A brief guide to what’s on show

• Oxford – a dreamy city renowned as a centre of learning – is

also a paradise for museum fans. There are a great variety of

collections that will appeal both to visitors with specialist

interests, and to those looking to learn something new. Most

museums are within easy reach of many hotels in Oxford, so

visitors can easily visit a selection during their stay. Check out

these top museums to start your journey of exploration…

The Ashmolean Museum was the

world’s first university collection,

and is still one of the most famous in

the world. It’s also the oldest

museum collection in the UK, having

opened in its original location in

May 1683 as a repository for the

curiosities amassed by the eclectic

collector Elias Ashmole. Now in a

new location on Beaumont Street,

the museum houses the university’s

collection of art and antiquities, and

with free admission is an essential

stop on your Oxford museum tour.

Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH,

http://www.ashmolean.org

Home of Oxford University’s

extensive scientific collections, the

Museum of Natural History is often

popular with young visitors eager to

check out the dinosaur and

zoological specimens. With around

4.5 million specimens (making it

Britain’s largest scientific collection

outwith the national collections), it’s

also a great place to learn about

entomology, geology, mineralogy

and more.

Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW,

www.oum.ox.ac.uk

Another highly family-friendly museum, the Museum of the History of Science is housed in the oldest purpose-built museum building surviving in the world. It contains a fascinating collection of scientific instruments from throughout history and around the world, and gives great insight into how far scientific studies have come.

Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ, www.mhs.ox.ac.uk

Take a virtual journey around the

world in the Pitt Rivers Museum,

home of Oxford University’s

anthropology and world

archaeology collections. Building

upon the original collection donated

by General Augustus Pitt Rivers, the

museum now contains over 500,000

specimens organised thematically

by usage. It’s a captivating tour

through all the world’s cultures.

Enter through Oxford University

Museum of Natural History, Parks

Road, Oxford OX1 3PW,

www.prm.ox.ac.uk

If you want to get some fresh air

while exploring a top-notch

collection, Britain’s oldest botanic

garden (founded 1621) offers an

impressively diverse collection in a

surprisingly compact area. For those

craving a woodland wander, the

Harcourt Arboretum features an

excellent collection of trees and

other plants in its attractive grounds

just 6 miles south of Oxford.

Rose Lane, Oxford OX1 4AZ,

www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk

Oxford Lodge Peacock Gate,

Oxford OX44 9PX, www.harcourt-

arboretum.ox.ac.uk

One of the most significant private

art collections in the country, Christ

Church Picture Gallery forms part

of Christ Church College. It boasts a

stunning collection of around 300

Old Master paintings, plus nearly

2000 drawings that are show on

rotation, and is particularly

recognised for its collection of

Italian art from the 14thto 18th

centuries. The collection includes

works by Fra Angelico, Filippino

Lippi, Anthony Van Dyck, Frans Hals,

Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, plus

drawings by the likes of da Vinci,

Dürer, Raphael, Michelangelo, and

Rubens.

St Aldate's Oxford OX1 1DP,

www.chch.ox.ac.uk/gallery

A fascinating trip through the history

of the western classical music

tradition, the Bate Collection boasts

over 2000 musical instruments,

about half of which are on display

in the museum. The collection

includes samples of woodwind,

brass, percussion and stringed

instruments that date from the

Middle Ages up until the present

day.

Faculty of Music, St Aldate's,

Oxford OX1 1DB,

www.bate.ox.ac.uk

(Photo Credits: Philip Halling via Geograph.org,

BazzaDaRambler via Flickr, Mo Costandi via

Flickr, carlosfpardo via Flickr, bortescristian via

Flickr, Martin Beek via Flickr, Richard Holmes via

Wikimedia)