Stories & spires
Oxford bookshops &
literary walking trail.
Blackwell’s below Broad Street, Lewis’s riverside walk, Pullman’s bench and a little Wonderland: an Oxford route for readers.
At a glance
- Route
- Broad Street → Magdalen → Botanic Garden → St Aldate’s.
- Allow
- A half-day with browsing and college/garden visits.
- Paid stops
- Magdalen College and the Botanic Garden; check joint-ticket options.
- Optional detour
- Daunt Books is north of the central route, in Summertown.
Descend into Blackwell’s vast bookroom, follow the river at Magdalen and find the bench made famous by Philip Pullman. Oxford’s literary connections become places you can explore, with bookshops at either end of the walk.
More about this guide
Begin on Broad Street, then head east to Magdalen and the Botanic Garden before finishing on St Aldate’s. Allow a leisurely half-day if you want to browse and visit both paid attractions.
Choose the connections that matter to you. A reader’s Oxford can be two bookshops and a meadow walk just as easily as the whole route.
Literary route
Five chapters,
through bookshops and quads.
Below Broad Street
Blackwell's & The Norrington Room
Blackwell’s began at 50 Broad Street in 1879. Its modest frontage opens into a much larger world, including the underground Norrington Room, opened in 1966. Browse a subject you enjoy while you’re here. Blackwell’s also published Tolkien’s poem Goblin’s Feet in 1915.
C.S. Lewis’s Oxford
Magdalen College & Addison's Walk
Magdalen’s college buildings and tree-lined Addison’s Walk connect the city to C.S. Lewis, a fellow here from 1925 to 1954. He wrote his Narnia books during his Magdalen years. Leave time for the riverside circuit as well as the college buildings. Admission is paid, and visitor access can change.
A meeting across worlds
The Botanic Garden Bench
In The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will choose a Botanic Garden bench as their meeting place across parallel Oxfords. Look for the bench in the Lower Garden using the garden’s official literary trail. Paid entry also gives you walled beds, glasshouses and the Cherwell-side garden to explore.
Wonderland connections
Christ Church Meadow and Alice's Shop
Christ Church’s Lewis Carroll connection begins with Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell, the dean’s daughter. Walk the free meadow paths, then look for Alice’s Shop across St Aldate’s. For a paid college visit, the Hall’s stained glass includes a window celebrating Carroll and Alice.
Take a book home
St Philip’s Books, with Summertown as a detour
Finish at St Philip’s Books, 82 St Aldate’s, for rare and second-hand literature, history, theology and philosophy, including Tolkien and Lewis. Daunt Books at 247–249 Banbury Road is farther north in Summertown. Plan a separate visit instead of adding it to this central walk.
Editor’s note
Choose which doors to open.
Magdalen and the Botanic Garden both charge admission. Compare their joint ticket if you want to visit both. Opening times and college access vary, so check both before committing.
The garden publishes wheelchair-access information. Check the college’s access information too, as historic paths and interiors may have steps or uneven surfaces.
Questions & Advice
Frequently asked questions
before you go.
Where is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials bench in Oxford?
In the Lower Garden at Oxford Botanic Garden on Rose Lane. The garden’s official literary trail shows the bench associated with The Amber Spyglass. You need a garden admission ticket to reach it.
Where did Tolkien and C.S. Lewis meet to discuss their books?
The Inklings gathered in C.S. Lewis’s rooms at Magdalen and in Oxford pubs, notably the Eagle and Child. These are historical meeting places. Check whether a pub is open now before planning to visit.
Is Blackwell's on Broad Street really the largest bookshop?
The Norrington Room once held a Guinness record for the largest single room selling books. That record is historical and doesn’t mean Blackwell’s is currently the world’s largest bookshop.
Know before you go
The practical bit.
- Route
- Broad Street → Magdalen → Botanic Garden → St Aldate’s.
- Allow
- A half-day with browsing and college/garden visits.
- Paid stops
- Magdalen College and the Botanic Garden; check joint-ticket options.
- Optional detour
- Daunt Books is north of the central route, in Summertown.
Sources & visitor information 8 sources · Sources checked 12 Oct 2026
We use the linked sources for practical visitor details. Each date shows when we checked a source. Confirm opening times, prices and booking arrangements before you travel.
- Blackwell’s: Oxford history and the Norrington Room
- Botanic Garden: literary trail and Pullman’s bench
- Botanic Garden: visitor information and accessibility
- Magdalen College: admission, joint tickets and visitor access
- Magdalen College: C.S. Lewis’s fellowship and writing
- Christ Church: Lewis Carroll window and visitor route
- St Philip’s Books: subjects and central Oxford address
- Daunt Books: Summertown shop
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