VISIT TO THE CITY OF OXFORD
on Wednesday 31st March 2010
This visit has been organised by Kate and David Crennell.
OUP Museum, green men and sundials of Oxford
This walking tour takes in two parts of Oxford, which are not available to the casual tourist, the museum of the Oxford University Press and the Pocock sundial in Christ Church. We will see green men, other sundials, the former home of the OUP and end the tour at the Museum of the History of Science in Broad Street with its collection of old scientific instruments including portable sundials and historic clocks.
Timetable
10:30 Meet at the reception in the main entrance of the OUP in Great Clarendon Street. You can use the facilities of their coffee shop and relax after your journey before the start of the tour.
10:50 The tour start. It will be led by their archivist Dr Michael Maw. We will see their old printing equipment, learn about the problems of printing mathematics in physics text books, see a short film showing the history of printing in Oxford which started in 1478 and have a chance to browse in their library, where they may have books on sale. The tour lasts about an hour an a half. Afterwards, the OUP have kindly agreed that we can buy lunch at modest prices in their cafeteria, where you can get soup, salads, sandwiches or a hot meal.
13:00 We walk through the district of Jericho, past the former St. Paul's church and the houses, where the printers lived, to Green College entrance on the Woodstock Road, where weather permitting, we can see their sundial telling the time. We can also see the outside of the recently cleaned old Radcliffe observatory building, the Tower of the 4 winds, built in 1773. We may be able to see inside, no telescopes, but perhaps an art exhibition.
14:00 We walk on past the sundial near St. Giles Church and on past some Victorian green men to Christ Church to see more sundials and earlier green men in the cathedral cloisters.
15:45 We leave Christ Church to walk to Broad Streetto see the first home of the OUP printers.
16:00 We arrive at the end of the tour at the Museum of the History of Science to browse at our leisure amongst the exhibits. They usually have portable sundials on the ground floor and some window sundials on the staircase. I have not asked for a guide to show us round, because I think members have different interests and would prefer to get closer to their chosen exhibits, before the museum closes at 5pm.
Travel details
Bring an umbrella and also binoculars to see the green men high up on the buildings.
You are advised to use public transport. Driving in central Oxford is very difficult and parking extremely expensive, even if you can find a space. 'Park and Ride' facilities on the outskirts now have free parking. Pensioners Bus Passes are honoured on the buses into the city, which run roughly every 10 minutes. 'Cheap Day' rail tickets from London to Oxford are usually available at modest prices or there are frequent express buses from Victoria Coach Station to Oxford bus station.
A useful map can be found on the OUP website at http://www.oup.co.uk/contactus/ukoffices. It has a street plan of Central Oxford showing the railway and bus stations, 'Park and Ride' bus stops and a smaller scale road map. The map below is a section of this map.
Please note that the OUP main entrance is reached by a flight of about 20 steps from Great Clarendon Street. Any members, who have difficulty climbing steps, should send us their names so that we can arrange entry for them at the old entrance in Walton Street(photograph above). It is a flatter route, but further from the coffee shop.
Other websites which you may find useful are:
City of Oxford Sundial trail www.sundials/co.uk/~oxford.htm
Green Man Trail www.greenmantrail.co.uk
Museum of History of Science www.mhs.ox.ac.uk
The tour is limited to 15 people. Another tour can be arranged in September if there is sufficient demand.
The cost of the whole visit is £6 per person. This includes a donation to Green College, which do not make a charge for visiting them.
Contacts on the day – Reinalt’s mobile 07785 058741.
Late arrivals should go to the OUP reception described above, where they will be told how to join the rest of the party.
The tour organisers, Kate and David Crennell, welcome enquiries. Their telephone number is (01235) 834357 and their email address is fortran@dpmail.co.uk
