Oxford Civil War History Guided Tour

Join us for a walking tour of some of the main sites of Oxford including the Bodleian Library and New College. Learn about how Oxford played an important role as the royalist capital from 1642 - 1646 during the British Civil Wars. We'll visit key locations and we'll talk about the individuals who caused, lived through and shaped one of the most turbulent periods in Britain's history. Join an optional evening service at Christ Church Cathedral to conclude your day. See the itinerary for further details.
- Expert, local, independent guide
- Suitable for adults / teens
- See the main sites of Oxford
- 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:

• Entry to New College (see itinerary for details)
• 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
• 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: 2 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 which was 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

Trinity College

Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BH

See the iconic Stuart Gates of the college and hear the legend behind them.

5 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. Learn about the 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!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

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 student, William Laud, who rose to be Chancellor of the University of Oxford and whose religious policies in the 1630s were one of the many factors which led to the conflict. It's usually also possible to visit the front quadrangle, the chapel where Laud was buried and the lovely college Gardens.

15 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!

15 minutes

University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

The High Street, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4BJ

Visit the University Church of St Mary. Hear about how the role of the University church through the centuries and how the University Church was at the centre of controversy during the Civil Wars.

10 minutes

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Christ Church Cathedral

St. Aldates, Oxford

Optional visit at the end of the tour - after a well-deserved cup of tea, attend a service 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 see 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