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THE SEMINARS AT OXFORD, ENGLAND
• The 18th U.Va. Seminar at Oxford, England •
THE ESSENCE OF ENGLAND: THE INSIDER'S
COTSWOLDS
August 14-20, 2005 • Trinity
College • Oxford, England
This Program Is Now Full - Wait List Applications
Accepted
EXPERIENCE THE COTSWOLDS AS ONLY AN INSIDER
CAN.
Picture a perfect summer's day in England - lush
green rolling hills, warm sunshine falling gently on golden stone
and brilliant flowers, the hint of a cool breeze, and the soothing
sounds of birds singing and church bells chiming somewhere in the
distance. Picture yourself with us, exploring the
Cotswolds in August.
Come and discover, or rediscover, the charms of the Cotswolds,
the green heart of England. Join us as we study the
history, architecture, geography, geology, and villages, towns, and
churches of an area that has fascinated visitors and inhabitants
from pre-Roman times to the present. Together we will explore
private gardens, golden stone villages, Norman and wool churches,
country houses, and more.
Our private visits, walking tours, and lectures will give you
an insider’s rich understanding of the mesmerizing Cotswolds, an
area of outstanding natural beauty and fascinating history that you
will want to return to time and time again.
Tom Dowd, Program Director
DURING A PROGRAM
DESIGNED FOR INSTRUCTION AND DELIGHT, YOU WILL:
•
Spend two-and-a-half days visiting
and exploring some of the Cotswolds most beautiful gardens,
villages, towns, and churches.
•
Enjoy an afternoon's insider's walk
through one of the most scenic areas of the Cotswolds.
•
Attend thought-provoking lectures given by
expert faculty discussing the intriguing arc of Cotswolds history -
from its earliest inhabitants through the Romans, Saxons, Normans, the
prosperous medieval wool trade, the period when it ‘went to sleep’ as an
isolated rural backwater, the establishment of “Arts and Crafts”
schools, early stirrings of tourism, the Cotswolds’ designation as the
first ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, and on to its status today
as a tourist mecca.
•
Study the architecture of the Cotwolds,
with a focus on its vernacular architecture, the development of its
manor houses, and the development of its parish churches.
•
Discuss how the changing roles Cotswolds
towns have played over the years have shaped their present
appearance and what the future may hold for them.
•
Examine the geography, geology, and
economic history of the region.
•
Weigh the importance of gardening in the
Cotswolds (where there are more famous gardens to the square mile
than anywhere else in England).
• Consider how the history of the Cotswolds
illustrates the timeless process of adaptation to changing
circumstances.
•
Live in a beautiful college, dine in
delightful country pubs, and enjoy experiencing the many charms of
Oxford and the Cotswolds.
•
And more...
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PROGRAM
FEATURESThis program is a lively mix of activities. You
will enjoy interactive sessions and small group discussions with a
talented faculty and interesting fellow participants. Traveling
beyond the dreaming spires of Oxford, you will visit and explore many of
the Cotswolds most beautiful gardens, villages, towns, and churches. We
have also built free time into the schedule to allow you to explore the
many attractions of Oxford and to relax in the beautiful College gardens
and courtyards. You will enjoy excellent food throughout the
program as you dine in Trinity’s portrait-lined Hall for most meals,
with the College silver in use for the special closing dinner.
Participants often comment on how much they enjoy feeling like
residents, not tourists, during their week in Oxford.
Before the program begins, you will be sent an Oxford guidebook,
specially selected program books and materials, directions, and
comprehensive information that will make it very easy for you to get
to, and enjoy your stay in, Oxford.
Join us and discover that, as a participant wrote,
“Spending a
week with an extraordinary faculty in a beautiful Oxford college
studying a stimulating topic is a transcendent experience, and downright
fun.”
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AMONG THE SITES WE
WILL VISIT ARE: (subject to
change)
STANTON
We begin our
insider’s tour of the Cotswolds with a visit to a true gem, the
pristine, idyllic village of Stanton. Here you will feel that
you have discovered the perfect English village as you walk among
the honey-colored thatched cottages and flower-bedecked, steeply-gabled
16th and 17th century houses. As we examine the village’s
important medieval cross and study the classic medieval church, still
showing signs of its Norman heritage, you will experience the Cotswolds
astonishing ability to take you back in time.
STANWAY HOUSE
Called by
Fodor's 1998 Guide, “as perfect and pretty a Cotswold manor
house as anyone is likely to see”, this soft mellow-gold limestone
grand house was begun in the reign of Elizabeth I. Sitting next to
a 12th century church, Stanway House first surprises you with its
wonderful folly of a gatehouse and then captivates you with its 14th
century tithe barn. Exploring further leads you to Stanway Water
Gardens, a baroque garden featuring a pyramid, a cascade, a 70-ft high
fountain, and a grand canal, sitting beside the beautiful lived-in manor
house. Our visit and tour of the house and gardens will give you
important insights into the challenges of preserving the rich history of
this bucolic area.
BOURTON-ON-THE-HILL
Following
a pub lunch, we will continue on to the stone-built village of
Bourton-on-the-Hill. Since Saxon times, this strikingly pretty
village has been nestled into the Cotswold hillside.
Bourton-on-the-Hill boasts eye-pleasing cottages and gardens and has an
impressive church, once owned by Westminster Abbey. The notable
features of the church owe much to the handsome income derived from the
Abbey’s sale of wool from its vast flocks on the surrounding
hills. Both the village and its church tell us important stories
of the significance of wool and the wool trade in the history of the
Cotswolds.
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top BOURTON HOUSE AND
GARDENBuilt and rebuilt several times from the 16th
century, the current Bourton House dates from the 18th century. A
splendid 16th century tithe barn provides a delightful counterpoint to
the manor house. The focus of our visit will be the magnificent
three acres that brim with interest for anyone who enjoys beautiful
gardens in a stunning setting. This developing garden offers
you a wide array of attractions. With rolling hills as a backdrop,
you will enjoy everything from colorful exotic plants, herbaceous
borders, and a knot garden to lawns, fountains, topiary, and a unique
shade house. This is a garden visit you will long
remember. ROLLRIGHT STONES
Our
first day of touring concludes with a visit to the Rollright Stones,
one of the most famous ancient sites in the British Isles. Set
atop a chalk ridge overlooking the undulating Cotswolds Hills and dating
back nearly 5,000 years, this magnificent and moving group consists of a
stone circle (The King's Men), a standing stone (The King Stone) and a
burial chamber (The Whispering Knights). There is a long history
of legend associated with the origin of this site and, whether you
believe it the work of a witch or the result of treachery, you will feel
an air of quiet mystery as the fading day casts its shadows over these
prehistoric stones.
BURFORD
Our second day of
touring begins in the ‘Gateway to the Cotswolds’, Burford.
As we
enter the town, the view down the High Street to the meandering River
Windrush offers one of the classic panoramas of the Cotswolds.
From the 14th to the 17th century Burford was a great wool town and the
wide variety of styles of architecture, including a number of half
timbered buildings and the fine parish church reflects the wealth and
status of that golden age. The striking church, part Norman and
part medieval, has been the site of important moments in history.
During the English Civil War, Parliamentary soldiers who had mutinied
(Levellers) were incarcerated by Cromwell in the Burford church and it
was the thoughtless removal of some of the medieval wall paintings in
this same church that led William Morris to found the Society for the
Preservation of Ancient Buildings in 1877. There is much to learn,
and savor, in a visit to delightful Burford.
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WALKWhat would an insider’s tour of the Cotswolds be
without the chance to wander on foot through some of its timelessly
beautiful scenery? Our afternoon walk will include a medieval
church with marvelous 17th century tombs inside and the graves of
various members of the Mitford family, including novelist Nancy Mitford,
outside, a deserted medieval village with a tiny 13th century church
built on the site of a Roman villa, and a delightful stream-side pub set
amongst pretty cottages of warm-toned stone. This will be your
chance to experience the Cotswolds in a very special way.
Non-walkers will find much to occupy themselves in the shops and museums
of Burford.
MINSTER LOVELL
We
round out our afternoon in the Cotswolds with a visit to the church and
ever-so-romantic ruins of a 15th century manor house on the banks of a
lazy river at Minster Lovell. This tiny picturesque stone and
thatch village is one of the prettiest in the River Windrush valley, an
oasis of peace that led one author to write, “"The stone houses of this
little village, its setting against the hillside and beside the river
where it flows under the old perpendicular bridge and on to the ruins,
are so lovely that one cannot exclude Minster Lovell from the
category of dream villages." You will return to Oxford this
evening with a richer appreciation of the outstanding natural beauty of
the Cotswolds. NORTHLEACH
Lovely,
compact, and unspoiled, the small market town of Northleach welcomes us
as we begin our third day exploring the Cotswolds. Northleach was
once celebrated as a major center for the Cotswold wool trade and this
heritage is reflected in the ancient marketplace and the streets
brimming with architectural interest. So prized was Cotswolds wool
that many wool merchants became fabulously wealthy and they often
lavished their wealth on their local churches. The magnificent
Northleach church, often called ‘The Cathedral of the Cotswolds’, is one
of the finest of Cotswold wool churches. Exploring this
remarkable church and studying the many architectural delights of this
lovely historic market town will make for a deeply rewarding
morning.
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After lunch in a
Cotswolds pub, our insider’s tour continues with a visit to the little
village of Hampnett. A quiet, pretty village, Hampnett is home to
small but important Norman church. Situated on a hill, with an
unusual vault over its chancel, the church’s gaudy interior decoration
will amaze, startle, or dismay you. In the 1870s, in an
attempt to recreate the look of the church in medieval times, extensive
russet-colored stencil work on a floral theme was painted on interior
walls. This visit will open the door for interesting debate about
the challenges inherent in attempting to recapture the past.
QUENINGTON
Our next stop
is a lovely village with a photogenic water mill on the meandering River
Coln. Cotswold stone cottages decked in flowers provide a
charming backdrop for Quenington’s Norman church. The exterior
relief carvings above the church’s two 12th century doorways are truly
exceptional, perhaps the best in the Cotswolds. The tales these
carvings tell, Christ in triumph over Satan and the Coronation of the
Virgin, became common themes in medieval mystery plays. It is a
moving experience to establish such a material link to the legacy of
long departed stonemasons.
BIBURY and ARLINGTON
What better
way to end our day in the Cotswolds than a visit to the villages of
Bibury and Arlington? Bibury and Arlington, separated by the River
Coln, radiate charm in the special way so unique to the Cotswolds.
Nestled in the Coln valley, these villages are famous for their
honey-colored stone weavers’ cottages, water meadow and mill, and
Bibury’s ancient Saxon church, the earliest part of which dates from the
8th century. Bibury was once described by the artist and
craftsman William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England” and
our visit will demonstrate why many argue that statement is true to this
day.
Return to
topCOTSWOLDS PLACE-NAMES
(courtesy of
co-program director Chris Day):
Most English place-names have an Old English (i.e. Anglo-Saxon)
origin.
Bibury: ‘Beage’s burg (hill or fortified place). There is a
documentary reference in the early 8th century to land granted to Beage,
daughter of Earl Leppa.
Burford: ‘burg-ford’ = ford by a hill.
Hampnett: ‘heah-tun’ = high settlement + the French diminutive
‘-et’.
Minster Lovell: ‘minster’ = monastery + the medieval family
name Lovell.
Northleach: settlement on the north bank of the river Leach.
Quenington: ‘Cwernena-tun’ = the women’s settlement.
Rollright: uncertain, possibly ‘rollend-richt’ = Hrolla’s
privileged lands.
WHO SHOULD
ATTEND?
Our programs are perfect for anyone who enjoys travel and learning
opportunities that provide intellectual stimulation in a welcoming,
congenial, and historic environment. Each program offers
unsurpassed value, rich content, and a history of exceptional
participant satisfaction. Join us and discover for yourself that,
as one participant wrote, “Spending time with an extraordinary faculty
in a beautiful setting studying a stimulating topic is a transcendent
experience, and downright fun.”
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THE SETTING - TRINITY
COLLEGE
Your home for the week is
Trinity College , the
most central of Oxford's colleges, where you will live, study,
and dine. Founded in 1555, Trinity is noted for the excellence
of its architecture, gardens, and food and its pleasant atmosphere for
living and learning. Among Trinity's "old boys" (women were
first admitted in 1979) are Lord Baltimore, the Prime Ministers William
Pitt and Lord North, John Henry Cardinal Newman, and Lord Kenneth
Clark.
While "up at Oxford" both faculty and participants live "in college."
Each person has a private single bedroom with a refrigerator and a
sink with hot and cold taps. Many feature an attached sitting
room. Bathrooms are shared. There are a limited number of
double occupancy suites. During your stay, the College beer
cellar, squash court, and laundry facilities are available for your
use.
Many past participants recommend coming to Oxford at least one day
before the start of the program to get settled in and begin adjusting to
the time difference. This year we will be able to offer you
lodging at Trinity College for Saturday night, August 13 (the night
before the program begins) and for Saturday night, August 20 (the night
the program ends).
Take an interactive photographic tour of Trinity College -
Virtual
Trinity
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OXFORD, ENGLAND - CITY OF DREAMING
SPIRES
Oxford, home to England's oldest University and smallest cathedral,
is located on the north bank of the River Thames, fifty-six miles
northwest of London. Frequent bus connections to Heathrow and
Gatwick airports and extensive bus and train connections to London make
it very easy to travel to and from Oxford. In advance of
the program you will receive extensive information about getting to, and
enjoying, Oxford.
THE PROGRAM FACULTY
INCLUDES
Robert Machin, M.A., formerly Senior Lecturer at
the University of Bristol, Department for Continuing Education and
frequent lecturer in the U.Va. Seminars at Oxford, England.
James Bond, freelance landscape archaeologist and Honorary
Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at Bristol University.
PROGRAM DIRECTORS
Tom Dowd, Senior Director of Program Development, University of
Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Christopher Day, University Lecturer in Local History, Kellogg
College, Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
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PROGRAM
SCHEDULE
(subject to change)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14
10:00 am - Noon: Check-In
12:30 pm: Lunch, Trinity
Hall
1:45 pm: Session 1: Program Introduction &
Orientation, Chris Day, Tom Dowd
3:00 pm: Session 2: What's
Special About the Cotswolds? Part 1, Bob Machin
4:15 pm:
Afternoon Tea
4:45 pm: Session 3: Insider's Tour of Trinity
College
6:00 pm: Free Time
7:00 pm: Opening Reception,
Trinity Garden
7:30 pm: Opening Dinner, Trinity
HallMONDAY, AUGUST 15 7:30 am: Breakfast, Trinity Hall
9:00 am: Session 4:
What's Special About the Cotswolds? Part 2, Bob Machin
11:00 am:
Session 5: Cotswolds Architecture, Bob Machin
12:30 pm:
Lunch, Trinity Hall
2:00 pm: Session 6: An Insider's Introduction
to Oxford, Chris Day
3:30 pm: Session 7: Insider's Oxford:
Small Group Guided Walking Tours of Oxford
5:30 pm: Afternoon
Tea/Free Time
7:00 pm: Dinner, Trinity Hall
8:00 pm: Free
Evening
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top TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 7:00 am: Breakfast, Trinity Hall
9:00 am: Session 8:
Touring the Cotswolds - Part 1:
Stanton,
Stanway
House
12:30 pm: Lunch, Country Pub
2:00 pm: Session
9: Touring the Cotswolds - Part 2:
Bourton-on-the-Hill,
Bourton
House and Gardens,
Rollright
Stones
6:30 pm: Cotswolds Pub Dinner
9:00 pm: Return to
Oxford
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top WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 7:30 am: Breakfast, Trinity Hall
9:00 am: Session 10:
Towns in the Cotswolds, James Bond
10:30 am: Morning
Coffee
11:00 am: Session 11: The Buildings of Burford, Robert
Machin
12:30 pm: Lunch, Trinity Hall
2:00 pm: Session 12:
Touring the Cotswolds - Part 3:
Burford,
A
Cotswolds Walk,
Minster
Lovell
7:00 pm: Dinner, Trinity Hall
8:00 pm: Free
Evening
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9:00 am: Session 13:
Touring the Cotswolds - Part 4:
Northleach
12:30 pm: Lunch, Country Pub
2:00 pm: Session 14: Touring the
Cotswolds - Part 5:
Hampnett,
Quenington,
Bibury,
and Arlington
6:30 pm: Cotswolds Pub Dinner
9:00 pm:
Return to Oxford
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top FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 7:30 am: Breakfast, Trinity Hall
9:00 am: Session 15:
Manor Houses of the Cotswolds, Bob Machin
11:00 am: Session
16: Cotwolds Gardens - Seen and Not Seen, Bob Machin
12:30 pm:
Lunch, Trinity Hall
2:00 pm: Free Afternoon/Optional Tour (TBA)
7:00 pm: Closing Reception, Trinity Garden
7:30 pm: Closing
Dinner, Trinity Hall
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Enjoy a leisurely
morning. Check out time is 10:00 am.
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