Christ Church Cathedral serves as a college chapel for Christ Church College, and is also the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford. The Anglican cathedral dates back originally to the 12th Century, and is a beautiful edifice that is famed for its high arches and towering pillars. In the 16th Century, the Cathedral was taken over by Cardinal Wolsey, and soon after by Henry VIII himself. The cathedral choir is one of the finest in the city.
Known by locals as "The Broad," Broad Street is famous for its landmark locations and the historic events which occurred there. Visitors should expect an educational walk as they pass the area where Protestant Oxford martyrs Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer were burned at the stake. Buy books on the local area or just about any other subject at the world famous Blackwell's which offers more books for sale than any shop in all of Europe. The Balliol College, Trinity College and Exeter College; all part of University College Oxford are also on the street.
Christ Church is the most famous Oxford college, probably the grandest and certainly the most photographed. Founded as Cardinal College in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey, the college became Christ Church in 1545. The college chapel, which is also the cathedral of the Oxford diocese, contains the reconstructed shrine of St. Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, a rich variety of stained and painted glass including works by Abraham van Linge and Edward Burns-Jones and a rare panel depicting the martyrdom of St. Thomas A. Becket.
In the heart of Oxford, just off Broad Street, lies one of the oldest libraries in all of Europe, the Bodleian Library, which was established in 1602. As an Oxford library, the Bodleian Library boasts of a splendid collection of over 11 million volumes of books, journals, magazines, audio recordings, manuscripts and more and the library is amongst the largest in all of the United Kingdom. Functioning primarily as a reference library, visitors or members cannot rent out most of the material and usually must be kept within the reading rooms. Nonetheless, a visit to this library is truly a treat for a visitor, as, besides the marvelous architecture and the collection, the library also plays host to exhibitions and other events.
South Park is a beautiful park in the south of the city towards Headington. Situated on one of the few hills in Oxford, it's the place where people go sledging when it snows and tripping through the daisies when spring is in the air, and organized fireworks displays are held here in November. The park is also the home of the circus that seems to pop into town every so often. It's a delightful spot—just the place to have a picnic or walk your dog.