Oxford Orientation Tour for Guides

• "Okay everyone, welcome to Oxford city centre.

• The building in front of us is called Carfax Tower. It was originally part of a much larger church known as St Martin's Church, which dates back to the 1400s. Most of the church was demolished to make way for the main road leading towards Westgate Oxford, leaving only the tower that you can see today.

• The name 'Carfax' comes from the Latin word meaning 'crossroads', and as you can see, we're standing right in the middle of Oxford's historic crossroads.

• If you look in this direction, you'll find many of the city's food outlets and high-street shops, including places like McDonald's.

• In this direction is the route many of you will use to get back home or to your accommodation.

• Over here you'll find some of Oxford's famous colleges, including Christ Church.

• And in this direction is Westgate Oxford, the city's main shopping centre.

• Finally, everyone, this is going to be our meeting point for the rest of the week. If you ever get lost, just make your way back here to Carfax Tower and we'll be able to find you

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• Okay everyone, our next stop on the tour is the Oxford Covered Market.

• This market was opened in 1774, making it one of the oldest surviving covered markets in England and one of only a handful that still remain today.

• Covered markets like this were the direct predecessors of the modern shopping centres and malls that we see today, such as Westgate Oxford just down the street. Before department stores and shopping centres existed, covered markets brought lots of different traders together under one roof, making them an important part of daily life.

• Inside, you'll find a wide variety of local goods, handmade crafts, food, gifts, and independent businesses. Unlike the large chain stores you find in modern shopping centres—such as H&M or Primark—many of the products sold here are produced locally or by small independent traders, giving the market its unique character and helping to support local businesses.

• Feel free to have a look around, and if anything catches your eye, this is a great place to pick up a souvenir or try some local food in your free time."

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• "Welcome everyone to the Radcliffe Camera.

• .This is one of the most famous and most photographed landmarks in all of Oxford, so it's a great place to stop for pictures.

• .The Radcliffe Camera was built in the 18th century and was originally designed as a science library. Today, it forms part of the Bodleian Libraries and is used by students and researchers from the University of Oxford.

• The Bodleian Libraries are the largest library system in Oxford and among the largest libraries in the United Kingdom.

• Now, you might be wondering how this building can possibly hold all of those books. The answer is that much of the storage is actually underground. 

• .Beneath us is an extensive network of reading rooms, book stacks, and tunnels known as the Gladstone Link.

• The Gladstone Link connects the Radcliffe Camera with other parts of the Bodleian Library, allowing books and readers to move easily between the buildings.

• Speaking of Oxford, does anyone know how many colleges make up the University of Oxford? The answer is 39 colleges, each with its own history, traditions, and buildings spread throughout the city.

• Looking around us, you can see several of them. Right next to us is** Brasenose College, which was founded in 1509 and is one of Oxford's historic colleges.

• Over there is the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, often considered the spiritual heart of the university.

• You can also see All Souls College and more of the Bodleian Library buildings surrounding the square.

• This area is one of the best places to appreciate Oxford's unique mixture of colleges, libraries, and historic architecture all in one view."

• "Okay everyone, can anybody tell me another name for the city of Oxford?

• The answer is 'The City of Dreaming Spires.' 

• If you look up, you can see one of the tallest spires in Oxford. And if you look carefully above the clock face, you might even be able to make out the tops of people's heads. That's because visitors can actually climb to the top of the tower in their free time for one of the best views of the city.

• The building behind me is the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. Parts of this church are nearly 800 years old, making it one of the oldest and most important buildings in Oxford.

• For centuries, this church played a central role in university life. In fact, for almost 400 years, Oxford students sat their examinations here before the university had dedicated exam halls.

• And there's one more challenge that students had to face—those exams were conducted entirely in Latin! So not only did students need to know their subject, but they also needed to understand and respond in the academic language of the time.

• Okay were going to take a 15 minute look inside

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Okay everyone, welcome to the Old Schools Quadrangle and the Bodleian Library.

The buildings around us form part of the famous Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe and one of the most important libraries in the United Kingdom.

If you look above each of the doorways, you'll notice inscriptions showing different subjects written in Latin because this was were they had their teaching rooms.

 As I mentioned earlier, Latin was once the language of teaching, learning, and examinations at Oxford, so all of the university's academic life would have been conducted in Latin.

But there's something here that some of you might find even more interesting.

.How many of you have watched Harry Potter?

.You might remember the scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone where Harry falls off his broom during a Quidditch match and wakes up in the school infirmary. Those scenes were filmed through those doors in the Divinity School, 

And that's not the only Harry Potter connection. Upstairs is Duke Humfrey's Library, one of the oldest reading rooms in the Bodleian. It was used as the Hogwarts Library in the first Harry Potter film, and many of the scenes featuring Hermione studying among the books were filmed there.

now guys sadly its not free to enter but in your free time you can pay for a structured tour if youd like too.

.Theres a gift shop there youve got 10 minutes to go take a look inside.

The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world, open since 1602. It has millions of books and is still used by students and professors. The Old Schools Quad is a quiet square surrounded by university buildings3.

Fun fact: The Bodleian appears in Harry Potter films as Hogwarts Library!

The Bodleian is known for its beautiful reading rooms and strict rules — for example, you’re not allowed to bring food or drink inside. Students must promise to protect the books before they can use the library. The Old Schools Quad is a peaceful place to sit and imagine all the famous people who have studied here.

Questions for students:

• How old is the Bodleian Library?

• Who uses the library today?

Okay everyone, we've now arrived at one of Oxford's most photographed landmarks: the Bridge of Sighs.

Its official name is Hertford Bridge, and it connects two parts of Hertford College across the street.

Many visitors think it's an ancient bridge, but it was actually built in the early 20th century. Its design was inspired by the famous Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which is why it shares the same nickname.

Now, the original Bridge of Sighs in Venice has a much darker history.

It connected the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace to the prison cells on the other side of the canal. According to tradition, prisoners would take one last look at Venice through the bridge's windows and sigh as they crossed into captivity, which is where the name comes from.

Thankfully, Oxford's version has a much less dramatic purpose. It simply allows students and staff to move between different parts of Hertford College without having to cross the road below.Okay everyone, welcome to the Sheldonian Theatre.

Sheldonian

This building was constructed in the 17th century and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, one of the most famous architects in British history.

The theatre was commissioned by the University of Oxford as a ceremonial hall and was inspired by the design of a Roman Amphitheatre. However living in England as you all know it rains here all the time so he altered the plans to add a roof for conventual use

What's particularly remarkable is that this was Sir Christopher Wren's first major architectural commission. He would later go on to design some of Britain's most famous buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral, which remains one of London's most recognisable landmarks today.

The Sheldonian Theatre continues to play an important role in university life. It hosts a variety of ceremonies throughout the year, but it is best known for graduation ceremonies.

Okay everyone, we've now reached the Weston Library.

This building was originally constructed in the 20th century as the New Bodleian Library, providing additional storage space for Oxford's ever-growing collection of books and manuscripts.

In recent years, it was extensively renovated and transformed into the Weston Library, which is now home to some of Oxford's most fascinating exhibitions. Throughout the year, you can visit displays featuring famous historical figures, rare books, ancient manuscripts, and important events from around the world.

If you look over here, you'll see the History of Science Museum. Inside you'll find a huge collection of scientific instruments and discoveries from throughout history. For those of you taking part in the treasure hunt, you might even find a clue connected to Einstein's famous equation!

And over here is Blackwell's Bookshop.

As I've mentioned throughout the tour, Oxford takes its books and libraries very seriously, and Blackwell's is one of the most famous bookshops in the world.

Hidden beneath the shop is the Norrington Room, which for many years held the Guinness World Record as the largest single room devoted to book sales. It's located underground and contains miles of shelving packed with books on almost every subject imaginable.

The shop itself is spread across several floors. If you're looking for refreshments, you'll find a café inside, and there are customer toilets available as well.

We're going to spend about 15 minutes here, so feel free to explore the bookshop, visit the exhibitions, or have a quick look around the area.

After 15 minutes, well meet up head back up to Carfax tower where we will start our free time