Founded as a 'Physic Garden' by the Earl of Danby in 1621, "with a view especially to the Faculty of Medicine", the Botanic Garden is the oldest institution of its kind in the country. The Gateway, designed by Nicholas Stone, incorporates statues of Charles I & II. | ||
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Rose Lane
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Botanical Latin Sat, 18 February: 10.30am - 1pm, £18 Successful Staking Tue, 6 March: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 per session Ethical Fashion Symposium Sat, 10 March: 2-4pm £5 (£4 conc.) Plant Propagation Tue, 13 March: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 per session Botanical Illustration for Beginners Sat, 17 March: 10am - 4pm, £60 Citrus Care Tue, 20 March: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 per session Cacti and Succulents Tue, 27 March: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 Vegetable Growing - Getting Growing Thu, 29 March: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 per session Fabaceae - Peas and Beans Thu, 17 May: 6.30pm - 8.30pm, £15 or £40 for all three walks Biodiversity Conservation: Using the Past to Manage the Future Tue, 22 May: 6pm, £12 Botanical Illustration - Intermediate and Advanced Sat, 26 May: 10am - 4pm, £60 Lamiaceae - Mints and Lavender Thu, 31 May: 6.30pm - 8.30pm, £15 or £40 for all three walks Vegetable Growing - Extending the Season Tue, 12 June: 10.30am - 1pm, £20 per session Asteraceae - Sunflowers and Dandilions Thu, 14 June: 6.30pm - 8.30pm, £15 or £40 for all three walks Useful links: Ethical OxfordOxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues Latest venue reviewsRed Star: Red star has the best sweet chilli sauce I've ever tasted! Loads of chilli...read more The Gloucester Arms: Some of the tags/categories need to be removed from this pub. I could be...read more Gurkha Village Nepalese Restaurant: One of our friends went to have the opening day buffet and they...read more Chester Arms: The Chester Arms has a new and better menu, really really good Deuchars...read more Latest Oxford OffersWin a silk scarf, a bottle of fizz and a box of truffles! Coco Noir Win tea and cake for two! Oxfork Win a romantic breakfast for two! Organic Deli Cafe
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Oxford's Botanic garden was the third in Europe, preceded by Pisa and Leyden. Its original function was to provide herbs for the School of Medicine. The first gardener was a retired German soldier, Jacob Bobart, who was delighted to find that the cess-pits of the colleges provided him with almost unlimited supplies of good growing medium. He was a powerfully built man, who late in life sported a beard of such length that one day a madman grabbed hold of it and cried out that Bobart had eaten his horse, and its tail was hanging out of his mouth. Bobart was succeeded by his son, who became Professor of Botany. Around 1700, the Younger Bobart discovered a rat in the garden, and by cosmetic surgery turned it into so convincing a dragon that great excitement was caused in the academic world. The hoaxer eventually confessed, but the 'dragon' was considered such a masterpiece anyway, that it was kept on display in the School of Anatomy. Bobart the Elder built a conservatory where the greenhouses now stand; this was probably one of the first in England. Since then the greenhouses have been rebuilt several times. They are a treasure-trove of exotic plants. It is worth remembering that though the gardens are open much of the day, you can only visit the greenhouses between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. Daily Info Staff (DI Staff), 22/12/10 Ads by Daily Info:  Browse ads by tag: Please fill in the boxes and then click "Send Review" to submit your review for University of Oxford Botanic Garden. | |
