we’d been immersed in for the last hour or so.
Having an audio guide with us dramatically improved our experience of Christ Church College. Without its interesting anecdotes, it would just have been a bunch of pretty buildings and we would probably have been in and out in less than 30 minutes. We left with a sense of history and a greater appreciation of this celebrated college in Oxford.
Have you been on a tour of Christ Church College? How do you feel about audio guides when visiting historical places?
