TOURISM INFORMATION

The present Ashmolean was created in 1908 by combining two ancient Oxford institutions: the University Art Collection and the original Ashmolean Museum. The older partner in this merger, the University Art Collection, was based for many years in what is now the Upper Reading Room in the Bodleian Library. The collection began modestly in the 1620s with a handful of portraits and curiosities displayed in a small room on the upper floor. In 1636 and 1657, Archbishop Laud and Ralph Freke added notable collections of coins and medals, later installed in a strong room of their own and now incorporated into the Ashmolean coin collection. The objects of curiosity included Guy Fawkes’ lantern and a sword said to have been given by the pope to Henry VIII, both now in the Ashmolean, as well as a number of more exotic items, including Jacob’s Coat of Many Colours, long since lost. However, as there was a museum for curiosities of this kind in the University Anatomy Theatre, objects like this tended to go there or to the Ashmolean, after it opened in 1683, leaving the Bodleian gallery to develop as a museum of art        

http://www.ashmolean.org/

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Batsford Arboretum is one of the jewels of the Cotswolds and one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in the country.

Situated one and a half miles west of Moreton-in-Marsh (Gloucestershire - UK), Batsford Arboretum is tucked away on a south facing escarpment of the famous Cotswold Hills. Find out on this website about the history of the arboretum and the treasure of rare and unusual plants and trees it contains. See what we are doing for conservation and what we are planning for the future.

http://www.batsarb.co.uk/

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Blenheim Palace is a unique example of English Baroque architecture. Inside, the scale of the Palace is beautifully balanced by the intricate detail and delicacy of the carvings, the hand painted ceilings and the amazing porcelain collections, tapestries and paintings displayed in each room. On the first floor  - "Blenheim Palace - The Untold Story" brings to life enticing tales from the last 300 years.

We look forward to welcoming you to Britain’s Greatest Palace very soon.

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

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Nestling in a wooded combe in the heart of the Cotswolds and surrounded by beautiful woodland walks are the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in the country. With Heritage Lottery Fund support we are embarking on an exciting programme of redevelopment this season. Site access, interpretation and conservation are all being improved. During the work the water shrine and north bathhouse will remain open and there will be site tours to explain the building work in progress, plus an exhibition about the project. A unique chance to see conservation in action at a major archaeological site.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/

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A Grade II* Listed Building, Combe Mill Museum is the original power house of the old Blenheim Palace Estate timber mill and workshops.  This working industrial museum offers visitors a fascinating insight into work that went on behind the scenes of the Blenheim Estate over the last century or so.

Visitors get a feel for the past as they enter this authentic building where they are able to talk with Society members operating the machinery and demonstrating lost skills. The exhibits will be of interest to the whole family and children are catered for too.

During steaming days there are continuous demonstrations at the forge, and demonstrations of wood turning and other crafts upstairs in the Pattern Shop.

Outside there are several examples of portable single cylinder engines operating machinery.

Refreshments are available in the shop and there is also a riverside picnic area.

Visitors to Blenheim Palace wishing to experience all aspects of estate life should also come and visit  Combe Mill.

The museum is open and in steam on the third Sunday of March, April, May, July, August and  October and on other occasions by appointment.  Educational visits for schools or clubs can be booked.

http://www.combemill.org

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There is no other zoo like Crocodiles of the World!

We are the UK's first and only crocodile zoo and the only place in the UK you can see Siamese crocodiles, Black caimans, and many other endangered species!

http://www.crocodilesoftheworld.co.uk

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The remains of a large, wellbuilt Roman courtyard villa. The most important feature is a nearly complete mosaic tile floor, patterned in reds and browns.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/propert

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The site has been used as a place of incarceration since 1071, continuing until the closure of HM Prison in 1996. The old buildings have been preserved and are now open to the public revealing a time capsule – allowing the buildings to tell their story.

Visitors to Oxford Castle - Unlocked will learn about the real people and events from the sites turbulent past: the first Oxford teachings, the owners, visionaries, activists and inmates. People like Marshall William Smith, the King’s prison keeper, who in the 1600s made Oxford Prison as feared and as notorious as Colditz; Mary Blandy a convicted murderess, who became an 18th-century celebrity; Jack Ketch, the public executioner and the man on whom the Punch & Judy hangman character was modelled; and Anne Green, who survived her own hanging and narrowly escaped being anatomised by an Oxford medical student in 1650!

http://www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk

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The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses the University''s scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. The Museum itself is a Grade 1 listed building, renowned for its spectacular neo-Gothic architecture. Among its most famous features are the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo, and the swifts in the tower.   

http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/

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Cotswold Wildlife Park is set in 160 acres of parkland and gardens around a listed Victorian Manor House and has been open to the public since 1970.

The Park is home to a fascinating and varied collection of mammals,birds, reptiles and invertebrates from all over the world and aspires to show animals to people - so that they can come to understand and respect all forms of wildlife; to understand what is special about each species, and how the various species have evolved over very long periods of time, adjusting to survive in habitats from many parts of the earth.

The Park offers a fascinating collection of animals. Many are endangered in the I.U.C.N.'s (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red Data Books; others are still relatively numerous in the wild, but offer an educational encounter of value.

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

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Brewery tours Monday to Friday. School educational parties are welcome and are free of charge.

Brewery Tours on Saturday (10.30am and 1.30pm)

Tours start from the Visitors Centre and last approximately 2 hours. They consist of a trip around the Brewery, museum and village museum, followed by beer sampling. On leaving you will receive a badged glass as a memento of your visit.

Regretfully the Brewery itself is not suitable for people with walking difficulties or children under 12. However, the shop and reception area is able to cater for both, and disabled visitors.

The brewer’s craft is rooted in antiquity and many of its secrets are on view for all to see at the Hook Norton Visitors’ Centre and brewery museum. Anyone wandering through this astonishing display quickly realises that traditional methods have survived for sound, practical reasons. You can also witness the working steam engine on the ground floor of the brewery itself.

http://www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk/public_visitors

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The Pitt Rivers Museum cares for the University of Oxford's collection of anthropology and world archaeology.

Discover more about visiting along with information on the famous collections and our contemporary research.

http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk

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The tour experience

Your afternoon at the brewery will last approximately two hours. The guided tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and takes you through the brewing process of Wychwood & Brakspear Beers, from seeing the raw ingredients to the finished product, taking in the Copper, Mash Tun and Brakspear’s famous Double Drop system.

After the tour you are invited to sample our flagship Legendary Hobgoblin and our range of Wychwood and Brakspear bottled beers, which can be bought from our brewery shop as single bottles, or in gift packs and mixed selection cases.

http://www.wychwood.co.uk

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Welcome to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. We are often asked how a botanic garden differs from other types of gardens. Botanic gardens are collections of plants that are grown for purposes other than purely aesthetic reasons – but in Oxford Botanic Garden we do try to arrange the plants in attractive, sympathetic and exciting ways. Many gardeners come here to seek inspiration. In the beds and borders you may find new plants that would be perfect in your garden at home and partly for this reason we strive to label clearly every plant in the Garden.

http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/

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The museum was set up in 1996 and is an independent museum run entirely by volunteers.

The museum, which is in Gloucester Court Mews, High Street, Witney is set across two floors. On the ground floor we hold displays relating to the history of Witney and the surrounding area, and on the upper floor we have the Bartlett-Taylor Gallery which is used for housing seasonal programmes of temporary exhibitions.

We also hold a large collection of archives and photographs which may be of help if you're researching your family tree or trying to find out more about the history of your house. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like advice on these topics.

http://www.witneymuseum.co.uk

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