Photos: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Andrew Gray, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Andrew Gray, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A librarian's walk around the Bodleian courtyards
Your local guide
Helen Barrow
View profile
Highlights
- Several courtyards, one growing library
- A passage worn smooth by readers
- A boundary barely moved in centuries
- How a working library actually functions
- What is open to the public and what is not
About this tour
This session traces how the Bodleian actually grew across several connected courtyards rather than being a single building, ending at the edge where the library meets a neighbouring college. It covers a covered passage worn smooth by centuries of readers and the shifting boundary between college and university land. It is told from decades inside the system rather than a single guidebook summary.
We move steadily between the courtyards, pausing at the worn passage for its own small story before continuing to the college boundary. Questions about how the library actually operates come up throughout, and I answer with more detail than a general tour usually allows. I finish with a short note on which parts of the complex are open to the public and which are not.
It suits viewers who want to understand a working institution rather than admire a single facade. It also suits anyone who has already seen the famous reading room and wants the fuller picture around it.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 6 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Oxford before heading out.
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Old Schools courtyard 17 min
We return briefly to the main quadrangle, and I explain how it links directly to the newer parts of the library added in later centuries.
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Proscholium passage 17 min
The camera moves through a covered passage linking two courtyards, and I point out worn stone steps that generations of readers have used to reach the collections.
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Exeter College boundary 17 min
The route ends at the library's edge where it meets Exeter College, and I explain how the boundary between college and university land has shifted only slightly since mediaeval times.
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Your questions 11 min
Time to ask anything about Oxford: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 5 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Steak and ale pie and Cowley Road, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 7 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Oxford, showing you Old Schools courtyard and Proscholium passage live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on a video call and move between three connected courtyards, since the library complex is really several buildings joined over centuries.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Mon 2 Nov · 7 seats left From 27,00 €
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