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45Alice, Aslan, Lyra and Lord Voldemort 6
— literary tales abound on a walking
tour of the City of Dreaming Spires.
Words: Sarah Barrell(^6) THE EAGLE AND CHILD
By now you’ve earned a drink at
The Eagle and Child pub, where
Tolkien and C S Lewis met with
other members of the Inklings
literary discussion group (a
document, signed by the authors,
praising the pub’s ham hangs
above a fireplace). Then head to
Magdalen College, where animals
carved into the cloisters are
said to have inspired a scene in
Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe. nicholsonspubs.co.uk
magd.ox.ac.uk
(^4) EXETER COLLEGE
Phillip Pullman set much of the
His Dark Materials trilogy in
the city, having studied at this
beautiful college. Exeter itself
takes a lead role in the recent
TV adaptation, as it doubles for
Jordan College — Lyra’s first
home in Northern Lights. Can
you spot the gabled attic window
from which she escapes dreary
academic life? Within dashing
distance: the Covered Market,
another favourite Lyra haunt.
experienceoxfordshire.org
(^3) BODLEIAN LIBRARY
Although New College’s cloisters
and Christ Church’s dining
hall are Oxford’s most iconic
Harry Potter film locations (the
latter not actually featured but
recreated in the films), don’t
forget to visit the Bodleian; one
of its wood-panelled reading
rooms, Duke Humfrey’s Library,
doubled as the Hogwarts library.
The gothic vaulted ceiling of the
Divinity School, meanwhile, was
Harry’s hospital ward in the first
film. visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
1 THE STORY MUSEUM
Start off at this new addition to
Oxford’s museum scene, which
celebrates the telling of tales in
all forms. Author Phillip Pullman
co-narrates City of Stories, an
audio-visual journey through the
city’s literary history, with fellow
University of Oxford alumnus
and author Kevin Crossley-
Holland. Meanwhile, in The Shed,
audiences can watch stories
being brought to life through
puppet shows and theatre and
spoken-word performances.
storymuseum.org.uk
(^5) ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM
The author J R R Tolkien was
both a student and professor at
the University of Oxford, so it’s
no surprise the city is littered
with artefacts and addresses
said to have influenced his most
famous works, The Lord of the
Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.
Well worth a look are the gold
Posie rings at the Ashmolean; the
inscriptions on the inside of the
hoops are said to have been the
inspiration for the all-powerful
One Ring. ashmolean.org
(^2) CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE
Take a tour of the college where
Alice in Wonderland creator
Lewis Carroll lectured in maths
and keep an eye out for the little
door in the Cathedral Garden said
to have inspired the entrance
to Wonderland. Go punting on
the nearby Isis, where Carroll
spun a surreal tale to entertain
the college dean’s daughter,
Alice Liddell — supposedly
the inspiration for the titular
heroine. chch.ox.ac.uk
ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN HAAKE
OXFORD
ON THE TRAIL
May/Jun 2020 27
SMART TRAVELLER