Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Parkside Plum Juice
Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima
The temple and the tree at the square.
The Historical Center of Pune
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Parkside Plum Juice
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Thailand’s hot, humid climate meant that customers wanted an alternative to hot tea.
ChaTraMue
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Oxford Oxford Botanic Garden
AO Edited

Oxford Botanic Garden

The fantastic charm of England's oldest botanical garden has made it a place of writerly inspiration for centuries.

Oxford, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
“Lyra and Will’s bench” that features in “The Amber Spyglass” by Phillip Pullman.   Mdiamante/public domain
Tolkein’s favorite tree and inspiration for the Ents.   Jim Linwood/cc by 2.0
The garden in autumn.   Toby Ord/cc by-sa 2.5
Walled garden entrance.   Camboxer/cc by-sa 4.0
The beautiful waterlily pool.   Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar/cc by-sa 3.0
Blue Lotus flowers.   Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar/cc by-sa 3.0
“Alice in Wonderland” illustration of the waterlily glass house can be seen in background.   John Tenniel/public domain
View inside the arid glass house   Bob Cox Photography
Oxford Botanic Garden: Danby Gate   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Oxford Botanic Garden   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
View inside the tropical glasshouse   Tim Waters
A colourful moth at the Oxford botanical garden   Scott Wylie from UK
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The botanic garden at the University of Oxford is the oldest in Britain, but its influence stretches around the world. Many of England's most renowned fantasy writers have been frequent visitors to the garden, and have incorporated elements of this enchanting place into their novels. 

Lewis Carroll, who was a professor of mathematics at the university, often visited the walled garden with his acquaintance Alice Liddell, which evidently inspired many of the tales in Alice in Wonderland. The glass house where the waterlily garden is located was even featured in the early illustrations of the book. 

Similarly, fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught Anglo-Saxon studies at Oxford, was often found in the gardens, sitting deep in thought puffing on his pipe beneath his favorite tree, an ornamental black pine. This tree (which was sadly cut down for safety reasons in 2014) is commonly believed to have been his inspiration for the wonderful Ent creatures in his masterpiece trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. (The name "Ent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for “giant.”)       

A more contemporary author and former Oxford student, Phillip Pullman, also included the botanical gardens as the setting for many scenes in his award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy. Notably, a bench in the garden which has since become widely known as "Lyra and Will's bench" features prominently in the last scene of the final book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass. 

Related Tags

Gardens Botanical Gardens Literature Authors Fantasy Trees Plants Universities

Know Before You Go

Open year-round, with a cafe in the summer months. You can book guided tours in advance; check the website for details.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

Jaszmina Szendrey

  • Jaszmina Szendrey

Published

November 27, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Oxford Botanic Garden
Rose Ln
Oxford, England
United Kingdom
51.750968, -1.247696
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Magdalen College Gargoyles

Oxford, England

miles away

James Sadler Plaque

Oxford, England

miles away

Queen’s Lane Coffee House

Oxford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Magdalen College Gargoyles

Oxford, England

miles away

James Sadler Plaque

Oxford, England

miles away

Queen’s Lane Coffee House

Oxford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8

Related Places

  • Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden.

    Los Angeles, California

    Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

    This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

  • The Tropical House.

    Ann Arbor, Michigan

    Matthaei Botanical Gardens

    These gardens recreate unique and endangered Michigan habitats.

  • The pond at the center of the gardens with labeled wetland plants.

    East Lansing, Michigan

    W. J. Beal Botanical Garden

    The plants form a living library and laboratory for researchers and students at Michigan State University.

  • A movable glasshouse protects the camellia in winter.

    Dresden, Germany

    Pillnitz Camellia

    An engineering wonder at Pillnitz Castle protects a precious 230-year-old flowering shrub.

  • Black-footed Rock Wallaby.

    Desert Springs, Australia

    Olive Pink Botanic Garden

    Olive’s garden serves up a seemingly endless helping of outback delights.

  • Northwestern University Shakespeare Garden.

    Evanston, Illinois

    Northwestern University Shakespeare Garden

    Roses and other fascinating flora fill this garden built to commemorate Britain's immortal Bard.

  • The Lava Garden, planted on volcanic rock from an ancient volcanic eruption.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    UNAM Botanical Garden

    These biodiverse university gardens form a green oasis amid the urban chaos of Mexico City.

  • Trsteno, Croatia

    Trsteno Arboretum

    The oldest arboretum on the Dalmatian coast doubles as the gardens of Kings Landing in "Game of Thrones."

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.