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All the United Kingdom England Oxford Oxford Botanic Garden
AO Edited

Oxford Botanic Garden

The fantastic charm of England's oldest botanical garden has made it a place of writerly inspiration for centuries.

Oxford, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
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“Lyra and Will’s bench” that features in “The Amber Spyglass” by Phillip Pullman.   Mdiamante/public domain
“Lyra and Will’s bench” that features in “The Amber Spyglass” by Phillip Pullman.   Mdiamante/public domain
Tolkein’s favorite tree and inspiration for the Ents.   Jim Linwood/cc by 2.0
The garden in autumn.   Toby Ord/cc by-sa 2.5
Walled garden entrance.   Camboxer/cc by-sa 4.0
The beautiful waterlily pool.   Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar/cc by-sa 3.0
Blue Lotus flowers.   Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar/cc by-sa 3.0
“Alice in Wonderland” illustration of the waterlily glass house can be seen in background.   John Tenniel/public domain
A colourful moth at the Oxford botanical garden   Scott Wylie from UK
View inside the arid glass house   Bob Cox Photography
View inside the tropical glasshouse   Tim Waters
Oxford Botanic Garden   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Oxford Botanic Garden: Danby Gate   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The botanic garden at the University of Oxford is the oldest in Britain, but its influence stretches around the world. Many of England's most renowned fantasy writers have been frequent visitors to the garden, and have incorporated elements of this enchanting place into their novels. 

Lewis Carroll, who was a professor of mathematics at the university, often visited the walled garden with his acquaintance Alice Liddell, which evidently inspired many of the tales in Alice in Wonderland. The glass house where the waterlily garden is located was even featured in the early illustrations of the book. 

Similarly, fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught Anglo-Saxon studies at Oxford, was often found in the gardens, sitting deep in thought puffing on his pipe beneath his favorite tree, an ornamental black pine. This tree (which was sadly cut down for safety reasons in 2014) is commonly believed to have been his inspiration for the wonderful Ent creatures in his masterpiece trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. (The name "Ent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for “giant.”)       

A more contemporary author and former Oxford student, Phillip Pullman, also included the botanical gardens as the setting for many scenes in his award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy. Notably, a bench in the garden which has since become widely known as "Lyra and Will's bench" features prominently in the last scene of the final book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass. 

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Gardens Botanical Gardens Literature Authors Fantasy Trees Plants Universities

Know Before You Go

Open year-round, with a cafe in the summer months. You can book guided tours in advance; check the website for details.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

Jaszmina Szendrey

  • Jaszmina Szendrey

Published

November 27, 2018

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Oxford Botanic Garden
Rose Ln
Oxford, England
United Kingdom
51.750968, -1.247696
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Photo of Oxford

Oxford

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Places 46
Stories 8

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Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8

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