Oxford Magic and Mystery

Oxford Magic and Mystery

People come to Oxford to see the Harry Potter film locations and hear eerie tales of ghosts and weird and wonderful goings-on in past centuries. But fans of magic - the Hogwarts variety and others - might be interested to know that Oxford has links with real magicians, alchemists and mystics of the past. In the 13th century Roger Bacon, philosopher and early scientist, practised alchemy in his laboratory at Folly Bridge, and is supposed to have invented gunpowder and the telescope long before anyone else in Europe. The renaissance scholar and mystic, Giordano Bruno, came and lectured in Oxford in the 1580's, trying to convince the learned doctors of the university of his theories about the universe and his idea that there was an infinite number of worlds inhabited by intelligent beings. Unfortunately they weren't impressed and didn't offer him the teaching job he was after, so he went back to Italy - a big mistake, as he was tried and burnt at
the stake there for heresy by the Catholic church.

Elias Ashmole, founder of the Ashmolean Museum, was a fan of alchemy  and astrology, and if you go into the Old Ashmolean (now the Museum of the History of Science) and turn left at the entrance, you will find a cabinet with some strange magical objects in it that belonged to Doctor John Dee - famous astronomer, astrologer and occultist in the reign of Elizabeth I, including his 'magic table' and crystal ball with which he conversed with spirits and angels in his search for ultimate knowledge. His skills helped him choose the most auspicious date for Elizabeth's coronation - clearly very successfully, as she reigned gloriously for many years and survived assassination attempts and invasions - but unfortunately they didn't work for himself as well, as his house with its great collection of books was ransacked by a mob while he was away in Europe seeking the Philosopher's Stone, the Queen never gave him the plum job he was hoping for, and he ended up broke and destitute, living on into the time of James I and possibly ending up as the model for Shakespeare's Prospero, in 'The Tempest'.

 Which just shows that magic doesn't always produce the results you expect - be careful, all you Harry Potter fans! Why not take a Harry Potter Tour of Oxford, to find out more about the Oxford magic and mystery?