Oxford Architecture

My last day in Oxford I decided to spend the whole day exploring as I had to leave early the next morning. I began by instead of crossing over the river as I did every other day, I followed it to see where it led. There were many houseboats and it was very serene. It wound its way slowly around the town and eventually I found another bridge and crossed over to so I could head into the heart of Oxford.

                                        

I hadn't had the time to do it properly before so I decided to explore as many as the university buildings as I could, even though it would only be from the outside as most of them were closed for over the Christmas period. These were some of my favourite buildings that I can across.

This is one of my favourite pictures simply because it feels like something out of a fantasy novel. The old stone wall and the twisted tree looked like the perfect premise for a faery tale.

                                     

This church was gorgeous and free to enter. It was very quiet within which gave it a beautifully serene atmosphere. It was one of the highlights of my day. However there was a reason I visited this church in the first place, due to something my trusty Lonely Planet guide had told me.

 

 At the side of the church down a small alley - somewhere you would go only if you lived in the area (as C.S. Lewis did) or happened to know where to look, stood a door quite unlike any other I had even seen. There were no signs announcing what it was, but it was lit even during the day with a warm yellow light that made the door look even more beautiful than it would have otherwise. On either side sat ornately carved fawns and in the middle the stylized head of a lion. This is the door that inspired Narnia. More accurately, this is the door that inspired 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. 

The beautiful architecture of Oxford

Oxford at night and the pretty Christmas lights that were strung all across the streets. It was at night that Oxford really came alive with energy and people.

The next morning on Christmas Eve I headed off for Christmas in Edinburgh!

The view from my train as we wended our way through the English countryside up to Scotland.