| Oxford: a great seat of learning, of celebration | | | | serenity of the town, whether it was walking in |
| and rivalries and of much controversy. How | | | | the 74 acres of The Parks next to the Cherwell |
| better to ingest this varied history than by | | | | (and maybe catching some First Class cricket for |
| staying in college bed and breakfast | | | | free); seeing a play at Sir Christopher Wren's |
| accommodation in the centre of this ancient City. | | | | Sheldonian theatre; taking one of the 8 million |
| Adorned with architecturally elegant colleges, | | | | books off the 117 miles of shelves of the Bodleian |
| libraries and bridges spanning the river Cherwell, | | | | Library; or just appreciating the finer details of |
| the ancient University city of Oxford exudes a | | | | one of Oxford's 38 Grade 1 listed buildings. |
| sense of settled accomplishment and tempered | | | | With the collegiate aspect of Oxford so |
| yet pioneering learning. Whilst this is what attracts | | | | important, there are fierce rivalries that exist |
| visitors from far and wide to this ancient city, | | | | whether its an architectural comparison of |
| today some of the colleges are allowing guests to | | | | respective colleges or the perhaps more brazen |
| scratch a little deeper by offering bed and | | | | rivalries on the sports field. The last of these to |
| breakfast accommodation in some of the 39 | | | | flare up was at the 2006 Rugby Cupper Final |
| bastions of academia and gothic masterpieces. | | | | where the spectators got distracted from the |
| It is within the heart of this city that you can get | | | | game by a fight between the mascots, with the |
| a real sense of its long and chequered past. As | | | | Pink Pembroke Panther and the St Peter's Squirrel |
| the first British university, it is actually said to | | | | having to be pulled apart. But all is forgotten by |
| have spawned its long-term rival Cambridge, after | | | | the time of the May Morning celebrations, where |
| two of its scholars were hanged for the murder | | | | graduating students follow the tradition of jumping |
| of a local woman and the resulting dispute | | | | into the Cherwell - however low the water! |
| between town and university caused a group of | | | | And why not be part of one of these historic |
| scholars to flee to the fens and set up in an | | | | colleges whilst visiting Oxford? You cannot escape |
| existing school on the Cam. It was another | | | | the sense of history if staying in Balliol (possibly |
| dispute with the town that almost led to its | | | | even in Harold Macmillan or Herbert Asquith's old |
| downfall with the University supporting the Royals | | | | room); nor can you avoid the peace and serenity |
| rather than Parliament in the Civil War. In the end | | | | of the beautiful quads at Keble; and fans of |
| it was only saved by, of all people, Oliver | | | | architecture and film will both appreciate the |
| Cromwell who rejected the Puritan calls for | | | | Palladian setting of the Golden Compass at |
| closure as its expression of intellectual thought | | | | Queens College. |
| was deemed 'dangerous to religious belief'. Since | | | | The joy of waking up in one of these ancient |
| then the university has understandably avoided | | | | colleges is hard to forget and this is why the |
| taking an official political position. The same cannot | | | | Oxford bed and breakfast service is such a |
| be said for its alumni which boasts 25 Prime | | | | unique way of experiencing the city. You can |
| Ministers, 25 other world leaders, 12 Saints and 20 | | | | literally become part of a college for your time |
| Archbishops of Canterbury amongst its other | | | | there and sample the history first hand in this |
| famous writers, scientists and inventors. | | | | extraordinary City. |
| And all would have appreciated the beauty and | | | | |