Scenes from Campus // Oxford, England
As a Hokie alum, I’ll gladly drone on for hours about how Virginia Tech is one of the most beautiful campuses on Earth. My love for Blacksburg, Virginia isn’t just about it being my home for some of the best years of my life – it’s beautiful! With a special appreciation for university towns, I was delighted that my work allowed me to spend time in Oxford. I didn’t have the chance to take a formal tour, so over the course of multiple evenings afternoons I explored the campus by myself. Oxford is unique in that there isn’t one central ‘drill field’ but instead clusters of ‘colleges’ throughout the city.
A note about Oxford – to say that it’s the best university in the world wouldn’t be a stretch. The university has produced 26 prime ministers, 30 other international leaders, 50 Olympic medalists, and… Hugh Grant.
Officially titled the Hertford Bridge, it’s more commonly referred as The Bridge of Sighs because of it’s similarity to the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. This bridge connects two buildings of Hertford college and this year celebrated it’s 100th anniversary.
I sprinted to try and get a tour at the Christ Church college, below. But as the toll stuck 4:30PM, the visitor badges disappeared. Inside this building is the infamous dining hall filmed for Harry Potter.
Next time, folks, next time.
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is smack in the center of campus with it’s huge steeple towering even over the tallest of buildings. Original construction dates back almost a millennia! My American-brain can’t digest the age of these places.
The one college that I was able to access – actually open until 5PM, hallelujah – was Trinity College. For 3 pounds I was able to tour the grounds and snapped away zillions of pictures. The college itself isn’t all that large, with only 400 students, but has an endowment of nearly 80 million pounds.
