The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 1 mile (1.6km)
Time to walk: Only short, but lots to explore, especially if the colleges are open
Difficulty: Flat & all on hard surfaces
Dog Friendly?: A town walk with visits inside buildings so not really suitable
Parking: Use one of the Park & Rides & catch the bus in
Public toilets: Cafes etc en route
Map of the route:
William Shakespeare is known to have been a frequent visitor to Oxford & some of this walk will take you to some to the places he visited & the stories that are associated with him
It’s a very short walk, focused in the central area of the City, but it allows you time to explore other areas that are visited on our other Oxford Walk, like the amazing Covered Market – see this link
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk begins at Carfax, one of Oxford’s most recognisable landmarks, standing at the heart of the city
Situated at the junction of St Aldate’s (south), Cornmarket Street (north), Queen Street (west) & the High Street (east), it’s considered to be the centre of the city. The name “Carfax” derives from the Latin ‘quadrifurcus‘ via the French ‘carrefour‘, both of which mean “crossroads”
The Carfax Tower, also known as St Martin’s Tower (the remaining part of the City Church of St Martin of Tours), is a prominent landmark & provides a look-out over the town
St Martin’s was the official City Church of Oxford, where the Mayor & Corporation were expected to worship, between about 1122 & 1896, when the main part of the church was demolished to make more room for road traffic, & All Saints’ Church in the High Street then became the City Church for 75 years
All Saints then became the library of Lincoln College, & St Michael at the North Gate became the City Church
The tower is 74 feet tall & the City Council stipulates that no building in central Oxford may be built higher than it
2. Turn left & walk a short distance down Cornmarket Street…
Look at the Betfred betting shop on the right. The staircase leads to a room on the second floor known as the ‘Painted Room
This is a remarkably preserved late medieval timber-framed space. Once part of the Crown Tavern run by London vintner John Davenant, a friend of William Shakespeare, it’s believed that Shakespeare often stopped here on his journeys between London & Stratford-upon-Avon
The room houses an Elizabethan wall painting, a rare survival, dating from the 1560s or 1570s. Forgotten for over 300 years, the scheme was rediscovered in 1927 & carefully conserved. Today, the Painted Room is open for monthly tours offering visitors a unique glimpse into Oxford’s past
3. Continue for a few more yards &, on your right, pass through the small opening…
The buildings here date from the 16th century. The Golden Cross was a well known inn for travellers
It’s also highly likely that travelling actors performed here in Shakespeare’s time
4. Almost directly opposite over Cornmarket Street is an alley leading you to The Crown…
The Crown, previously The Tavern was one of only three places in the city that was licensed to serve wine. It’s speculated that Shakespeare had an affair with Jane, the wife of John Davenant, & fathered a child
The child became the poet & dramatist William Davenant & Shakespeare was his godfather
5. Continue along Cornmarket Street where, on the right, you’ll come to a building that was once the New Inn which dates back to 1385…
Ahead over the road’s the Church of St Michael at the North Gate which contains the font from St Martin’s that William Shakespeare may have stood in front of to become godfather to William Davenant
The name of the church derives from the its location on the site of the north gate of Oxford when it was surrounded by the Oxford city wall
Originally built around 1000–1050, & the tower from 1040, the church claims to be Oxford’s oldest building
The Oxford Martyrs were imprisoned in the Bocardo Prison by the church before they were burnt at the stake in Broad Street nearby. Their cell door can be seen on display in the church’s tower
6. Continue to the end of Cornmarket Street & ahead of you can be seen St Mary Magdelen Church & St Giles which is thought to have been the street by which Shakespeare would have approached the City
A Saxon wooden church was built outside the walls of the city just beyond the North Gate. This church was burnt down in 1074, so Robert D’Oyly, the Norman Constable of Oxford, had a single-aisle chapel built to replace it
In 1194 Saint Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, had the church rebuilt & parts of this remain in the church we see today
7. Turn right along one of Oxford’s gems…Broad Street…
Walk down the middle of the street & look for come cobbled bricks in the tarmac in the shape of a cross. This was the site of the execution of three Protestant Bishops, Latimer, Ridley & Cranmer. The Oxford Martyrs were Protestants tried for heresy in 1555 & burnt at the stake for their religious beliefs & teachings, during the Marian persecution in England
The three martyrs were the Church of England bishops Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley & Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury
The three were tried at University Church of St Mary the Virgin, the official church of the University of Oxford on the High Street, Oxford. The men were imprisoned at the former Bocardo Prison near St Michael at the North Gate church
The men were burnt at the stake on this very spot. Latimer & Ridley were burnt on 16th October 1555 for denying the Roman Catholic dogma of Transubstantiation. Cranmer was burnt five months later on 21st March 1556
Cranmer appears in Shakespeare’s late history play Henry VIII, written in collaboration with John Fletcher
8. Continue along magnificent Broad Street passing the College of Balliol which was founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol. It has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford & the English-speaking world
And then Exeter College on the other side…
…which is the fourth oldest college of the university
9. This area of the city is truly stunning with the Sheldonian Theatre on your right…
…which was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, Warden of All Souls College & later chancellor of the university. The theatre is used for music concerts, lectures & university ceremonies. The inside is incredible & we attended a talk by the wonderful Pam Ayres
10. In the same complex are the Bodlian Libraries which own over 12 million printed items including many valuable items of Shakespeare’s works
The Bodleian Libraries are a collection of 28 libraries the Bodleian Library itself. The architecture of this area is simply stunning
11. At the end of Broad Street’s The King’s Arms, also known as the ‘KA’ which was used by players in the early 17th century, with a stage erected in the yard. It seems likely that this would have been a favoured venue for Shakespeare…
One of the main student pubs, it has a rumoured claim to be the brainiest pub in the city too (they once said it had the highest IQ per square foot in the world!)
It claims to be the oldest pub in Oxford & was names after James I apparently in honour of his relationship with Wadham College founded in 1610 on the site of a Priory
12. Turn right into Catte Street where, on the right’s another great view of Sheldonian Theatre….
…& the left’s the bridge that’s often referred to as the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ because of its supposed similarity to the better known Bridge of Sighs in Venice
There’s a false legend saying that many decades ago, a survey of the health of students was taken &, as Hertford College’s students were the heaviest, the college closed off the bridge to force them to take the stairs, giving them extra exercise. However, if the bridge is not used, the students actually climb fewer stairs than if they do use the bridge
13. Continue into the wonderful area called Radcliffe Square surrounded by historic buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, & is pedestrianised except for access
The square is named after John Radcliffe, a student of the university who became doctor to the King, made a large fortune, & left a significant legacy to the University
The centrepiece of the square is the circular & imposing Radcliffe Camera, a library (originally for science) paid for by John Radcliffe’s legacy, built 1737–48
14. The large church in the Square’s University Church…
A church was established on this site & was adopted as the first building of the university &, by the early 13th century, was the seat of university government & used for lectures & the award of degrees
St Mary’s was the site of the 1555 trial of the Oxford Martyrs, when the bishops Latimer & Ridley & Archbishop Cranmer were tried for heresy
A section cut out of “Cranmer’s Pillar” remains from the morning of Cranmer’s death on 21 March 1556 when he was brought to the church for a sermon from Henry Cole, Provost of Eton College, who on Mary I’s instructions, spelt out the reasons why he must die. Cranmer stood on a stage, the corner of which was supported by a small shelf cut from the pillar opposite the pulpit; withdrawing his recantations of his Reformed beliefs, he swore that when he was burnt, the hand which had signed them would be the first to burn
15. Walk alongside the church & turn right back into the High Street…
Ahead of you you’ll see Carfax Tower where this walk started
So that’s our look at this very short, easy stroll around an area of the city that Shakespeare would have known well
Although only 1 mile you could easily spend a whole day exploring it & combining it with our other walk in this lovely city
Go Walk!