SE Weekend Brochure_Autumn 2021

OXFORD LIFE

Japanese Art at the Ashmolean Museum

Get lost in Oxford’s best Bookshops

Hear something unexpected with Music At Oxford www.musicatoxford.com

The Dreaming Spires from Above The Skyscape of Oxford is world famous, and there is something awe-inspiring about getting above it all to enjoy breathtaking views of this iconic city. But from where? The tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Radcliffe Square is a great bet. A 127 step narrow climb and the £5 entrance charge is worth it: you will see the High Street, the Bodleian Library and Brasenose College close-up, as well as peeking into the neighbouring All Souls, the famously mysterious college with no undergraduates, just Fellows. With a few less steps – just 97 – St Michael’s Saxon Tower is another great spot. As the oldest building in Oxford it dates back nearly 1,000 years and forms part of the old city walls. It can be found on the corner of Turl Street and Cornmarket and is just £1.80 to climb. The Asmolean rooftop café is another worthy location for birds-eye viewing, and free with a purchase, which you can sip in a deckchair on faux grass.

Tokyo: Art and Photography Until the 3rd January 2022 In the afterglow of the Olympics, immerse

Oxford has a long literary history, with many of Britain’s greatest writers Oxford University Alumni including Oscar Wilde, Phillip Pullman and Lewis Carroll. You will therefore never be short of a good bookshop to poke your head into. Blackwell’s on Broad Street is something of an institution occupying three floors, including the underground Norrington Room, that contains a whopping 5km of shelving and is the largest single room selling books in the world. The Last Bookshop is another gem on tiny Walton Street in Jericho. Much smaller and bargainous – you can pick up cheap secondhand and new books and grab a coffee in the attached café. They say: ‘Our goal is to provide that rare pleasure, found only in discovering a book you weren’t looking for.’ At St Philip’s Books on St Aldate’s you’ll need to squeeze down it’s floor-to-ceiling book-filled passageways. They stock rare and vintage second-hand and have specific sections dedicated to the works of J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who formed part of the ‘Inklings’, a literary circle at Oxford.

After a year off for obvious reasons, Music at Oxford is back and they have launched their Autumn programme for 2021, which encompasses a more diverse repertoire than ever before. The organisation has been going for over 30 years, inviting internationally renowned musicians to perform in Oxford’s unusual and historic spaces, and providing the opportunity to experience music in all its forms. Community learning and social engagement are at the forefront and past moments have included Tasmin Little playing one of Beethoven’s violin sonatas and Hallé and Sir Mark Elder at the Sheldonian for a programme of Strauss and Mahler.

yourself in the artwork of Tokyo, a dynamic and thrilling city that has

constantly reinvented itself over the years. Contemporary photographs, pop art, iconic woodblock prints, video and historic folding screens blend together in this astonishing collection that includes new commissions alongside loans from Japan and treasures from the Ashmolean’s own collection. Shopping: What do you need? It is here. If you haven’t yet been, the covered market in Oxford is a well worth a peek. First opened in 1774 and therefore nearly 250 years old, it has remained in continuous use ever since, and was designed by architect, John Gwynn (who also designed Magdalen Bridge) as a replacement to the street markets. For a glance at the earliest surviving part (around 1840) – find the John Lindsey Butcher & Son unit. These days you will find cafes aplenty, independent clothes and gift boutiques as well as the usual local cheese, meat and fruit and veg sellers. Don’t miss Moo-moos for a made to order milkshake or smoothie. This family run business has a cult-like status amongst those in the know, and with over 200 flavours available you can try such delights as a haribo milkshake or the ‘blue moon’ smoothie. Gelato coming soon!

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