I had tickets for a gig in Oxford (see later entry) in the evening, so, in view of the lovely weather, I thought I would spend the day in Oxford like a tourist, taking photos. And a very touristy thing to do is visit Christ Church College. I hadn't been for a while. (Although I did slightly gulp at the entry price of £20!)
But first the free bit - the college from the outside and then a walk around Christ Church Meadows which offers beautiful views back across to the college.
Yes, they even have cattle on the Meadow! Anyway, now to enter the College
 |
| No Peel door - very old graffiti - students telling Robert Peel what they thought of removing restrictions on Roman Catholics! |
 |
| The Hall Staircase |
 |
| Tom Quad - the largest quad in Oxford |
 |
| Tom Tower, guarding the entrance to the College |
The footings at the front of the photo below were originally going to be the bases for a cloister around the quad. As is evident, the original plan was never finalised.
 |
| Peckwater Quad |
 |
| Canterbury Quad |
Given that the Hall was closed, the main things to see for visitors are the Picture Gallery and the Cathedral. Now the Picture Gallery doesn't allow photos, hence no photos here. It is also a rather disappointing collection. It does have a few big name paintings, but it is fleshed out with a lot of less interesting stuff, especially very early Renaissance/late gothic religious art.
The cathedral is in truth, as cathedrals go, more interesting than attractive. It is a hotchpotch of added chapels, although at heart it is a monastic church that predates the college, Christ Church having basically taken over the old medieval building, with a major bit of Victorian renovation.
 |
| Traces of original ceiling paintings |
Not Christ Church, but across the road the slightly less impressive buildings of Pembroke College
No comments:
Post a Comment