Morgan Ashleigh

This summer, I had the opportunity to visit a place I’ve dreamed of since I first read The Golden Compass series. I spent three days exploring Oxford, England walking in a literary dream.

This experience was very introverted for me because I spent this weekend traveling solo. I’ve traveled alone before out of an obligation for work or family. It was ridiculously indulgent for me to travel with only my personal agenda to consider. So, yes, I spent many hours in all the amazing bookshops and libraries without anyone hurrying me along.

Oxford has a rich history and I just walked around and absorbed the beauty of the architecture that was spared from the destruction of the world wars. I am no historian, but I am easily influenced by preserve places in history.

I’m going to share the highlights of my weekend trip as a book enthusiast in order to persuade you to take a day trip from London and explore this amazing little Shire.

Walking with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

I am a great fan of studying the history of beloved authors. I have read many biographies about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien (my favorite being the graphic novel The Mythmakers by John Hendrix, which I highly recommend) and imagined walking their footsteps when I visited Oxford.

I booked a tour to showcase spots about the two writers before I arrived, since they only offer this tour on rare Saturdays. I am not ashamed to admit that the dates surrounding my visit to Oxford were largely due to this walking tour.

It was surreal to walk in the rain to all the spots that C.S. Lewis and Tolkien visited. My guide said the walk would have looked the same since the buildings were well preserved since their time, free from destruction that most of London endured during wartime.

Now, I will admit that I didn’t learn anything new about these men during my tour. I could’ve given the history tour myself, but it was great to see the famous lamppost that inspired C.S. Lewis and the infamous door that brought on the image of Aslan and Mr. Tumnus.

Bodelian Library

As a librarian, I am obsessed with libraries. This is something transcending about stepping into a library. All the books are little portals into another world, so even the smallest library holds the largest space, like the blue police box that mysteriously appears around London.

Similar to old cathedrals, I admire the history and culture of well constructed libraries. Old libraries are often funded from diplomats and nobles who want to encourage education, and many wealthy people are under the impression that something beauty is something of quality. By today’s standards, this bias makes me jaded, but I can’t argue with the results.

I was determined to visit the Bodelian Library during my visit. I woke up at four in the morning a month before to procure tickets to an exclusive guided tour that sold out within half an hour. This was worth the effort because I got to go inside the Radcliffe Camera.

The Radcliffe Camera is the most exclusive section of the library. While The Duke’s library and the inside chamber have been showcased in films, the Radcliffe Camera does not allow any pictures at all inside. Only students are allowed inside with the exception of the tour I took.

I actually was in a tour that took place when many parts of the library was closed, but the Radcliffe Camera was active with students studying for their final exams. I’ve been out of school for a few years now, but this tour made me miss those days as a student when my biggest concern was studying for an exam. I would never want to return to college, but this did remind me of how I had romanticized education as a girl. This was the kind of library I envisioned studying in, not the converted grocery store that was apart of my library college.

Blackwell’s

There are many bookshops to find in Oxford, but nothing compares to the grandiose nature of Blackwell’s. In central Oxford, Blackwell’s has a single location that is built three stories. Below ground level is where the largest collection of books resides and you have to stare at the sheer magnitude of the place.

This is a reader’s paradise. Anything a reader desired was likely available in the store. Most of the collection I noticed catered to the academics that spent their spare pocket money on owning the books. There were a few copies printed from the Bodelian Press that were exclusive along with rare books displayed behind plated glass.

I spent a solid hour on the third floor that held the children’s collection. It’s always fun to see what is popular to kids in another country and how it relates to what my students are reading. I also was nostalgic to see beautiful editions of some of my favorite books. I longed to return home and reread my Terry Prachett books, forgetting how whimsical his writing was in his children’s narratives.

Shrines of collections devoted to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Philip Pullman were scattered around the shop and many books of R.F. Kuang’s Babel. Blackwell’s, while large and world renowned, still gives the impression of a local bookshop. The pride in Oxford is displayed everywhere and makes for a more inviting atmosphere.

Scriptum

Another shop worth mentioning is Scriptum. This is a stationary store that fulfilled all my greatest dreams. The tiny shop is filled with old stamps, ink wells, notebooks and cards. I had a hard time deciding what to buy. I easily could have walked out with half the shop if I had an endless budget and plenty of room in my suitcase.

The shop itself is picturesque with marionettes and old caravel masks on display and for sale while Opera music plays in the background. It’s worth just walking in to enjoy.

Christ Church

I also took a guided tour of Christ Church College. I hadn’t planned to do this, but I found that after two days in Oxford, I was staying in the same spots. With my last day, I wanted to do something different. I had passed Christ Church multiple times. It was beautiful and I booked a guided tour on the spur of the moment.

This turned out to be a great decision. I didn’t realize that Christ Church College was one of the few colleges that offered tours and that it was rich in history, housing many nobles who studied at the university. The tour guide also was good to point out every location used to film Harry Potter, which was the reason many people took the tour.

In the dining hall, the guide pointed out inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland where the real life Alice Liddell’s father was the Dean of the college.

Inside the college is also a cathedral which I was also given the tour. Old cathedrals has a great effect on me as a Christian who happens to be a romantic. I feel the awe of the care and time put into the structure of these buildings, and the cathedral at Christ Church College was no exception.

Final Notes

Confession: I read dark academia.

This is not a shameful confession, simply a fact that I am guilty of romanticizing education. Perhaps this is because I did not have the money for this kind of learning experience. As a kid, I loved the idea of studying at an esteemed university like I read about and saw in movies, but that was not financially feasible for me. I grew up middle class and dealt with financial hardship by the time I was paying for college. I lived at home while I studied and attended a local university to keep my expenses low.

I don’t regret this decision. I avoided taking out a large loan for school and still received a quality education that got me a job I enjoy. However, I still like the setting of an old university.

For me, travel is about experience. I don’t want to simply visit a city to check something off an imaginary list. I want to walk the streets and take everything in. This is why my travel tends to sway towards my favorite novels.

I wanted to visit Oxford to experience the mythical tales I had read and the equally mythical men who wrote them. Walking the streets of Oxford gave me that feeling that I will carry with me forever. I grew as a person and was inspired by the setting. I may visit Oxford again one day, but I know this is not likely. I live in America and have to save a long time to take a large trip. However, I can always return to Oxford with the stories I read, and now, I have my own pictures to look back on.