Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of.

Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 30 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights.

William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker?

. The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint

. Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting

. Where to find a weird museum

. Calendar of annual eccentric events

Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'

1006312103
Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of.

Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 30 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights.

William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker?

. The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint

. Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting

. Where to find a weird museum

. Calendar of annual eccentric events

Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'

10.49 In Stock
Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

by Benedict le Vay
Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford

by Benedict le Vay

eBook

$10.49  $12.49 Save 16% Current price is $10.49, Original price is $12.49. You Save 16%.

Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers

LEND ME® See Details

Overview

This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of.

Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 30 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights.

William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker?

. The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint

. Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting

. Where to find a weird museum

. Calendar of annual eccentric events

Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781784775629
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
Publication date: 11/28/2018
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 17 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Benedict le Vay, a former resident of Oxford's Old Marston, is a national newspaper sub-editor who wrote his first book, Eccentric Britain, more or less by accident after collecting oddities about his home country. He describes himself as frankly rather ordinary and is hard-pressed to think of anything eccentric to say about himself.

'At a push, I'd say, yes, I'm Honorary Secretary of the Friends of the A272, and I've asked for my ashes to be blasted from the chimney of my favourite steam locomotive at my funeral. Hasn't everybody?'

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Eccentric Year

January, March, March/April, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, December

Chapter 2 Eccentric History

Oxford bags of history, The University gets going, William Morris and William Morris, Twentieth century pressures

Chapter 3 Eccentric Literature

Alice, the prince, the Nazi and Mr Toad, The Wind in the Willows and real tragedy on the riverbank, Oxford's unequalled literary pantheon, Further reading

Chapter 4 Eccentric People

An eccentric Oxford don: Richard Cobb, The deeply eccentric Robert Hawker, The last great eccentric? Baron Berners, Oxford's most eccentric sculpture, Political also-rans and poly dollies, Sex and the Varsity, The What sports club?

Chapter 5 Eccentric Colleges

Colleges, their eccentric dons and other animals., All Souls, Balliol, Brasenose, Brookes, Christ Church, Corpus Christi, Exeter, Green Templeton, Harris Manchester, Hertford, Jesus College, Keble, Kellogg, Lady Margaret Hall, Linacre, Lincoln, Magdalen, Mansfield, Merton, New College, Nuffield, Oriel, Pembroke, Queen's, Ruskin College, St Anne's, St Antony's, St Catherine's, St Cross, St Edmund Hall, St Hilda's, St Hugh's, St John's, St Peter's, Somerville, Trinity, University College, Wadham, Wolfson, Worcester

Chapter 6 Eccentric Churches

Name that Saint, St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Christ Church Cathedral , St Thomas of Canterbury, Elsfield, St Giles, Horspath, St Barnabas, Horton-cum-studley

Chapter 7 Walks: Central Oxford

The architectural crown jewels, Walk: South of the High Street, Walk: North of the High Street

Chapter 8 Walks: East Oxford

Enter the freaky cosmic triangle

Chapter 9 Walks: North of the Centre

From Broad Street to the Bird and Bastard, From St Giles to Jericho and beyond, North Oxford: plain living and high thinking, Summertown

Chapter 10 Eccentric Things to See or Do

Punting: pleasure or humiliation?, Children's stuff (outdoors), Museums (and not just for children), Eccentric days out, Bike ride: spooky Otmoor

Chapter 11 Out of Town

Binsey, Boars Hill, Iffley

Chapter 12 Eccentric Facts

Oxford and Cambridge: strange similarities, Eccentric Oxford street names, Pronunciation and useless information, 12 peculiar meanings of the word Oxford

Chapter 13 Eccentric Living

Eat eccentric, Drink eccentric, Stay eccentric, Shop eccentric

Chapter 14 Postscript: Odds&bods, and a meadow's secret

Eccentric Glossary

Index

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews