Top 10 Oxford

Oxford’s iconic skyline symbolises its status as one of our most influential cultural cornerstones

- Jenny Rowe

A tight-knit web of cobbled alleys, perfectly coiffed quads and grand golden-stone buildings make Oxford a portal to another world. One of witchcraft and wizardry, perhaps? Indeed, you’ll find several of the Harry Potter franchise’s most magical film locations here, including the enchanted Great Hall, filmed in Christ Church Dining Hall, and Hogwarts Library, partly set in the Bodleian’s Duke Humfrey’s Library.

Yet, for all the fiction that Oxford has inspired – from CS Lewis to JRR Tolkien – the facts are just as impressive. Oxford is home to Britain’s oldest botanic garden, Britain's oldest public museum and, of course, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Between the 13th century – when the educational institution fledged in the form of Balliol, University and Merton colleges – and the 19th century, the University and the city became synonymous. As a result, the University’s 39 colleges and associated establishments present an architectural showcase through the ages. The Victorian Gothic Keble College is one not to miss.

When, in the early 20th century, its printing and car-manufacturing industries boomed, an influx of new residents balanced out the student population, breathing modern life – and a touch of gritty reality – into this prestigious seat of scholarly study. Nevertheless, Oxford’s traditions and ambitions live on in the dreaming spires of this learned land, fuelling the imaginations of those that live there, as well as those that visit.