MARION SAUVEBOIS sets off
on a film tour of Oxford

FROM Inspector Morse and Lewis to blockbusters like X-Men and, of course, Harry Potter, Oxford’s landmarks, colleges and cobbled roads have been the backdrop to an armada of films and television dramas.

But while we all know this in theory, it is quite another thing to be guided through the historic town and walk in the footsteps of Maggie Smith, James McAvoy, Richard Burton and Nicole Kidman.

So on a sun-drenched Saturday, I let myself be led along Broad Street, past the Sheldonian Theatre to the Bodleian Library and Radcliffe Camera finally arriving at Christ Church College – a favourite with Hollywood studios.

Doing a film tour of Oxford is no mean task. Every corner has been captured on the big screen it seems. And the same goes for Christ Church, which inspired Harry Potter’s dining hall and where countless scenes have been filmed.

While many film locations are immediately recognisable, others require a bit of imagination, especially in Christ Church, where a courtyard was taken over by a large water tank for one of Harry Potter’s lake scenes.

As we soon discovered from our ever knowledgeable guide Heidi, there is a lot more to Oxford than its films. She couldn’t resist sharing her stories about CS Lewis, showing us the street corner which, with its lion head knocker, carving of a hoofed creature and street light, could well have inspired The Chronicles of Narnia. And we hung on her every word.

Visiting Christ Church and its stunning cathedral, we were at the heart of Alice in Wonderland, where Lewis Caroll met his Alice and drew inspiration for her adventures. So determined was Heidi to show us the very garden and door which started those adventures in Wonderland, in the author’s mind anyway, that she traipsed around the cathedral until she nabbed a member of staff to let us through a side entrance and take a peek.

With a blend of literature, history and, of course, film anecdotes, the tour was so much more than I ever expected. I left feeling knowledgeable, entertained and desperate to get home and share the fun facts before I forgot them.

 

Need to know
To book one of Oxford’s Official Guided Walking Tours go to www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com