Costwold Park

EXCURSION SHEET                             COSTWOLD WILDLIFE PARK

• Costwold Wildlife Park is set in 160 acres of parkland and gardens around a listed Victorian Manor House and has been open to the public since 1970.
• The Park is divided into four sections each with its own team of keepers to care for the animals in those areas.
• The Birds Section is responsible for the care of all of four feathered friends, including Penguins, a stunning group of Chilean Flamingos, a collection of Owl aviaries and a wide variety of unusual birds within the Walled Garden.
• The Primates and Small Mammals team look after all the park’s different primate species including the Siamangs and Lar Gibbons, the rare Purple-faced Langurs, the Squirrel Monkeys and many other small primates. They also take care of a large selection of small mammals at the Park such as the Meerkats, Prairie Dogs, Short-clawed oriental Otters and much more. 
• The Large Mammals and Farmyard Section take care of the big cats, rhino, camels and zebra, in addition to the variety of animals to be found in the walk-through section such as the Canadian Timber Wolves, White-lipped Peccaries, Brazilian Tapirs, and Parma Wallabies. They also look after all of the animals in the Children’s Farmyard.
• Lastly the Herpetology Section includes the Reptile and Insect Houses where you can see a variety of species including Morelet’s crocodiles, large Reticulated Pythons, Leaf-Cutter Ants and Tarantulas.

Botanic Gardens

EXCURSION SHEET                                         BOTANIC GARDENS

·        Botanic gardens are collections of plants that are grown for purposes other than purely aesthetic reasons – but in Oxford Botanic Garden we do try to arrange the plants in attractive, sympathetic and exciting ways. Many gardeners come here to seek inspiration. In the beds and borders you may find new plants that would be perfect in your garden at home and partly for this reason we strive to label clearly every plant in the Garden.

·        Plants are grown in this Garden to support our teaching programmes, for research scientists in this University and elsewhere and as part of plant conservation projects.

·        Furthermore this Garden is a national reference collection of 7,000 different types of plant, making it the most compact yet diverse collection of plants in the World – there is even more biological diversity here than there is in tropical rain forests and other biodiversity hotspots.

·        The Garden consists of three sections. The Glasshouses contain plants that need protection from the extremes of the British weather. The area outside the Walled Garden contains classic garden features such as a Water Garden and Rock Garden as well as the innovative Black Border and Autumn Borders. Within the Walled Garden plants are grouped in a number of different ways such as by country of origin, botanic family or economic use.

·        The family borders are a fascinating way of discovering which plants are related to each other and which botanical families are important in supplying us with food, fibres and medicines. But they are also a great place to discover new plants to grow in our own gardens. As gardeners we have tried to plant up each of the borders combining botanical accuracy with aesthetics.

·        There has been a glasshouse at the Botanic Garden for over 300 years. The first plan of the garden, produced in 1675, shows the very first glasshouse in Great Britain. This house was built from stone, with a slate roof and small windows – 17th century gardeners did not yet realise that plants needed ample light in order to grow! Horticulture has moved on since that time and today we are able to grow plants from all over the World within a relatively small area thus enabling visitors to experience fully the diversity of the plant kingdom. In our seven houses plants from dry deserts to tropical rainforests can be seen. Alongside 100 year old cacti and extravagant water lilies grow the plants that give us chocolate, sugar, coconuts, bananas, oranges, medicines and much more, but beware because some of the plants bite!

Windsor and Eaton

EXCURSION SHEET                                         WINDSOR AND ETON

WINDSOR

• Windsor castle is the largest castle in England and was founded by William the Conqueror in 1070. it was originally a wooden structure but was rebuilt in stone between 1165 and 1179. Most of the present buildings, however, were constructed in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.
• During the Civil war of 1642 – 1648, the Parliamentarian forces took control of the castle but, although it has been attacked many times, it has never been fallen.
• The castle is now one of the Queen’s three official homes. When she is here the Royal Standard flag flies from the Round Tower. The castle hasn’t changed much in 100 years but in 1992 there was a fire and some of the castle had to be rebuilt.
• Windsor’s streets leading up the hill to the castle are lined with shops of all kinds, and you can find anything from traditional English tea to fashionable clothes.
• St George’s Chapel is one of the finest examples of the Gothic architecture in England. Within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereign, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.

ETON

• Eton College was founded in 1440 by Henry VI at the same time as he founded King’s College in Cambridge. Its full name is “The King’s College of Our Lady beside Windsor.
• Naturally, many of the Eton students progress to King’s College Cambridge to study for degrees.
• Eton has produced more famous statesmen than any other English school and has more than 1000 students. Its most famous recent students were Prince William and Prince Harry, the sons of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and David Cameron, the Prime Minister.
• The school has a number of places you can visit like the School Yard, the College Chapel, Cloister Court, the Museum of Eton Life, the Brew house and the oldest classroom in the world.

Pitt Rivers and Natural History Museum

EXCURSION SHEET             PITT RIVERS MUSEUM AND      NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

THE PITT RIVERS MUSEUM

• The Pitt Rivers Museum was founded in 1884 when Lt.-General Pitt Rivers and influential figure in the development of archaeology and evolutionary anthropoly gave his collection to the University
• The General’s founding gift contained more than 18,000 objects but there are now over half a million. Many were donated by early anthropologists and explorers.
• Permanent displays in the Museum are ethnographic and archaeological and include the following: masks worn by actors in Japanese Noh dramas; boats, ranging from full-sized sailing craft to model canoes, tools and weapons and musical instruments.

THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

•  Professor of Medicine, Sir Henry Acland instigated the construction of The Oxford University Museum of Natural History (which took from 1855 to 1860) to bring together all the aspects of science around central display area.
• The Museum is an important centre for research and teaching, and is organised into four collections: entomology, geology, mineralogy and petrology, and zoology.
• Among the museum’s most famous features are the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo, and the swifts in the tower.

Martes 10 de Julio: Christ Church

EXCURSION SHEET                             CHRIST CHURCH

·        Christ Church is both Oxford University's largest College and the Cathedral Church for the Anglican Diocese of Oxford. Visitors are welcomed throughout the year to enjoy Christ Church's beauty and fascinating history.

·        In 1851, Charles Dodgson came to Christ Church to study mathematics. He spent the rest of his life here as a student and teacher. It was while he wrote for a student paper that he was given the writing name - "Lewis Carroll," by his editor.   

·        There is plenty more Lewis Carroll and Alice information at other Oxford venues, including Alice's Shop, which has a tea room and many Alice souvenirs available to buy. It is the real site of the old Sheep Shop which appears in Alice through the Looking Glass. Find out more at http://www.sheepshop.com.

·        Follow the footsteps of the world's favourite wizard through Oxford's most spectacular College. Many of the scenes in the Harry Potter feature films are shot in various locations of the College and as you walk around the cloisters and quadrangles it is easy to see why.

·        The Great Hall was replicated in the film studios to create Hogwart's Hall. Only one of our portraits moves, sadly, but many of the faces are the real "Wizards" who have changed the way we understand the world. As Harry and the new first-years enter Hogwarts they are greeted by Professor McGonagall. This scene was shot on the 16th century staircase which leads up to the Great Hall. It was just as well they didn't film this when the Hall was first built, since the wonderful vaulted roofing (shown in the picture above) was only put up 150 years after the staircase. You would have got very wet going for dinner if it rained!

·        The cloisters in Christ Church were first built 1000 years ago. This ancient vintage made them the ideal setting for various scenes.  It is here that Harry is shown the trophy his father won as a seeker in Quidditch. We don't know if the monks who originally lived around the cloisters had their own special games. If they did, they took the secret with them when they left 500 years ago. But who knows..........

·        Christ Church Meadow is a large area of tranquil pasture in the heart of the busy city of Oxford, owned and maintained by Christ Church and bordering the rivers Cherwell and Isis. A herd of beautiful Longhorn cattle are maintained by Christ Church on the Meadow and spend most of the year there. 

EXCURSIONS,

EXCURSION SHEET                                         BLENHEIM PALACE

·        Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill

·        It is set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland landscape; the magnificent Palace is surrounded by sweeping lawns, award-winning formal gardens and the great Lake, offering a unforgettable day out for all.

·        Blenheim Palace is a unique example of English Baroque architecture. Inside, the scale of the Palace is beautifully balanced by the intricate detail and delicacy of the carvings, the hand painted ceilings and the amazing porcelain collections, tapestries and paintings displayed in each room. On the first floor “Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story” brings to life enticing tales from the last 300 years. It is situated in Woodstock, just 8 miles from Oxford; the Palace was created a World Heritage site in 1987.Within the Palace, you can see the State Rooms filled with examples of superb craftsmanship and treasures collected over the last 300 years.

·        The Churchill Exhibition set around the room where Winston was born. Moving through the beautiful state rooms, there are amazing collections of porcelain, portraits, furniture and tapestries. Sweeping lawns surround the Palace and the spectacular 'Capability' Brown parkland stretches for over 2000 acres.

·        The Palace was created to celebrate victory over the French during the Wars of the Spanish Succession. In particular it was a gift to the First Duke of Marlborough. He was the military commander who skilfully led the Allied forces into battle on 13th August 1704 at Blindheim (Blenheim). After the Battle Marlborough personally received the surrender of Marshall Talland, leader of the French forces.

The actual building of the Palace was not trouble free. The first problem was that the Duchess did not want such a grand residence. She hoped for a smaller country house designed for comfort first and status second. She had many arguments with the architect Vanbrugh until Vanbrugh resigned. Sarah, the First Duchess, being a strong willed woman unfortunately fell out of favour with the Queen. Court intrigue made the most of this and for a short while the Marlboroughs even left the country. The second problem was therefore that Royal funds for the Palace dried up. Building of the Palace came to a halt in the summer of 1712. Eventually the Palace was completed at the Duke’s own expense