Overview

Duration Two and a half hours

Meeting point Outside St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket St, Oxford OX1 3EY, UK

Cancellations Partial refund (75%) if cancelled with more than 24 hours notice.

Group size Private

Accessibility The tour can be made step-free on request but will include some uneven surfaces. Please ask about accommodations for neurodivergence.

Activity details

Walk in the footsteps of literary and spiritual greats on this incredible tour of C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Oxford’s Christian heritage. As a recent theology graduate from the University of Oxford (BA Philosophy and Theology, 2020-2023), Rory is the perfect guide to the thousand-year story of Christianity in Oxford.

What's included

Entry into Magdalen College
Entry into New College
Entry into Divinity School
See the places where Lewis & Tolkien lived and worked
Visit Oxford’s most famous landmarks
Experienced tour guide, recently graduated from the
University of Oxford (BA Philosophy and Theology, 2023)
Expert guidance on planning the rest of your trip

What's not included

Entry into other colleges and University buildings (all other locations are seen from the outside only)

Itinerary

St Michael at the Northgate,
(Church whose tower was built c.1050; site of the prison of the Oxford Martyrs)
Martyrs’ Cross
(Execution site of reformation-era bishops)
Balliol College
Trinity College
Sheldonian Theatre
Bridge of Sighs
Bodleian Library
Divinity School (entry included)
(Oldest purpose-built teaching room in the world)
St Peter's-in-the-East
New College (entry included):
10a. New College chapel
10b. New College cloisters
10c. New College gardens and city wall
10d. New College dining hall
Eastgate Hotel (where Lewis and Tolkien met weekly)
Examination Schools (where Lewis and Tolkien regularly lectured)
Magdalen College (entry included)
13a. Magdalen College cloisters
13b. New Buildings, and C. S. Lewis’ rooms
13c. Magdalen College chapel
13d. Deer Park and Addison’s Walk
13e. Magdalen College dining hall
Christ Church (Home of Oxford’s cathedral; the old monastery of St. Frideswide; where the Wesley brothers studied)
Merton College
St. Mary’s Passage (inspiration for part of Narnia)
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Site of Thomas Cranmer’s trial; where C. S. Lewis and the Wesley brothers preached)
Radcliffe Camera
All Souls College
Exeter College (where Tolkien was an undergraduate)
The Lamb and Flag
The Eagle and Child

Highlights

This tour is the perfect opportunity to see where your favourite authors lived and worked - alongside visiting the sites of some of Western Christianity’s most turbulent moments. You'll explore the incredible places in which Theology has been taught over the last thousand years, see the inspirations behind Narnia and Lord of the Rings, and see some of the most breathtaking church architecture in England. At the same time, you’ll learn all about the City and University that cultivated these incredible authors and events, led by an expert guide and Theology graduate of the University of Oxford.

Christian History topics include: The Development of the Medieval University; Reform and Reformation; the Wesley Brothers; Newman, Catholicism. Tours can be made to focus on one, several, or all of these topics.

The tour includes entry into New College, Magdalen College, and Divinity School.

FAQs

Will we get to go inside anywhere on this tour?

Absolutely! The tour includes entry into Divinity School, New College, and Magdalen College. Divinity School is the oldest teaching room to still exist in the University, and possibly the oldest remaining teaching room in the world. New College was extremely important in the development of the Christian University, has an incredible chapel and 14th century cloisters, and is one of the most beautiful colleges in Oxford. Magdalen College is the college that C. S. Lewis was a fellow (academic) of, and where the most important Inklings meetings took place.
On some rare occasions, New College and/ or Divinity School and/ or Magdalen College may become unexpectedly unavailable. On such occasions, an alternative, or a refund equal to the ticket value for the college in question, will be provided.

Can this tour be expanded to include Harry Potter filming locations?

This expansion works really well. We will go inside Divinity School and New College as part of the tour - and both of these places were used in the filming of Harry Potter. The dining hall of New College was also one of the main inspirations for the design of the Hogwarts dining hall. Please just make a note of your interests when you book the tour, or feel free to email me at roryinoxford@gmail.com for more information.

Are there any bathrooms on route?

Yes, there are bathrooms both in the Western Library (about half an hour into the tour), in New College (about 50 minutes into the tour), and in Magdalen College (about an hour and a half into the tour).

Can we have a drink in one of the pubs after the tour?

Although the tour across the road from the Eagle and Child, the pub is unfortunately under long-term renovation. Happily, the Inklings also met in the Lamb and Flag (from the late 1950s onwards), which is on the other side of the road from the Eagle and Child - that is, exactly where the tour ends! The Lamb and Flag is an excellent pub, and I would definitely recommend having a drink there.

Is this tour customisable?

Most certainly. The tour is yours, and I always want to make it suit you and your interests the best it possibly can. You can make a note of your interests when you book the tour, but feel free to email me at roryinoxford@gmail.com for more information.

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Private C. S. Lewis & Tolkien/ Christian History (combined) Oxford Tour