The wonders of Christ Church

Christ Church is my favourite place to take visitors, because it is home to so many wonders. It has been a site of worship for 1300 years, founded by a feisty Saxon saint before Oxford even existed. The college was initially an ambitious cardinal's vanity project, but was swiftly hijacked by Henry VIII. Over time it became home not just to thousands of scholars but to the real Alice in Wonderland and, more recently, a certain boy-wizard. It is the most famous college in the world's oldest English-speaking university, unique in having a chapel which is also Oxford's cathedral. I invite you to travel back in time with me via the spectacular Tudor dining hall, miraculously rescued ancient shrine, carved throne of the doomed King Charles I, famous Hogwarts staircase and rare medieval stained glass windows to get a lively history of not just the college, or Oxford, but of England itself. This tour is dependent on Christ Church being open to visitors on this day. When you book I will check with the college.

We will start in the glorious Christ Church meadows, then visit the college, which will take up to an hour and half depending on how much you want to look at! The itinerary includes: - The jaw-dropping Tudor dining hall, still in use today. - The stunning fan-vaulted staircase where Harry Potter was filmed and Queen Elizabeth I had a hole smashed through the wall. - Tom Quad where Oxford University students live and work, King Charles I mustered his troops during the Civil War and Sir Christopher Wren built a famous clock-tower. - The ancient cloisters where monks once roamed. - Christ Church cathedral where we will see the glorious fifteenth-century vaulted ceiling, St Frideswide's shrine and a range of stunning stained glass from medieval times, through the Pre-Raphaelites to the modern day. Please note this tour can be customised. Use the 'message guide' button to contact me for a customised tour.