Other Oxford
Today is the 200th Birthday of Charles Dickens! To mark the Bicentenary of Dickens birth, celebrations are taking place all over the world, from a 24 hours Read-a -thon involving 24 countries, a new exhibition in Zurich, workshops in New York, and readings in Singapore! There are also many events running today throughout the UK, including Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. Follow the link to find out more: http://www.dickens2012.org.
If you happen to miss the celebrations today, then don’t worry as there are events and activities planned to run throughout the year. For example, if you are interested in learning more about the work of Charles Dickens, then why not consider a short course right here at The University of Oxford, with the Continuing Education Department! ‘Charles Dickens the Crime Writer’ offers you the chance to spend a week studying Oliver Twist, Bleak House and the unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood from Sunday 1st- Saturday 7th July. If you would prefer to spend your time studying just one novel, then why not enrol onto the short course ‘Dickens and Great Expectations,’ where you can examine in detail themes, characters and imagery found in the novel. This course runs from Sunday 5th- Sat 11 August, and you can apply now.
Both are running as part of the University’s Summer School Programme, which means you can stay at Christ Church College for the duration of your course. The short courses are open to everyone, but places fill up fast. If you interested, more details can be found online.
Oushop Sale continues: Just a quick note to let you know that we still have some clothing including hoodies and t-shirts available at bargain prices. And don't miss out on the Christmas cards, calendars and diaries. Stocks are extremely limited so act fast if you don't want to miss out.
In the third instalment of our University shop round-up, I visited the OUM shop this week, and discovered some unusual gifts, along with some excellent stocking-fillers for children! The shop itself is looking great, with some new furniture in place that makes it look much bigger, and makes browsing much easier.
My first find was in the cabinets at the far end of the shop – some beautiful agate bookends in a range of different colours. As no pair is exactly the same, these make a truly unique gift for the booklover in your life for only £30. For magpies like me who go for anything pretty and sparkly, the big section of ‘pick your own’ semi-precious stones will be a big draw too, with individual stones starting at 50p. My friend’s little girls particularly loved the magnetic ones, which stack together with a satisfying ‘click’! If you prefer to be more hands on, you could try the ‘Grow your Own’ crystals kit for £5.
I also loved the leather notebooks that were on sale – one featuring a big black beetle, and one polka-dotted with bees in various sizes. These are made of real leather, smell delicious, and are printed in England. At £30 each these make another gift that’s slightly out of the ordinary, and tie in beautifully with the Museum’s collections…
OUM is of course the home of the Oxford dodo, and its remains are one of the Museum’s most popular exhibits, so an ideal stocking filler is their Dodo tea-towel at £5. There is also a Phaidon guide to the Museum, which is full of beautiful images, which would make an ideal gift for anyone planning a trip. My absolute favourite though is the cuddly woolly mammoth - irresistible, and only £15!
We’ve put a lot of effort into broadening our range of Oxford merchandise over the last year or so. We’ve tried to push beyond the standard Oxford souvenirs to offer you products which not only bear the Oxford University crest, but also have an inherent ‘Oxfordness’ about them. This might range from a classic sense of tradition, to a tacit acknowledgement of Oxford’s idiosyncrasies.
Sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect product (have you seen the number of Oxford mugs and tea towels we’ve got?!), but occasionally everything falls into line – that’s how I feel about the Radcliffe Camera Tea Cosy. Was there ever a more tea-cosy-like landmark?
Since this lightning bolt struck I’ve mentioned the idea to friends and relatives – anyone who’d listen, in the hope that someone would take up the challenge of producing this most perfect of Oxford gifts. And now at last I’m delighted to present the first prototype, courtesy of my friend Kevin’s mother-in-law, Chris.
“We’re going to add some more windows but it’s looking ace!” enthuses Kevin. I couldn’t agree more.
But what do you think? Are there any other mother-in-laws out there willing to rise to the Radcliffe Camera Tea Cosy Challenge?
Let this be said; the gauntlet has been thrown down. But Chris has answered the challenge and answered with vigour!
As promised, we are visiting University shops in the run-up to Christmas, to bring you some novel gift ideas. Last time we found some real gems in the Ashmolean shop, including jewellery based on their Egyptian Collections, bags made from past advertising banners, and educational books.
This week I have been exploring the Bodleian, to bring you some more fantastic gift ideas.
The shop has a range of charming, hand-made textiles by Poppy Treffry – a Cornish based designer. You can choose from adorable tea cosies, egg cosies, or, Christmas stockings. They have a child-like quality, created by the ‘cut-out’ Nativity figures which have been, lovingly, embroidered onto each one – such as Kings, and Shepherds. My favourite is definitely the donkey egg cosy! The textiles are part of Poppy’s Christmas Nativity Collection, which she describes as being: ‘heirlooms of the future’ -- they can be used every year, creating memories for all the family. If you like crafts, and are after something a bit different this Christmas, then this range is certainly for you! Made from linen, and vintage materials, the egg cosies are £14.50, and the tea cosies and stockings are £48.
Continuing with the theme of beautiful, unique gifts, I also noticed a variety of craft- kits by Buttonbag. These would be ideal for children, aged 6+, as it will bring them hours of fun, and they can feel proud that they have created something themselves. I think I would choose the Christmas Robins Kit, as it allows you to create a number of quirky, polka- dot robins that you can hang from Christmas trees, or, place on your mantelpiece. However, you might instead choose the cute Owl House Family, or Winter Hearts Kit. The kits contain everything you will need – fabric, glue, sewing needles, ribbons, and stuffing for toys, -- and they are from £10-12. They would make excellent stocking fillers!
If you are interested in gifts relating to the Bodleian, then you could choose something from the Medieval Life Collection. The stationary sets, uses images from The Romance of Alexander the Great, made between 1338-44, which is held in the Bodleian library. There are notepads, sticker sets and bookmarks, all from £1.65. If you fancy something to read, then you might want to choose an interesting book entitled: Tradition and Innovation in Later Medieval English Manuscripts, in which a number of 15th and 16th century manuscripts are examined.
I was also drawn to the ‘Silence Please’ collection, which offers bone china, teapots, mugs, and espresso mugs, ranging from £13.50 - £38. Each item is printed with the logo ‘Silence Please’ which is a sign you will find all around the Bodleian library. Another item I really liked was the Bodleian Reader’s Oath Bag, at just £16.50. If you seek admission to the library then you will be asked to say an Oath, which you can find printed on this white bag. On one side it’s in English, and on the other in Latin. These are great for those wanting gifts sold exclusively by the Bodleian, and they allow you take a little piece of Oxford home with you.
Out of all the collections, my favourite is probably the eye-catching Hobbies Bookshelf Collection, which is ideal for book lovers of all ages. Every item is made from images of book shelves filled with books, so you can find yourself peering at these items for ages, trying to read all the different book titles. Why not pick up some cards, a pencil box, or jigsaw set. Item range from £5.99- £30.00.
I hope this has given you some great ideas, and look out for our next post!
As part of our mission to bring you the best Oxford has to offer, we’re visiting University shops in the run-up to Christmas. From the Bodleian to the Pitt-Rivers, we will be tempting you with some original gift ideas. First stop – the Ashmolean!
I was so impressed by the range of different gifts on offer – a huge wall of books and range of cards and Christmas cards - and so many with a real connection to the Museum and its displays that made them really special.
My first ‘spot’ was a range of bags made from banners that had advertised past exhibitions at the front of the Museum. Made from weather-proof material and put together at random, you could find yourself carrying around part of the face of a Pre-Raphaelite woman alongside the ticket prices! They are all completely unique and a chance to own a part of Ashmolean history. Bags are in messenger or shopper style and range in price from £15 to £35.
With the new Egyptian galleries due to open soon, my attention was caught by some photomontage jewellery based on items in the Egyptian collections, with cufflinks, necklaces and earrings starting from £35. You can also buy hand-carved netsuke (part of traditional Japanese dress) relating to the Eastern Art collection, and signed by individual craftsmen for only £20. The East Meets West theme continues in an exclusive collection of Isis ceramics produced locally and made especially for the Ashmolean – jugs, tea caddies and plates start from £80.
The Ashmolean has also published some beautiful books which would make ideal gifts. The latest exhibition on Claude Lorrain has a very attractive accompanying catalogue at £25, and for Oxford residents planning a trip, the new Floor by Floor guide (£5) looks invaluable. For visitors with children, the Discovery Book is a great introduction to the Ashmolean, complete with stickers (!) for less than £5.
The products featuring the iconic Ashmolean logo are also striking, and very reasonably priced, with mugs in different colours at £7 each, and small ceramic logo magnets at £3.
Personally, I’d be delighted with any of these! Not that I’m hinting or anything…
As mentioned in the previous blog post, this year we have been lucky enough to have our Oxford Cityscape Eco bag featured in Easy Living magazine, which we’re all thrilled about. Closer to home, it’s also been picked by the Oxford Mail and features in their This Christmas magazine which comes free with today’s issue – page 22 to be exact!
Designed exclusively for the University of Oxford shop, the bag is ethically made from premium 10oz cotton, carbon neutral and 100% degradable. Designer Lizzie Prestt was commissioned to draw a cityscape of Oxford in her signature contemporary style, and we liked it so much that we have produced a tea towel and mug too.
The retail Christmas celebration is already in full swing with twinkly Christmas gift ranges and decorations bewitching us to buy. The December issues of monthly glossie lifestyle magazines have hit the newsstand this week too, featuring their annual Christmas gift guides full of carefully selected products for every price point and hobby. This year we have been lucky enough to have our Oxford Cityscape Eco bag featured in Easy Living which we’re all thrilled about.
To engage in the retail spirit of Christmas, we’ve also put together our festive top ten Oxford gifts. Items in the following list were chosen by the oushop.com team:
- Cheshire cat decoration
- Dinosaur grabber toy
- Dodo Tea Towel
- Fritillary cushion
- Mr Wingate Sheldonian Print
- Oxford Cityscape bag
- Oxford View necklace
- Oxonian Terms Mug
- Timeless Classic brown leather satchel
- The Hobbit 70th anniversary edition
Happy Shopping!
Like last year, we're stocking some beautiful and unusual Oxford Christmas cards from the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum, but this year we've also partnered with thirteen of the Oxford Colleges to bring you easy online access to their Christmas cards.
College Christmas cards available are as follows: Brasenose, Exeter (pictured), Jesus, Lincoln, Magdalen, Oriel, Pembroke, Queen's, St Catherine's, St Cross, St Edmund Hall, St Peter's, and Trinity.
Profits from the sale of the cards are split between the respective College and the University Chest. If we're not yet stocking your College, why not drop them a line and suggest it? We're hoping for all 38 Colleges next year!
Finally, don't miss the winners of the 2011 Oxford Alumni Christmas card competition with the winning entry submitted by Paul Shreder (Jesus College), and runners up Anna Le Moine Gray (Wolfson College) and Jacqueline Sunderland (New College).
It's been a long time coming but the new Oxford University Shop site is finally live and open for business! And it's not only a new look for the shop, we're now using WorldPay to process customer transactions so the checkout process should be smoother than ever.
We'd love to hear what you think of the changes we've made - you can leave feedback in the comments below this post or by filling in the contact us form. There are lots more improvements still to make, but hopefully you'll agree that the new store is much easier to use.
And now that the improved shop is in place, we'll be concentrating on bringing you the very best new Oxford University gifts and clothing. Stay tuned for news of fabulous new product collections!
Of course, not everything has changed. We're still offering free standard UK delivery, we've still got the best selection of University of Oxford merchandise anywhere on the web, and with all profits to the University Chest every purchase you make still supports the University of Oxford in it's world famous achievements in education and research.
Thanks for reading, and for supporting the University of Oxford with your custom.