Other tours that were taken around the city included one that was a ghost tour. Oxford has many interesting ghosts, most related to the Civil War era. One ghost appeared when a gentleman who lived in a manor estate in a very tactical point gave up without a fight, since he was attacked during a party. Being a true gentleman, he said he would not fight with ladies present. Cromwell released him back to the city, taking the manor house. The king had him executed.

Another ghost story of this time is down a certain alley, at night the sound of a calvary of horses running can be heard. The hoof clomps, the jangling of the bridles. This is because one time at night, these horses did ride out to fight the enemy. In that battle, the enemy leader wasn't killed, but severely wounded. He was taken to a nearby inn, quite near to Oxford and died in one of those rooms. That inn is still in existance, and has no air conditioning. However, the room he died in is always very cold. A supernatural chill, perhaps?

Ever hear of Robert Dudley? He was the man most thought would marry Elizabeth the I. However, he was already married to a lady named Amy. Shortly after Elizabeth the I found out Dudley was married, and declared she would never marry him, Amy Dudley was found dead at the bottom of the staircase of her manor home, which is just outside the city of Oxford. She was hurriedly buried in this church. Her body was later taken by her family and buried in a family plot, but this church is where her ghost wanders.

In the movie Elizabeth, the beginning opens with the burning of those three people. That happened in this city, there is still the spot on the street, marked with a cross, where the bonfire stood. Old buildings nearby still show scorch marks from the fire. It is said that the last one to die was made to watch the burning (from the chapel that Amy Dudley's ghost is in, actually) before he himself was consigned to the flames.

To the left is what is known as one of the Emperor's. These thirteen heads line the street, guarding the graduation hall for the Universities. No one knows who the heads really are, as the man who carved them died shortly after carving them. However, each head wears a laurel crown, has a beard and their hair is of different styles. Each also has a look of surprise on their face. People speculate that they are the thirteen murdererd emperors of Rome.To the right is a mosaic that is rather unique in Oxford. It's all original stone. Most of the stone in Oxford has been refaced over due to wind damage, even the Emperors and other artwork. This mosaic however, has not. What is even more interesting is what the image represents. The lamb of God is pictured with the Star of Israel and John the Baptist. Seen over John's shoulder is a unicorn head. Most religious images were badly damaged or even destroyed in the religious upheaval in England, but this image remains intact. Also odd is the unicorn pictured in the image. Suffice to say, unicorns generally don't feature all that high in animals seen in religious motifs. Not Christian ones at any rate.

Another religious image in the city is one of Mary holding Christ. However, nearly the entire image has been redone in new stone. It seems soldiers, as they marched down the street, took pot shots at Mary and the baby. Mary's face was destroyed, and the image of Christ had been lacking a head. Bullet holes are still visible in the stone.

Some miscellanious pictures. To the left is an actual police logo. You'd never see that logo in Manhattan. To the right is a picture on the Thames river while punting. There are pictures of me punting, but I don't have any of them at current. While I do have a picture of Stonehenge, it's taken from a moving bus at a bit of a distance, so it didn't come out good enough to warrent being on this page.

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© 1997 kithan@hotmail.com

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