Oxford Civil War History Guided Tour

Uncover Oxford's pivotal role in the British Civil War with a guided tour exploring its rich history. Visit iconic sites like New College, where royalist arsenals were stored, and the Canterbury Quadrangle at St John's College, built by Laud, whose religious policies were a key cause of the outbreak of war. Learn about the lives of historical figures and how this remarkable period shaped modern Britain. The tour also includes visits to Jesus College, and Wadham College, where revolutionary scientific ideas emerged. Enjoy a stop at the Queen’s Lane Coffee House, a hub for political discourse. Optional evening evensong at Christ Church Cathedral adds a serene conclusion to your day. See the itinerary for further details.
- Expert, local, independent guide
- Suitable for adults / teens
- Learn about the causes of the British Civil War, the main events of the war, and how the civil war years and Commonwealth years affected Oxford.
- Small group (max 12)

Meeting Point

Italiamo Cafe

22 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AS, UK

We meet near the Italiamo Cafe at 22 Broad Street, near the red telephone box.

What's included:

• Optional trip to attend evensong at Christ Church Cathedral after the tour. See itinerary details.
• Entry to the Divinity School - part of the Bodleian library
• Entry to several of Colleges of Oxford University (see itinerary for details)
• Your expert, local guide

Not included:

• Visit to Christ Church College. Please note that a full visit to the College is not included.

What to expect:

Duration: 3 hours

New College

Holywell Street, , Oxford, OX1 3BN

Visit New College which served as the royalist arsenal and ammunition store. See the front quadrangle, chapel, hall, garden quadrangle and garden. In the garden we’ll see the best preserved stretch of the medieval city walls, and the mound - enlarged during the civil war. We'll also visit the cloister and see the medieval bell tower. These were used to store weapons and ammunition during the civil war, and more recently featured in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was here underneath the oak tree that Mad-Eye Moody changed Draco Malfroy into a ferret!

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Wadham College

17 Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ

See Wadham College where a remarkable group of scientists met during the commonwealth years and conducted scientific research which led to the foundation of the Royal Society in the 1660s. If the college is open to visitors, we’ll visit the chapel with its beautiful stained glass window by Bernard van Linge. This window is a fine example of the “Beauty of Holiness” movement within the church of England in the 1630s, led by Charles I and William Laud, which did so much to antagonise his puritan opponents.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Trinity College

Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BH

See the iconic Stuart Gates of the college and hear the legend behind them. See nearby a new work of art designed by sculptor Anthony Gormley and made in collaboration with UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. Hear a reading of Trinity College alumnus Laurence Binyon’s well-known poem “For the fallen” which includes the lines:
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Learn about how Trinity College fared during the Civil War years.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Clarendon Building

Broad St., Oxford, OX1 3BA

Admire Hawksmoor’s monumental Clarendon Building, now the administrative heart of the Bodleian Library. The Clarendon Building was built to house the Oxford University Press, the university’s publishing house. Learn how Hyde’s History of the British Civil Wars became an 18th century publishing sensation, and helped to fund the University Press and the University of Oxford from the early 1700s to today.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bodleian Library

Broad Street, University Of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3BG

See the Old Schools Quadrangle and visit the 15th century Divinity School, part of the Bodleian Library. Learn about this history of the old university library and how it was rescued and endowed by Thomas Bodley. Hear about what happened when Charlies I tried to borrow a book from the library and learn why Oliver Cromwell is listed among the library’s benefactors! Hear about how the British parliament met in Oxford in 1625 and in 1644. n.b. for a full tour of the Bodleian Library please refer to the Bodleian Library website. Most tours go on sale in person on the morning of the visit! Ask us for help!!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology

Ashmolean Museum Beaumont Street, , Oxford, OX1 2PH

Visit the Ashmolean Museum. Learn about how the royal mints were set up in Oxford during the civil war years to provide money for the royalist soldiers, and see fine examples of coins from the civil war period including the Oxford Crown. Hear about how the Oxford Colleges were asked to contribute their “plate” to the royalist cause and how some of them still hold IOUs from the crown! See Oliver Cromwell’s death mask and the lantern carried by Guy Fawkes when he was arrested in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Would the story of Britain in the 17th century British have been very different if the gunpowder plot had succeeded?

20 minutes

St John's College

St. Giles, Oxford, OX1 3JP

Visit St John's College, in particular the Canterbury Quad, Oxford first classical quadrangle (actually it's half classical, half “Oxford gothic”), which was built by St John's most famous (infamous?) son, William Laud, whose religious policies and tastes in the 1630s were one of the many factors which led to the conflict. It's normally also possible to visit the front quadrangle, the chapel where Laud was buried, and the lovely college Gardens. Could war have been avoided if Laud and Charles had pursued different religious policies ...?

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Jesus College

Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DW

Visit one of Oxford’s most characterful small colleges, founded in 1571. Hear about how the college fared during the Civil War period, and hear the story of a prominent royalist who ended his days here. See the dining hall with its portraits of Elizabeth I, Charles I and Charles II. Hear the story of Jesus College’s “second founder” Leoline Jenkins who worked for Charles II after the restoration and endowed the college on his death.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Merton College

Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JD

See Merton College, one of Oxford's oldest colleges, where Queen Henrietta Maria stayed while she was in Oxford, and nearby Corpus Christi College (if open) where you can see the king's door, and hear about the annual tortoise fair and race, one of Oxford's most charming and eccentric summer events! Learn about how Corpus Christi's octogenarian tortoise "Foxe" beat all comers at this year's race!

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Queen's Lane Coffee House

40 High St, Oxford OX1 4AP, UK

Visit the Queen’s Lane Coffee House, one of the first coffee houses in Britain which was founded during the 1650s, the Commonwealth years. Learn how coffee houses and the rise of newspapers transformed the political and intellectual life of Britain during the Commonwealth during the 17th century.

20 minutes

Christ Church Cathedral

St. Aldates, Oxford

Optional visit at the end of the tour - after a well-deserved cup of tea, attend evensong at Christ Church Cathedral with your guide. Evensong starts at 6 p.m. Oxford time and lasts about 45 minutes. During term time the service is usually sung by the famous Christ Church Cathedral Choir. Outside of term time you may find your guide singing in the choir! Meet under Tom Tower on St Aldate's at 5.45 p.m. and walk through Tom Quad to the Cathedral.
Historic note: Charles I and the Royalist government was based at Christ Church College during the Civil War Years. Charles I worshipped regularly at the cathedral during his time in Oxford and you can the chair where he sat. After the service it may be possible to briefly see the civil war tombs and the Jonah window which is the only surviving window from a series of 15 windows installed in the 1630s. The other windows were destroyed by the puritans after they won the war and took control of Oxford.

1 minute