Holiday Apartment in Oxfordshire: Discover Culture, Nature and History

Culture and History

Several long-established institutions come together in Oxford. The public has had access to the Ashmolean Museum since it opened; it houses the largest collection of Chinese greenware outside China. The Bodleian Library offers a 30-minute tour; the University of Oxford also includes Duke Humfrey’s Library, the university’s oldest reading room. The City of Oxford Walking Tour was developed by the Bodleian Libraries together with the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides and is conducted by qualified and accredited guides.

The history of Woodstock is also represented in several offerings. The Woodstock Gallery at the Oxfordshire Museum presents examples from the town’s civic and industrial history. It describes the glove industry as the second most important after Worcester and reports that the manufacture of polished steel cutlery established the town’s reputation, which extended throughout Europe, in the 18th century. The Woodstock Textile Trail includes a rare surviving piece of 18th-century needlework depicting the design of a Roman mosaic floor. The trail’s 17 textile panels tell the story of the town; they are predominantly hand-embroidered, with some elements also painted.

Rousham House and Garden embodies the first phase of English landscape gardening and preserves features that already delighted visitors in the 18th century.

Nature and Landscape

Cotswold Wildlife Park is set in more than 160 acres of parkland and is home to a diverse range of species, including many that are endangered in the wild. There are also more than 130 different bird species. The park offers animal encounters during which participants can help feed and care for the animals.

Oxford Botanic Garden was founded in 1621 and is the oldest botanical garden in the United Kingdom. More than 5,000 different plant species grow there. A publicly accessible space showcases treasures from the internationally important scientific collection of the Oxford Herbaria.

Walking and Cycling Routes

Oxfordshire has almost 4,000 kilometres of public rights of way. These include footpaths, bridleways, Restricted Byways and Byways. The official online cycling map for Oxfordshire suggests car-free routes as well as routes for more experienced cyclists. A cycling tour from Heyford to Oxford follows the southernmost section of the Oxford Canal.

Brewery and Regional Cuisine

Tours of Hook Norton Brewery include a visit to the original steam engine and explanations of how the brewery’s beers are made. They end with a half-hour beer tasting. Hook Norton Brewery’s free museum presents the history and heritage of the brewery and the village. The brewery serves locally sourced food for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.

Other Places in Oxfordshire

Other local pages in Oxfordshire: Witney, Wantage, Wallingford, Thame, Steventon, Sparsholt, South Stoke, Shipton Under Wychwood, North Stoke, Nettlebed, Minster Lovell, Kingston Bagpuze, Kingham, Henley On Thames, Great Milton, Faringdon, Duns Tew, Culham, Clare, Chipping Norton, Chinnor, Charlbury, Burford, Bletchingdon, Bicester, Banbury, Bampton, Abingdon, Waterstock, Kingston Blount, Dorchester, Weston-On-The-Green, Letcombe Regis, Charney Bassett, Aston Rowant, Alvescot, Mollington, Middle Aston, Fifield, Coleshill, Deddington, Shipton-On-Cherwell, Drayton, Hailey, Didcot, Chesterton, Clanfield, Swinbrook, Hook Norton, Kidlington, Goring, Church Handborough, Clifton Hampden, Murcott, Benson, Bloxham, Eynsham, Watlington, Hethe, Garford, Chadlington, Ambrosden, Waterperry, Ipsden, Great Rollright, Standlake, Horspath, Beckley, Holton, Stratton Audley, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Long Wittenham, Adderbury, Forest Hill, North Leigh, Aston, Milcombe.

For the overarching travel overview: South East England.