Friday November 8

Today was tourist day.  It was overcast and chilly with on and off drizzle.  I had booked a tour at the Bodleian Library, as two of my great-grandmother's brothers were assistant librarians there.  It is a working library, and the part we spent the most time in dates back to 1487 - the original beams are still in the ceiling.  Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos in this part of the library.  The scene from the Harry Potter film where Harry sneaks into the restricted section of the Hogwarts library was filmed there.  If you google Duke Humphrey's Library, you will be able to see images of this special place.

We started the tour in the Divinity School.  It was built between 1427 and 1483 when Britain was Catholic.  During the Protestant Reformation, the stained glass was smashed and replaced with clear glass.  The building is no longer used as a classroom but can be rented for events.

We also visited the Chancellor's Court.  In the 1600's it served as Parliament for a few years under Charles I.  It was also the official court of the university.  If anyone connected with the university committed a crime anywhere in the city, they were tried in the Chancellor's Court, not the city court.  The crimes were mostly unpaid debts or public drunkenness.  This court was used until 1972.

Brad had booked us for a tour of Oxford Castle in the afternoon.  St. George's Tower (the square tower at the back) was built in the late 1100's.  By the 1700's it was being used as a prison.  The prison was expanded in 1785 and again in 1876.  It was used right up until 1996.  Part of it is now a luxury hotel, and the other part is preserved as a museum.

The crypt under St. George's Tower.

Looking down the prison hall.

The view from the top of St. George's Tower.

Another tower used to be on the top of this hill, which can only be accessed with a museum ticket.

View from the hill.

Broad Street in Oxford.

We have had some chilly days, windy and rainy days, but today was the first time it really felt like winter.

This is the building in the High Street where my great-great grandfather has his men's outfitters/robe shop.

My great-great grandfather William Purnell is the gentleman with the beard.  I have my mother's second cousin Ruth and her husband Dave to thank for this photo.  They very generously had us for dinner this evening, and I got to see so many photos and artifacts from the Purnell family.  Dave is an incredible genealogist and has preserved so much of our family history!