“…Will, I used to come here in my Oxford and sit on this exact same bench whenever I wanted to be alone, just me and Pan.”
― Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass
If you are a fantasy lover, there are many places to visit in Oxford that will feel like they came right out of the pages of your favorite books. There’s just something magical about the city of Oxford, UK.
Oxford University produced some of the most famous fantasy authors, and this magical city seems to have rubbed off on them. It’s no wonder that authors like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Phillip Pullman found inspiration amongst the city’s spires and gardens.
Oxford is lovely to explore whether you are a bookworm or not. However, you’ll find Oxford particularly special if you love fantasy novels like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, His Dark Materials, or Alice in Wonderland.
Read on to find homages to these works and more in magical places hidden around Oxford.
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Magical Places to Visit in Oxford for Fantasy Lovers
Radcliffe Camera
The Radcliffe Camera is one of Oxford’s most recognizable and beautiful buildings. Indeed, it looks like it belongs in a fantasy novel.
Perhaps that is why J.R.R. Tolkien supposedly said that the Radcliffe Camera was the inspiration for Sauron’s temple for Morgoth. In addition to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s stories about Middle Earth also include The Silmarillion.
It is in the latter that the villain Sauron builds a temple in the fabled land of Númenor to honor his old master Melkor/Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. The temple is described as being circular with a silver dome that glittered in the sunlight.
The Radcliffe Camera’s dome is patinated now, but still beautiful. Built in the early 1700s, it was named for Dr. John Radcliffe, one of the most successful English physicians. He decreed that after his death, his money was to be used to build a library, and now the Radcliffe Camera is used as a reading room for the nearby Bodleian Library.
St Mary’s Passage
In his essay, “It All Began with a Picture,” author C.S. Lewis said the original inspiration of what would become The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was just a mental image of a faun carrying packages in a snowy wood. Since the book’s publication in 1950, the image of Lucy and Mr. Tumnus, the faun, standing under a lamppost in the woods has become iconic.
While C.S. Lewis attended University College and became a fellow and professor at Magdalen College, you can find a single, solitary lamppost near All Souls College. Walking South away from the Radcliffe Camera and towards High Street, you’ll pass through a small walk called St Mary’s Passage.
There you’ll find this single lamppost, which you can imagine standing alone in a snowy wood. Near the lamppost is a magical-looking door guarded by two gilded fauns. As a Narnia lover, this is one of my favorite places to visit in Oxford.
The Oxford Botanic Garden
Another of my favorite places to visit in Oxford is the Botanic Garden. While there is a small fee to enter, it is well-worth it. (Book your ticket in advance here.) When you enter the garden, the hustle and bustle of the city fades away.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Great Britain, dating back to 1621. It includes an arboretum with endangered trees, greenhouses, ponds, and plenty of flora. There’s even a section of poisonous plants used in Agatha Christie’s mystery novels.
However, fans of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series will be most interested in the Lower Garden. Here you will find a wooden bench with animal sculptures behind it. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know why I teared up seeing this bench.
This bench honors the excerpt from The Amber Spyglass, where protagonists Lyra and Will agree to sit on this bench once a year, each in their parallel universe. The animals depicted aren’t actual animals; they’re daemons (essentially outward manifestations of the characters’ souls).
George Street Social
While you are exploring these places in Oxford for fantasy lovers, I recommend stopping at George Street Social if you need a bite. This cafe/bar is open all day (including brunch served until 3 pm). Go in for some pancakes, a coffee, or a cocktail.
The food and drinks are delicious, and the vibe is cozy. Books and board games line the walls, making it a great place to settle in on a rainy day. George Street Social is exactly what you’d expect to find in a university city.
I particularly love the staircase that is painted to look like stacks of books, with punny titles like, “Taming of the Brew” and “Gin Eyre.”
Christchurch College
One of the oldest colleges that make up Oxford University is Christchurch College. It was founded by King Henry VIII in 1546 and has withstood the test of time. Though it is still an active school, tourists can take a self-guided tour of certain areas.
Christchurch is a must-see in Oxford for fantasy lovers. Not only were exterior shots of it used in the Golden Compass film, but the Grand Staircase was also used in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The dining hall will look familiar, as well, as it greatly resembles the Great Hall at Hogwarts. (Alas, the ceiling is not enchanted to look like the sky.)
One of Christchurch College’s most famous alumni is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, who famously wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He lived and worked at Christchurch for many years, and it was there that he befriended Dean Henry Liddell. The dean’s daughter, Alice, is said to be the inspiration for the Wonderland heroine.
Alice’s Shop
If you are an Alice in Wonderland fan, another place to visit in Oxford is Alice’s Shop. It is full of Wonderland-themed merchandise and gifts, with matching decor.
Located across the street from Christchurch, the building existed in Alice Liddell’s time. She was known to buy sweets there. There are illustrations of the shop in Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, in which it is a mysterious shop that is run by an old sheep.
Bodleian Library
Lastly, one of the best places to visit in Oxford for fantasy lovers is the Bodleian Library. You can choose to take a 30, 60, or 90-minute tour depending on which parts you are interested in seeing.
The Bodleian is made up of several buildings, but Harry Potter lovers will be particularly interested in Duke Humfrey’s Library. This medieval library was used as the “Restricted Section” in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The library technically dates back to 1447, when Duke Humphrey of Lancaster donated 281 books to the university upon his death.
After it was ruined during the Reformation, the library was restored in 1598 by Sir Thomas Bodley. However, only a few of Duke Humphrey’s original books remain. Still, the books in Duke Humfrey’s (now spelled with an ‘f’) library are incredibly old. Flame of any kind is absolutely forbidden, so the lantern you see Harry carrying in the film was added digitally!
Another section of the Bodleian worth seeing is the School of Divinity, which is one of the oldest buildings at Oxford University. Built in the mid 1400s, it was used for theological lectures and exams. More recently though, it was used as the hospital wing in the Harry Potter films.
The Bodleian also plays a major role in Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches, as it is where the protagonist discovers a lost magical manuscript. (Honestly, it would not shock me if there were indeed magical books hidden in the Bodleian.)
Honorable Mentions
Looking for more Tolkien ties around Oxford? Check out these places, as well:
- The Eagle and Child: See the pub that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to frequent and in which they discussed their writing. (Unfortunately, it is still closed for renovations.)
- The Tolkien Memorial Bench: Visit this commemorative bench in the University Parks, sitting serenely next to the River Cherwell.
- Blackwell’s: An Oxford trip isn’t complete without stopping at this revered bookstore, where you can pick up copies of all your favorite fantasy novels.
Want to discover more places to visit in Oxford? Check out these guided tours!
I hope you have a delightful time discovering these places around Oxford. Perhaps you too will find inspiration in this charming city and write the next great fantasy novel.
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