Oxfordshire - A Very English County
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| Oxford, UK / Photo from Unsplash |
Oxfordshire - A Very English County
When considering vacations in England most folk opt for a break in London. Of course the nation's capital is home to some of the finest, and most well-known, tourist attractions in the world but to find the "old fashioned" England you really need to venture beyond the confines of the metropolis. Thankfully we only need to travel a little over 50 miles to find the county of Oxfordshire and the quintessentially English, cathedral and university city of Oxford, little wonder this south eastern region of the country is so popular with tourists.
While cities such as Bath can trace their roots back to before the Roman occupation Oxfordshire did not really begin to grow in importance until the 8th century. Oxford, the county town of Oxfordshire, is most well known for having the oldest university in the English-speaking world, generally accepted as being an educational centre from around 1096 the University is first mentioned in the 12th century. Today the city can boast a range of colleges all featuring fantastic architecture and the city, as a whole, features buildings representing every single architectural period from the time of the Saxons.
In Oxford many of the early traditions of the "town and gown" still exist today. The term "town and gown" refers to the differences between the scholars and the civilians which often led to conflict. Following a particularly vicious conflict between the University scholars and the townsfolk, in 1209, a group of scholars left Oxford to establish England's second oldest university in Cambridge. Ever since then there has been intense competition between the two universities which manifests most publicly in the annual Boat Race.
While you could easily spend the whole of your vacation in Oxfordshire exploring the forty plus Oxford University Colleges and Permanent Private Halls, and the associated buildings, the county has lots more to offer the tourist. The River Thames flows through Oxfordshire (and Oxford) and exploring the picturesque river and the various towns and villages, such as Henley-on-Thames, can also take up a whole vacation. Many people visit Henley-on-Thames in June and early July during the Henley Royal Regatta, a famous international rowing tournament.
Hill-walkers, hikers and ramblers will enjoy a vacation in Oxfordshire as the Cotswolds, officially designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, stretch well into the county. This beautiful rural region, considered the archetypal English landscape, features gentle hills, historical towns and stunning stone-built villages. Important in the Middle Ages for its continental wool trade, the Cotswolds tradesmen invested in the building of fine churches, of local stone, which became known as "wool churches". Today an enjoyable vacation can be had touring the Cotswolds which remain in a virtual time bubble.
In the above article I barely touch upon the endless number of excellent visitor attractions to be found within the boundaries of Oxfordshire. I haven't even mentioned the masses of Historic Religious Buildings, Historic Houses, Stately Homes, Castles and other fascinating buildings, or the awesome country parks and numerous parks and gardens found within Oxford. Like many other counties of England, Oxfordshire has a superb selection of museums and art galleries but I think that the best of the county is to be discovered by getting out and about and searching out those out of the way places that are waiting just off the beaten path.
If the above has sparked your imagination you can discover more about Oxfordshire and the other counties of England at www.simplytop.com.
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| University of Oxford, Oxford, UK / Photo from Unsplash |
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| Oxford, UK / Photo from Unsplash |
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