Oxford

Matthew Arnold called them ‘that sweet city with her dreaming spires,’ and the moment Oxford’s skyline emerges—a forest of Gothic towers, domes, and pinnacles rising above honey-stone colleges, you understand the poetry completely. This isn’t merely a university town; it’s a living architectural anthology spanning nine centuries.

Oxford University doesn’t occupy a single campus, it is the city. Thirty-nine colleges spread throughout the historic centre. Christ Church boasts a cathedral and a hall that inspired Hogwarts’ Great Hall. The Bodleian Library holds over 13 million items across multiple magnificent buildings.

Literary Connections: Tolkien taught here and wrote The Lord of the Rings while Professor of Anglo-Saxon. C.S. Lewis held court at The Eagle and Child pub. Lewis Carroll’s Alice began her adventures during a rowing trip on the Cherwell.