Oxford’s limestone façades are the perfect backdrop for some quite extraordinary art. Look up in Oxford and you are likely to see a face looking down at you. Originally conceived to ward off evil spirits and as a feature of Gothic architecture, gargoyles and grotesques are today still visible all over our University city. Whilst the older carvings have worn away, newer ones have taken their place, evolving to represent more modern personages and preoccupations. This walk takes you to visit some of the most interesting gargoyles and grotesques, those with stories and occasionally hidden meanings. It also encompasses some of the statues and other carvings hidden in plain sight around the extraordinary open-air art gallery that is Oxford.

Meeting time: 10.50 am for a prompt start at 11 am

Meeting place: On the steps of the Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BD End time: approximately 1pm

About Your Guide: Victoria has been a Green Badge tour guide in Oxford since 2005. She is also the author of Oxford City Walks, which has sold over 4,500 copies, as well as the newly published Oxford Hidden Walks and of several articles about Oxford for Oxford Today. She is ITG (Institute of Tourist Guiding)-qualified to guide in French and English.