From art to archaeology: The best museums in Oxford
From art to archaeology: The best museums in Oxford
Discover an Oxford museum on your next trip to this University City
When you think of Oxford, you probably automatically think of the University. However, Oxford also has its own fair share of cultural attractions, including plenty of interesting museums. Here are the top five that you should put on your hit list.
Christ Church Picture Gallery
One of the most famous of the Oxford museums, the Christ Church Picture Gallery houses an important collection of 300 Old Master paintings and almost 2,000 drawings. It’s one of the largest private collections in the UK, with the majority of artwork donated by General John Guise after his death in 1765. Of particular interest is the Italian art from the 14th to 18th centuries. You can see drawings from the great painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo, as well as a collection of 18th and 19th century English glass and a number of 17th and 18th century Russian icons. Every three months new drawings are put on display so make sure you check the website before to see what is exhibiting during your visit.
Bate Collection of Musical Instruments
Any musicians (or simply any music lover) won’t want to miss the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments in the Faculty of Music at St Aldate’s. This extraordinary museum celebrates the history and development of musical instruments from the medieval period to today. There are over 2,000 instruments from the Western orchestral music traditions travelling through the renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and modern day periods. See rare brass instruments and saxophones, a variety of string instruments and all different types of woodwinds, from bagpipes to bassoons.
Ashmolean Museum
Of all the museums in Oxford, the Ashmolean Museum is by far the most impressive. It’s quite possibly the oldest museum in the world and contains the University’s extensive collections of arts and antiquities, dating back over four millennia. Originally founded in 1683, the museum is today home to the largest collection of Raphael drawings, the second most significant collection of Anglo-Saxon artefacts, and the greatest Chinese collection in the Western world. Highlights include Uccello’s The Hunt in the Forest, paintings by Botticelli and Piero di Cosimo, drawings by Rembrandt, Raphael and da Vinci, British art by Constable, Turner and Samuel Palmer, and 20th century masterpieces by Cezanne, Picasso and Monet. The Ashmolean also has a notable antiquities collection with pre-dynastic Egyptian artefacts and manuscript copies of the Old and New Testaments. It’s free to enter, and there is also a fine dining restaurant and café where you can relax after a busy day sightseeing.
The Bodleian Library and Weston Library
Bookworms will want to put Oxford University’s celebrated libraries on their to-do list. Both the Old Bodleian Library and the Weston Library are open daily to visitors and you can also take guided tours with local students. You’ll be invited to see the libraries’ historic rooms, including the 15th century Divinity School, the medieval Duke Humfrey’s Library and the impressive Radcliffe Camera. The Divinity School is one of the most beautiful places in Oxford – it’s the oldest teaching hall and the earliest examination hall in the whole University.
Pitt Rivers Museum
The Pitt Rivers Museum boasts a fine collection of anthropology and archaeology, with objects from every continent throughout human history. There are up to 500,000 different items, arranged by their use, rather than by age or origin. You can see incredible exhibits such as shrunken heads, skulls, fishing boats and Japanese masks, as well as the giant 11.36m-high Haida totem pole from British Colombia, Canada.
