O
xfordmaybeacity,butitisfullof
trees, parks and gardens. It’s also home
to beautiful buildings, both ancient
and modern – and numerous bicycles!
It’sastimulatingplacetoliveandwork,humming
with the excitement of new discoveries. The half-
heardconversationsonthewalkfromthescience
labstothecitycentrecanbeextraordinary.
In early summer, I visit theMUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY^1 to see the swifts that nest in the tower
(thereisalivewebcamontheirnests).Hiddenat
thebackofthebuildingisthePittRiversMuseum,
which is crowded with fascinating items. My
favourites include the shrunken heads, a Hawaiian
cloakmadeofredandyellowfeathers,alantern
fashioned from a puffer fish, and a set of nested
ivoryballs,madefromasinglelumpofivory.
I love theMUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE^2 ,
where you can see the equipment that was first
used to pu rif y penicillin. Cont ra r y to popula r
belief, it was Howard Florey and Ernst Chain in
Oxford (and not Fleming) who developed
penicillin into a useful antibiotic. The bedpans inwhich they grew the mould are displayed here.
I also like the model of penicillin by Dorothy
Hodgkin, who solved its structure and is still the
only female British scientist to win a Nobel Prize.
My favourite place to eat isPIERRE VICTOIRE^3 ,
a vibra nt, fa mily-r un French restau ra nt wit h a
terrific ambience. But if I want a quick lunch then
IheadtotheTHE ASHMOLEAN CAFÉ^4 for homemade
soups and salad – and often take a look at the
Chineseceramicsonthewayout.
Just outside the city liesWYTHAM WOODS^5 ,
which is a wonderful mix of semi-wild woodland
and grassland that was given to the university over
60 years ago. You can apply for a permit to walk
there, provided you don’t disturb the experiments.
And then there are the college gardens – all
lovely and all different. In spring, I never miss the
rare and beautiful wild fritillaries in the Magdalen
College meadows, or the flowering bulbs in their
Fellows’ Ga rden t hat ma ke you feel as if you’ve
slippedintoanimpressionistpainting.My
favourite gardens are those atTRINITY COLLEGE^6- but I’m biased as this is my own college.
(^1) MUSEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY
This museum features the
world’s most complete
dodo remains.
Parks Road, OX1 3PW
oum.ox.ac.uk
(^2) MUSEUM OF THE
HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Here you’ll find an enchanting
collection of oddities, including
a blackboard bearing Einstein’s
chalked scribblings.
Broad Street, OX1 3AZ
mhs.ox.ac.uk
(^3) PIERRE VICTOIRE
A popular French bistro.
9 Little Clarendon Street,
OX1 2HP
pierrevictoire.co.uk
(^4) ASHMOLEAN CAFE
Fantastic eatery at the historic
Ashmolean Museum.
Beaumont Street, OX1 2PH
ashmolean.org
(^5) WYTHAM WOODS
Owned by the university and
used for research. Apply online
for a visiting permit.
http://www.wytham.ox.ac.uk
(^6) TRINITY COLLEGE
This college was founded in
- Alumni includes three
Nobel Prize winners.
Broad Street, OX1 3BH
trinity.ox.ac.uk
SCIENCE IN THE CITY
DAME FRANCES ASHCROFT SHARES
HER FAVOURITE SPOTS IN OXFORD
Dame Frances Ashcroft is a
professor at the University of
Oxford. She leads a research
team focused on diabetes
andhowitcanbetreated
and how it can be treated.ILLUSTRATION: TONWEN JONES123
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