Oxford - City of Dreaming Spires

In honor of the birthday of the Oxford English Dictionary, which was finally completed after over 40 years of work on February 1st, 1884 let's learn a little about Oxford.  

It is no surprise that Oxford has more published authors per sq. miles than anywhere else in the world.  JRR Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), CS Lewis (The Chronicle of Narnia) to mention a few.

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, did you know that she is based on a real person?  Her real name was Alice Pleasance Liddell, and Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson) made up the whimsical story to entertain a 10 year old Alice and her sisters.  

Oxford is a beautiful city in in South East England.  It is situated 50 miles north-west of  London.  The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the Saxon period.   The architecture of its 38 colleges in the city’s medieval center led poet Matthew Arnold to nickname it the 'City of Dreaming Spires'.

The University of Oxford is the World’s second oldest university. 

Balliol College, one of Oxford’s oldest colleges was founded in by John Balliol in 1263.  The truth is that Mr. Balliol had to pay for this college to be built as a punishment for insulting the Bishop of Durham.

The reason that Oxford was not bombed during WWII was that Hitler wanted to use it as his capital.

Lastly, in case you wonder where the name Oxford comes from, it originates from the old term 'Oxanforda' which literally meant a ford (shallow crossing) in the river where the cattle (Oxen) could cross safely.

If you need any help planning a memorable trip to Oxford, England or some other wonderful destination please contact me at [email protected] or 703-927-0588 

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