Oxford's Peculiar Pitt Rivers Museum

This approaching weekend as part of our Cultural Programme we are going to the Pitt Rivers Museum.  Here is some handy details regarding this great museum.

Oxford is home to a wide variety of intriguing museums, amongst them the impressive Ashmolean and the ancient Museum of the History of Science. But tucked away behind the spectacular Museum of Natural History lies a treasure trove of obscure delights. This is the Pitt Rivers Museum, founded in 1884 by Augustus Pitt–Rivers, a military man with a bristling set of side whiskers and a Victorian thirst to discover and understand the empire and the world.

During his research into firearm development, Augustus discovered some ancient flint tools which sparked an obsession with collecting artefacts, past and present, from a plethora of cultures. He later donated his 22,000-piece collection to the University of Oxford, thus establishing the Pitt Rivers Museum.

The museum’s collection has now grown to 500,000 items, many of which have been donated by travellers, scholars and missionaries and includes fascinating anthropological and archeological artefacts from all over the world. Shrunken heads, tribal costumes and masks and even a witch in a bottle are just a few of the gems that attract visitors to the museum.

Fiona Bruce, presenter of BBC 1’s popular programme Antiques Roadshow recently wrote the following in a review of the museum:

‘If Indiana Jones created a museum, this Oxford institution would be it. A collection of half a million objects from all around the world crammed in glass cabinets, packed into drawers, mounted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling in a galleried hall illuminated beneath a soaring neo-gothic roof created from 8,000 individual glass tiles.’

For more details, visit the museum’s website: www.prm.ox.ac.uk

Source: 'Fiona Bruce's Britain: The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford', www.telegraph.co.uk 

Battle of the Capitals: London vs Paris

London mayor Boris Johnson’s recent claims that London ‘is without doubt the greatest city on the planet’ did not go down well with the deputy mayor of Paris who in response described London as ‘a "suburb" of Paris, that is less safe, and less attractive for families.’ London may have just overtaken Paris in terms of visitor numbers but which is better?

Attractions

From a sight-seeing point of view, both cities are home to some of the world’s best-known tourist attractions. Paris boasts the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur whilst London has Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and the Tower of London. It’s a tough call.

Museums and Galleries

Paris is without a doubt a great place for museums and galleries - you’ve got the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou and the Musée d'Orsay. However when it comes to free entry, London has it covered with a wide range of attractions including the British Museum, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, the Science Museum, the Tate, all of which you can visit without parting with any cash! And what’s more, it saves all that pesky queuing too.

Day Trips

The vast chateaux of Versailles and Fontainebleau await visitors to Paris looking for a decent day trip. By contrast, Windsor Castle doesn't quite match up. And for children, Disneyland beats Thorpe Park every time. Paris takes it.

Hotels

When it comes to a place to lay your weary head after a hard day’s sightseeing, there is not much in it in terms of prices and variety. The average hotel in London will set you back £116 as opposed to £128 in Paris and both have an extensive range to choose from.

Restaurants

There is no doubt that London’s selection of eateries is more varied, however at the top end, Paris is unrivalled with 11 restaurants boasting 3 michelin stars in contrast to London’s two. It also has many more independent coffee shops, whereas London is dominated by chains like Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero.

Transport

Londoners might moan about delays on the Tube, and the fact that it closes shortly after midnight, but London’s metro system covers a far greater area, is cleaner, and has far fewer irritating buskers. When it comes to taxis however, London’s are the most expensive in the world  On the other hand though they are supposed to be more reliable. And, thanks to the Congestion Charge, the city centre is far less traffic clogged. 

Weather

This is a bit of a no-brainer with Paris lying further south although both cities are equally prone to showers. On average, Paris is a few degrees warmer in both the Easter and Summer holidays and Parisiens enjoy more hours of sunlight too.

Nightlife

Paris may be the home of cabaret and has a decent number of trendy bars but London has everything you could possibly want from a night out, from historic pubs to super clubs. Its music scene is also top notch.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a leisurely weekend of sightseeing with a better chance of decent weather and haute cuisine, Paris is the city for you. But if you’re short of cash and still keen for the culture, London is where it’s at. And if neither of those float your boat, why not come to Oxford instead which has masses to offer when it comes to culture and less of the mahem!

Source: Telegraph Travel