Oxford Things to Do Tips by mickeyboy07

Rainbow Medley Bridge

Is a pedestrian bridge across the River Thames in the village of Binsey in Oxford.The bridge joins the West Bank to Fidlers Island in the stream.It was erected by public subscription through the exertion and shrievalty of Henry Grant Esqiure in 1865.
The name 'Medley'for the West Bank of the Thames designates the 'middle' island between Osney and Binsey.

Address: Port Meadow,Oxford,

Directions: Cross Port Meadow from'Jericho'and head to Thames River to cross over to Binsey.

Godstow Abbey

Godstow Abbey is a hamlet on the river Thames two and a half miles Northwest of the city of Oxford.It is also known as Godstow Nunnery.The Abbey is built of limestone and was erected in 1133 in honour of St.Mary and John the Baptist for the nuns of the Benedictine order.The church was consecrated in 1139.
The church was half destroyed in the Dissolution of Monasteries act in 1191 under the rule of Henry VIII.The Abbey was converted into Godstow House by George Owen and was occupied by his family until 1645 when the building was badly damaged in the Civil War,after this damage the building fell into disrepair and was used by the locals as a source of stone for their buildings.During the 19th and 20th centuries it was used for the roundup of local livestock during the annual rounding on Port Meadow.
The Abbey like many other from this era is believed to be haunted.

Address: Port Meadow,Oxford,OX2

Directions: Five minutes walk from the Trout inn in Wolvercote and fifteen minutes from Port Meadow.

Museum of Natural History Museums Review

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a glorious Victorian Gothic building that opened to the public in 1860.Designed as a cathedral to science,the main display area is the Great Court,with a glass roof supported by 30 composite cast iron columns-a masterpiece of Victorian engineering.The court is surrounded by four arcades in the form of a cloister.
The central aisle of the Great Court features some Oxford treasures:the Dodo remains a connection to 'Alice in Wonderland',and the Oxfordshire dinosaurs.There are also impressive collections of minerals,insects,and biodiversity.The Earth Materials aisle has displays of meteorites,rocks and minerals.At the far end is a case of Fluorescent minerals in the form of a giant crystal.Extinct Reptiles features the giant reptiles of the Mesozoic era.At the front of this aisle are freestanding tables with Touchable Birds,animals,rocks and fossils.The lower vertebrates aisle is devoted to the diversity of lower vertebrates-fish,reptiles and amphibians and their early relatives.The Mammals and Birds aisle contains examples of many rare and attractive species.
The ground floor arcades house new displays on Evolution.These approach the topic from a historical perspective as well as explaining modern scientific ideas.A sequence of cases devoted to the evolution of Primates and of humans follows.The walls of the east and south arcades are deidicated to the History of Life.The display begins with a huge slab of sandstone crowded with giant Trilobites.The story of life on our planet follows,with more than a thousand fossils on display.The inner sides of the north,east and south arcades are occupied by table-top cases devoted to the biodiversity of Invertebrates.The displays combine spectacular colour photographs of live animals in their natural habitats with actual specimens and fossils.
Upstairs four galleries overlook the Great Court.On the inner side are displays of Shells,Insects and Plants.In the north-east corner are Gemstones.The Geology of Oxfordshire is displayed on the east wall,Birds on the north and more Insects on the south.The west wall is used for temporary art exhibition.

Entry is free and opening hours are 10am till 5pm every day.

Address: Parks rd,Oxford,OX13PW

Phone: 01865272950

Website: http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk

High street High Street Review

A wealth of new and old culture blend to give Oxford's high st a very pleasent charm.Along with all the usual high st.shops and stores you find in any city center are historic and cultural buildings such as 'universaties,libary's and museums.We walked around for several hours taking in the various sights and sounds,a lot of buskers and street mimes around and the usual coffee stands and political rantings from some unusual individuals indeed.

Address: City center

St.Giles church

St.Giles church is an attractive 12th century parish church just north of the center of Oxford.It was consecrated by St.Hugh of Lincoln at a time when this area was outside of the main town center.Now it provides an oasis of calm in a busy area of the city.
First mentioned in the doomsday survey of 1086,which recorded that the owner of the land north of the city intended to build a Romanesque style church on it.The church was finished in 1120,but not consecrated till 1200.In 1138 the Empress Matilda and her son Henry Plantagenet(the future Henry II)granted the church and all its property to the newly created Godstow Priory.At the time of its founding,the church stood in the midst of fields and there were no buildings between it and the city walls,which was marked by the church of St.Michael by the north gate.The city had a population of about 1000 all crowded inside the walls.Over the centuries,houses and other buildings began to gather around the church and today it lies between two busy streets.
It was St.Hugh of Lincoln,the great Carthusian monk and bishop who consecrated St.Giles church in 1200 AD.A cross of interlaced circles incised on the western column of the tower is said to commemorate this act.It is also in commemoration of this consecration that the St.Giles fair was founded.The fair still takes place today,on the monday and tuesday after the sunday following St.Giles day(september 1st).St.Hugh also expanded the nearby church of St.Mary Magdalene in1194.
Upon the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535 the church and its lands were given to Dr.George Owen of Godstow,a physician of Henry VIII.His son conveyed it in 1573 to Sir Thomas White,Lord Mayor of London,who in 1555 had refounded the Cistercian House of St.Bernard as St.Johns College.White settled the church on his newly established College,which has presented vicars to the church ever since.

Address: 10,Woodstock Rd,Oxford OX26HT

Directions: Five minutes walk north of city center.

Phone: +44(0)1865-311-198

Website: http://www.st-giles-church.org

Oxford Canal

The picturesque Oxford Canal meanders slowly through 77 miles of classic scenery,much of which has barely changed in centuries.The canal is one of Englands most peaceful waterways,running lazily through countryside from Oxford to Coventry.It was briefly the principal water-way from London to the Midlands,but was super seded soon after construction by the more direct Grand Junction Canal,now the Grand Union.
Consequently,the Oxford Canal has escaped large scale development and few towns have sprung up on its banks.The southern section is particulary charming and remains largely unaltered.The canal has many interests such as boating,fishing,swimming and walks.

Directions: Contact:British Waterways,510-524 Elder House,Elder Gate,Milton Keynes,Bucks.MK91BW

Phone: 01908302500

Website: http://waterscape.com