There are over 500 Oxford-based novels telling a story of this vibrant and aesthetically eclectic city which played a very special role in the lives of the UK’s top writers like JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll and Phillip Pullman. Oxford’s over 1,500 listed buildings, which showcase examples from every single significant period in English history dating all the way back to the Saxon Era, turn Oxford into such a popular international destination.

Oxford is a collegiate university, made up of 38 colleges and six permanent private halls. It was first settled in Saxon times and was initially known as “Oxenaforda”, meaning “Ford of the Oxen”. It began with the establishment of a river crossing for oxen around AD 900.

Walking down the cobbled streets or standing under the Bridge of Sighs will often make you feel as if you’ve been transported back in time. The golden-stone walls, ivory towers, gargoyles and elegant spires, some nearly a thousand years old, add grandness and charm to its mediaeval surroundings.