We woke up early this morning in order to walk to Victoria Coach Station, where we took a National Express bus to Oxford, a historic English city located roughly 50 miles west of London. Known as the “City of Dreaming Spires,” it houses the world-famous University of Oxford—the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The city features striking medieval architecture, iconic museums, and a vibrant, student-driven cultural scene.
But — the main reason for our visit was a Harry Potter walking tour. Author J. K. Rowling applied to Oxford University in 1982 but attended the University of Exeter when her application was rejected. However, the historic colleges of Oxford provided profound inspiration for the Harry Potter films and the magical atmosphere of Hogwarts.
Oxford has inspired a whole slew of writers, including Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), Percy Shelley (Romantic poet), Oscar Wilde (playwright), C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia), and Dr. Seuss (children’s books).
However, our guide, Ginny, told us about the legend of J. R. R. Tolkien and Blackwell’s bookstore here, which was our first stop on the tour. Blackwell’s is Oxford’s largest and oldest bookstore, being founded in 1879. The famous Norrington Room has held the Guinness World Record for being the largest room in the world selling books.
Tolkien was so impressed at his first visit to the bookstore in 1916 and picked up many books he wanted to read. However, when he realized that he didn’t have enough money to pay for them, he struck a deal with the bookstore owner—that he would give him a poem in exchange for the books. To clear his account, he traded a hand-written copy of his children’s poem “Goblin’s Feet” to clear the debt. The bookseller loved the poem and ended up publishing it, marking Tolkien’s first-ever commercial publication—years before The Hobbit.
When we first met our guide, Ginny, she said we would have a friendly competition with the people in our tour. We were divided into small groups, with Hogwarts names: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravensclaw and Slytherin. My grandson, Andrés, became the leader of the Hufflepuffs and got to wear the signature yellow and black scarf. As we viewed various Oxford locations which were used in the filming of the movies, Ginny asked a series of Harry Potter trivia questions, and nearly every time, Andrés’ hand shot up with the correct answer. I didn’t know until now that he is in fact a Harry Potter superfan (!) and the Hufflepuffs won the competition!
Alas, all things must come to an end, and my family will be returning home to California tomorrow. At the same time I will join Joan Ishibashi in meeting Bill Potter at London Heathrow airport to continue on to Gloucester and the Three Choirs Festival.