Оксфорд и его университеты

Oxford University

Position

Ox ford stands about 40 miles south-east of Stratford, on the hills where the River Cherwell meets the Thames.

Oxford means " a ford for oxen " .

With more than a thousand years of recorded history, this beautiful city is a popular tourist centre.

A bird’s-eye view of Oxford

When we walk along its clean streets we see at once that this is an ancient city. It has existed since 912.

There are buildings of different architectural styles there, but there is no contrast in their size and material because nearly all of them are built of the same soft grey limestone and have the same arrangement.

Oxford University

But it is due to the university that the name of Oxford is known throughout the world

Oxford University is one of the two oldest, most prestigious and most aristocratic British universities. It was created in 1249 when students expelled from the Sorbonne in Paris came to Oxford city monasteries to study.

Over 130 nationalities are represented among students. I choose Oxford University because of interesting position, history and ones of the most famous students,who left this place.

Studying at Oxford

Oxford is a collegiate university. It consists of 39 self-governing colleges :

• 29 colleges for men,
• 5 colleges for women,
• 5 colleges for both men and

women members.

Each college has its own hall, chapel and library.

The university has about 10,000 students.

Christ Church College

The first college, Merton , was founded in 1264.

The largest of Oxford University’s colleges is Christ Church , founded in 1525. Here everything is on a grand scale. Its great quadrangle is the biggest in Oxford.

The twelfth century church is amongst the oldest buildings in Oxford. It is also the only church in the world to be both a cathedral and a college chapel. The College bell, known as " Great Tom " , gives signal every night at 9.05. for the closing of the college gates. " Great Tom " weighs over seven tons, and peals a curfew of 101strokes – the original number of students (from Tom, a traditional name for a large bell).

Christ Church College

British students do not have to pay to go to university, but do need money to live away from home while they are studying.

Some students whose parents do not earn a lot of money are given a grant (money) from the local education authority.

Oxford houses the Bodleian Library . It is one of the most important libraries in the world with its 3,000,000 books and 50,000 manuscripts. There is the Radcliffe Camera, a classical rotunda now used as a reading-room for the Bodleian.

The Ashmolean Museum is filled with priceless archaeological treasures and famed for its pictures of the Dutch School.

The Oxford University Press , established in 1478, is one of the largest and most prestigious university publishers in the world.

• Oxford is one of the longest serving and most renowned university cities in the world. This ancient seat of learning still maintains many traditions and customs.

• Oxford is a place of great beauty, but it is not just a shrine to the past. It is a living entity and its historic buildings are the homes of masters and students whose learning, thinking and ideas have a profound influence on culture, education, science and politics.