Footloose in Oxford and York

In August 2020, Margaret provided 84 hours of medical care to a dying horse, saving its life.

Margaret in the 1950s

Margaret passed away March, 2020. Create Your Legacy

Margaret kindly remembered Bransby Horses in her Will. Gifts left in Wills help our charity rescue and care for hundreds of equines every single year.

T 01427 788464 BransbyHorses.co.uk/legacy

Charity No: 1075601. Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No: 3711676

Mrs Penney’s family generously gave permission for this image use and message; continuing Margaret’s incredible legacy. 84 hours based on 6 staff working at our Intensive Care Unit

Would you like to bring a smile to a friend's face during lockdown?

We will send a complimentary issue of Retirement Today to brighten their day. Just email address quoting FREE. email info@amramedia.co.uk

Please note we do not retain addresses.

Footloose in Oxford and York

By Debra Rixon

York-Shambles

Making a socially distanced travel programme isn’t as difficult as you might think. Our research had been done before restrictions were put in place, so when those same restrictions were lifted, it just meant we had to adapt. Day trips to Oxford, and a self contained apartment for York for minimum contact, we decided.

The weather in the summer of 2020 was on our side, and so were the tourism offices, eager for us to promote them, knowing the tourist industry would be struggling.

So we set off for our nearest architecturally rich and historic city – golden Oxford. I spent my early adult years there, so of course it was familiar, but I was focussed on very different matters then, so found that my knowledge of the city was quite narrow. Touring the colleges again meant I could indulge in some reminiscences, but it also meant I was learning anew, and our host in Oxford, Jack Doyle had a rich fund of facts and anecdotes. An American, he had studied at two of the colleges, so had the right background, we felt, to give us some potted history. Jack moonlighted for a walking tour company, Footprints, which we felt was appropriate for us.

Without the students for the summer, Oxford was largely quiet, almost dozing peacefully in the heat. Christchurch meadows were a rural delight, and the Botanical Gardens were pleasantly un-busy.

Strolling through the streets that were largely free of traffic meant we had time to notice little architectural aspects that we might have missed on a busier walk. The gargoyles on Magdalen College were a case in point.

American audiences have a strong partiality for British tv, and particularly Inspector Morse, so looking for filming locations is a favourite pastime for visitors to the city, and we were no different. One

York Monk Bar

of my favourite teenage haunts was the Turf Tavern, tucked away down a concealed alleyway, which claims a long history of notable and notorious past patrons. The Harry Potter films have also expanded Oxford’s appeal – Christchurch’s superb dining hall is the setting for Hogwart’s Great Hall, and as you can stay overnight at the college, gives perhaps a little extra frisson at breakfast. Oxford’s literary associations are legend, and strolling past the colleges of alumni such as Tolkien, Lewis and Carroll to name only three, seems to set you recalling their various works and which ones you liked the most. There is no shortage of pubs connected with them either. The Westgate Shopping Centre was being built as I left the city, and has been re-built in the intervening years as Bonn Square was established as a place to ‘hang out’. But that was as far as it went in the ‘70’s – beyond the Centre was a mystery – for it was the prison and castle complex – definitely not a desirable area to linger in. Until now. We were kindly given a tour of the Castle after the visitors had gone for the day, and the Site Manager Robin had a fascinating narrative of the Castle’s origins and history. The prison is eerie and atmospheric without the tourists, and the description of crime and punishment through the ages is pretty grim. In the 21st century though, a former penitentiary can become a tourist attraction, and be converted into a luxury hotel – ironically, you can spend the night in what were prison cells. Oxford makes a good touring base for the Cotswolds, with its wealth of history and breathtakingly pretty villages in that same wonderful, honey coloured stone.

Our second destination was historic York – Jorvik to the Vikings, and Eboracum to the Romans. Although we drove there, it is under four hours by train from Oxford, and the station is grand and a listed building. York’s railway associations are impressive, and the National Railway Museum is sited here in vast, sprawling splendour. A short riverside walk brings you into the city from the Museum, and what a city it is.

For us, to get an overview of the city, we had to take the UK’s most complete city wall walk, which was open in a clockwise direction only. There were two museums within the walls on our visit – dedicated to Richard III and Henry VII – both of which can go on tour at any time, and be replaced with temporary exhibits. The bars and barbicans are the gateways into the city, and the streets are called gates. All derived from their Roman and Viking past, which is joyously celebrated.

World famous Jorvik Viking Centre is a wonderful way to travel back in time, and affords a wealth of information that is being added to all the time. Nowhere in York can you sink foundations or excavate without archaeologists on site to inspect – and a redundant church has been converted into an innovative ‘dig’ that provides an opportunity for children to learn and discover archaeology.

The Castle Museum is a marvellous place to visit, and we were allowed to film Victorian Kirkgate once the public had left, which made it disconcerting in the twilight with sounds from the past.

No-one who visits York can resist the Shambles, another opportunity to experience the past, with shops unashamedly linking you to the Harry Potter world and magical properties of locally sourced Jet jewellery.

York Minster is magnificent; the third most prestigious cathedral in Britain and stands on the site of a Roman barracks, an AngloSaxon cemetery and the foundations of the Norman Minster. The Undercroft is a must-see exhibition whilst touring the Minster.

The city is also well known for its chocolate, and the Chocolate Story in the heart of York details the confectionary of the Craven, Rowntree and Terry families. There are tours of Goddards, the Terry family home as well, and of course, we had to conduct our own taste test to be fair.

York is a wonderful jumble of historical epochs, and you switch from Viking, Roman or Georgian periods at any street corner. An authentic Roman ‘leisure complex’ can be found beneath a pub to be visited for a modest fee – the exit is back up through the pub, which is a bonus. Down the snickelways and alleys are hidden gems, and Barley Hall is one of them. A beautifully restored medieval merchant’s hall, with a banquet set out worthy to receive Richard III when he visited York, and with whom the city closely identifies. There is a lot of fun to be had in York, and ghosts abound in the city and pubs. Nightly ghost walks are in abundance, and one of our hosts was Dorian Deathly, whose own tour is hugely popular. Debra at Oxford

York is at the centre of regional attractions – we couldn’t Covered Market resist hiring a compartment on the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway service to Whitby to visit the haunting Abbey ruins high above the town, and revel in a little Dracula lore. Magnificent Castle Howard is a short drive from York, and further up the A64 is the classic seaside resort of Scarborough.

Of course, not just Oxford and York, but all our tourist towns and attractions will be needing us post Covid. All our Footloose films are offered free to view on Amazon Prime n

Aerial view of OxfordRadclffe

Oxford All Souls College

Oxford Christchurch College

Win

We have 5 copies of Footloose in Oxford and York to giveaway. For a chance to win email your details to info@amramedia.co.uk quoting FIOY. Closing date 1 April 2021.

Have you thought of including Blood Pressure UK in your Will?

A lasting way to help others with high blood pressure Finding out that you have high blood pressure can be traumatic, particularly if you are young. Most people don’t know anything about the condition and worry about how it will affect them and those around them.

Helping you to lower your blood pressure Blood Pressure UK is here to help. With our information packs, range of leaflets and our helpline, we provide reassurance and support to those who need it. All of this work is expensive, and while membership subscriptions and donations help enormously, leaving a gift in your Will can help us make a bigger difference.

Leaving a gift isn’t as complicated as you might think. It doesn’t have to be a large amount, and it will give you the assurance that our work will continue long into the future.

Obviously, providing for your family and friends comes first, but once that is done please consider leaving a gift to Blood Pressure UK in your Will. We have put together a simple leaflet to guide you through the process. You can get a copy by telephoning (020) 7882 6255, visiting our website at www.bloodpressureuk.org or by writing to Blood Pressure UK, Wolfson Institute, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ.

LegacyAd.indd 1 16/06/2020 18:34