View Full Version : Oxford - lovely place
sojourner
15-04-2007, 15:36
Well I've spent the weekend in Oxford, and I must say, it's a gorgeous place. I think the non-stop sunshine helped, but I really fell in love with it - some fantastic buildings (although someone went a bit overboard on gargoyles!), a good vibe to it, and we visited Blenheim Palace. Was complaining about the price until we walked around and realised how much it must take to maintain. Wow - beautiful. The Secret Garden and the Italian Garden were just gorgeous. I'm not usually a plant person, but I must have seen a bajillion varieties over the last 3 days.
Even did the Botanical Gardens today - one hothouse was full to the brim with hallucinogenics :D
*impressed*
Dubversion
15-04-2007, 15:38
i was totally won over by Oxford when my friend moved there in the late 80s, so I moved there too. Lasted about 2 years then had to get away - it drove me crazy. Too small, and too factionalised (the whole town v gown nonsense). But it is a fantastic place to visit :)
sojourner
15-04-2007, 16:02
:cool: Didn't know you'd lived there for a while
Yeh, it doesn't surprise me about the small-town mentality thing, can deffo see that happening
Each corner has a new surprise if you're just visiting though - I even went up (and bloody paid for the privilege!) to the top of a tower to look out over the 'dreaming spires' :cool:
Dubversion
15-04-2007, 16:12
was it Magdalene Tower (or at least the tower by Magdalene Bridge)?
they used to ban students from going up there during exam time in case they chucked themselves off in despair :D
sojourner
15-04-2007, 16:15
was it Magdalene Tower (or at least the tower by Magdalene Bridge)?
they used to ban students from going up there during exam time in case they chucked themselves off in despair :D
Nah, a bit further down the street - can't remember what it was called. But we paid a visit to Magdalene Bridge cos me mate said it's where loads of idiots hurl themselves off after graduating :D
Probably Carfax Tower, in the centre of town?
I've lived in Oxford all my life </hick> (well, apart from working all over the world :D ) and I love it too. It is small, and the places you visit are nothing like where I live, which is one of the biggest housing estates in Europe. It's odd, I've never even been into one of the colleges...
love the Botanic Gardens, did you go into the Christmas Pudding greenhouse with all the spices etc? There are some nice pubs as well... Oh and there's a secret free way into Belenheim for those of us in the know ;)
Glad you enjoyed my toon, drop us a PM if you come down again and I'll show you all the lovely secret places :)
I've been living in the outskirts of oxford for almost three months now and I don't think we've been to the same city.
So far I've not seen much of it. It feels like the most interesting parts have fences around them. It took me 15-25 minutes to find a park to have a nice sit down in.
Brainaddict
16-04-2007, 12:20
Oxford gives me the willies. The air of upper-class conservatism exuded by the colleges makes me want to plant bombs.
And it's boring too.
i like to visit the place, but i think the stoodents would do my head in if i stayed more than a few days, lovely to wander about in on a short visit though
:rolleyes:
I know what you mean about the students, they make me want to go into a hammer throwing frenzy whilst shouting "get the fuck out of my town", but if you don't go into town or into crap pubs you almost never see them :)
I still love living in Oxford, but it's the bit of the city that no-one ever visits.
sojourner
16-04-2007, 12:37
Probably Carfax Tower, in the centre of town?
I've lived in Oxford all my life </hick> (well, apart from working all over the world :D ) and I love it too. It is small, and the places you visit are nothing like where I live, which is one of the biggest housing estates in Europe. It's odd, I've never even been into one of the colleges...
love the Botanic Gardens, did you go into the Christmas Pudding greenhouse with all the spices etc? There are some nice pubs as well... Oh and there's a secret free way into Belenheim for those of us in the know
Glad you enjoyed my toon, drop us a PM if you come down again and I'll show you all the lovely secret places :)
Yep, that's the Tower! I had a little moment of imagining Lyra leaping about the rooftops :o
My mate lives in Summertown, which as you prob know, is nowt like the centre of Oxford. It seems to be half rich half poor round there. It was more of a falling in love with the architecture and the various places tbh - I could see meself getting annual tickets for both BP and the Botanic Gardens, cos they're both really great places that I could spend a lot of time in quite happily. Hehe, yes, the spices hothouse - we were walking round squealing pointing all the different stuff out to each other :D
:cool: aye, I will let you know if I'm visiting again anytime soon (and let me know about this secret entry to Blenheim!)
I've been to Oxford, for a bit last year and thought it was lovely. Makes a nice change from Manchester, it's small but it's big enough to have all the things you'd expect in a city. And the architecture is wonderful. If it wasn't so expensive and full of Oxford students, I'd have no problem living there :)
I've been living in the outskirts of oxford for almost three months now and I don't think we've been to the same city.
So far I've not seen much of it. It feels like the most interesting parts have fences around them. It took me 15-25 minutes to find a park to have a nice sit down in.
Loads of the City and the parks are open. Now the sun is out get out on your bike and go explore:
Port Meadow - biggest meadow in the UK, next to Thames. Fab for everything
Punting at Cherwell boat house to the Vic
University parks
Various swimming spots along the Thames + some tucked away places...
Christchurch college gardens
Mesapotania
Whytam woods
Shotover
If you have a bike I'd be happy to give you a tour of any of these places.
I've been here for five years and don't have any problems with it being small. I enjoy bumping into folk when around and about. And I think in many ways its progressive, you just need to find the right people.
Blemham (gardens) for free...
There are public footpaths running through the gardens. Either get an OS map or:
From Oxford go towards Woodstock. Drive through the village and at the bottom of the hill you'll see the Black Prince pub
There in an entrance opposite this pub. Its desigused to look like a gated entrance to a house. Its a big double gate green gate followed by a second gate.
Another entrance is just a little further away from Oxford after the pub. About 200m up the road past the Black Prince.
Dubversion
16-04-2007, 14:51
Port Meadow - biggest meadow in the UK, next to Thames. Fab for everything
i helped save that :)
i used to live on osney too, which was weird - the people really did have a slightly island mentality, despite the fact that they were at most 4ft from 'the mainland' :D
Dirty Martini
16-04-2007, 15:20
I really hated it at first but grew to love it. There are some great pubs, the parks are great and it's got the best links to London of any town I've lived in. But it was a bit crap for nights out outside the university when I was there, music etc. What's it like now?
Complaining about the students and the university's a bit daft though. No rich university, no beautiful buildings, no?
sojourner
16-04-2007, 17:09
Blemham (gardens) for free...
There are public footpaths running through the gardens. Either get an OS map or:
From Oxford go towards Woodstock. Drive through the village and at the bottom of the hill you'll see the Black Prince pub
There in an entrance opposite this pub. Its desigused to look like a gated entrance to a house. Its a big double gate green gate followed by a second gate.
Another entrance is just a little further away from Oxford after the pub. About 200m up the road past the Black Prince.
:cool: Nice one, cheers for that
rhys gethin
16-04-2007, 17:50
Cambridge is marginally less showy, in my view. Pity about the Greene King though.
I didn't like it when I went there - someone spat at me in the street, which I thought was rather rude.
bluestreak
16-04-2007, 18:05
i've had a couple of great nights there, but i couldn't live there.
tom_craggs
16-04-2007, 18:35
Probably Carfax Tower, in the centre of town?
I've lived in Oxford all my life </hick> (well, apart from working all over the world :D ) and I love it too. It is small, and the places you visit are nothing like where I live, which is one of the biggest housing estates in Europe. It's odd, I've never even been into one of the colleges...
love the Botanic Gardens, did you go into the Christmas Pudding greenhouse with all the spices etc? There are some nice pubs as well... Oh and there's a secret free way into Belenheim for those of us in the know ;)
Glad you enjoyed my toon, drop us a PM if you come down again and I'll show you all the lovely secret places :)
Just to add, I am still here...and still get bored! ;o)
Just to add, I am still here...and still get bored! ;o)
So come on then, who's up for an Oxford drinks / meet up? I can think of 5 people who are here so why the devil not? Pub quiz? Drinkies by the river?
:)
tom_craggs
17-04-2007, 12:50
Any of the above, go on, give me a reason to stay in Oxford for change instead of disapearing off every weekend...
sojourner
17-04-2007, 13:48
Oi - get orf my thread and get yer own meet up thread!! :p
Oooh- I want to come too please!
Drinkies and some lush summer salads!
ska invita
24-04-2007, 17:27
what other towns in uk have a strong sense of history/loadsa old buildings - but arent overrun by toff students?
Yeah, bring on the Pimms. Hold the lemonade as I'll have mine with Champagne!
Personally I've go not problem with the students, toffs or not. Infact I like the toffs as they add a bit of colour - so long as don't get too shouty and their hi brow pub conversations do not drift too far
Yeah I quite like the Toffs too. It's the townies who can get quite frightening. BILL HICKS did a great monologue on the place on a recently isssued live album wondering what Darwin would think of the place
"by the time you reach the end of the Cowley Road, the thumbs have disappeared":D
Yeah I quite like the Toffs too. It's the townies who can get quite frightening. BILL HICKS did a great monologue on the place on a recently isssued live album wondering what Darwin would think of the place
"by the time you reach the end of the Cowley Road, the thumbs have disappeared":D
As a resident of Blackbird Leys (reach the end of Cowley Rd then carry on) I have to say :mad: :mad: :mad: Except obviously I have to type it using only the fingers I have been blessed with.
I was there, music etc. What's it like now?One of my main reasons for leaving, overall. Still often better than here though :)
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