My father hails from Oxfordshire so I have been to the county countless times. That said, never had I been to the famous university city of Oxford. It’s been on my list for way too long and with a few days off in the form of a bank holiday weekend, it was decided that it was time to finally pay it a visit.
We were massively fortunate with the weather; with the exception of a 10-minute spell of rain, the whole trip saw the sun shine bright in Oxford. The city was just as beautiful as I hoped it would be, especially around the university buildings and the iconic Radcliffe Camera.
I do love a good museum and Oxford has plenty to explore, including the Ashmolean Museum (which I would spend a good few hours looking around as there’s a lot to see), the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and the History of Science Museum – to name a few!
One of the real highlights from our Oxford museum crawl was the Seated Figure painting by Francis Bacon, currently in residence at the Ashmolean Museum. As with most of Bacon’s work, it’s deeply harrowing and hard to take your eyes off it. No photos were allowed but you can view the painting here.
Oxford’s iconic Bridge of Sighs.
I feel like we timed this trip perfectly because all of the blossoms were out, making the city really look picture perfect.
Blackwell’s Bookshop.
We also explored some of the highlights around Oxford, including Blenheim Palace. As someone who loves fashion, I was keen to check out the Icons of British Fashion exhibition currently in place at the palace.
Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace itself was grand and utterly stunning, not to mention it’s a place with a fascinating history
Painting by Sir Winston Churchill, of the palace gardens.
The Icons of British Fashion exhibition at Blenheim Palace certainly didn’t disappoint. There were displays by the likes of Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Lulu Guinness, Barbour and plenty more.
There are also acres of beautifully maintained gardens surrounding the palace, so I highly recommend a turn.
It would have been rude not to swing by the much raved about Bicester Village designer outlet while in the area. With the likes of Dior, Prada and Celine up for grabs, I was excited by the prospect of bagging a (relative) bargain.
I’d also heard endless good things about Ottolenghi and there just so happens to be one at Bicester Village so we made a beeline straight for it to grab some food. Ottalenghi certainly deserves the hype; the food was…*chef’s kiss*.
So that concludes my little trip to Oxford. If you are looking for the perfect place to spend a long weekend, look no further!
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