Oxford, England - Inspector Morse's Stamping Ground

OXFORD, ENGLAND

For most PBS fans, myself included, Inspector Morse was a favorite to look forward to each week and, like any popular TV drama, when it ended with the death of John Thaw, who played the lead character, we all mourned.

Oxford is more than historic

That's why, before you see historic Oxford & visit various colleges you may want to take special note some of Morse's old stomping grounds & film locations.

Christ Church featured in many episodes

Christ Church, where we stayed for a conference, (see above) is the Wolsey College of The Daughters of Cain, where the unpleasant Ted Brooks, whose body is found in the river, had been a "scout" (what the college calls a sort of servant. A scout made up our room every day.) The interior of the library is shown in another episode, & in still another Morse & Lewis walk from the library through another part of the campus & then into the Tom Quad (the quadrangle of Christ Church, with the Tom Tower as the centerpiece). The quad makes an appearance in several other episodes too, and the Meadow, which we looked out upon from our bedroom window & after which our "dormitory" was named, was also a film location. The Meadow is a favorite sort of park for tourists & residents alike, for it is lined with trees and has a well tended grassy area that people lounge on. We noticed it was always well used.

Randolph Hotel has Morse Bar

We had breakfast one morning in the bar of the Randolph Hotel, one of Morse's watering holes. We had awakened early with jet lag, and since breakfast in The Hall at Christ College, where we were conference participants, wasn't until 8:30 we decided to look for someplace that would serve an early breakfast. We asked several people on the street and the consensus was the only place that was open at that hour was the Randolf, aside from McDonald's. The dining room, it turned out, was only open to guests of the hotel, but it was suggested we could get service in the bar. Our waiter simply took empty plates into the dining room & filled them from the buffet there after we ordered. It was good, if a bit pricey since the Randolf has a 5 star rating, & as we left we noticed a decal sign on the window that said "Morse Bar". You can have tea there, too, or cocktails before you dine elsewhere. (Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant is not too far from there & they have delicious food.)

In all, 16 colleges have been used in various episodes, as well as other public buildings and museums in the area. If you prefer a more professional approach to finding Morse's Oxford, there is a walking tour available every Saturday, which can be found on Oxford's web site: http://www.visitoxford.org

PHOTO

The Randolph Hotel