Age Measured in Centuries
The exact founding date of Oxford remains unknown, but the earliest evidence of teaching in the city dates back to 1096. Initially, the academic community formed spontaneously—teachers and students gathered in the city, and only later did the familiar modern colleges begin to grow around them.
Why Does 9:00 PM Arrive at 21:05 at Christ Church College?
One of the university's most striking traditions lives on in the legendary Christ Church College. Every day, evening time here is marked not by a standard clock, but at 21:05.
At that exact moment, the bell named Great Tom strikes precisely 101 times:
The five-minute difference is explained by old local solar time—geographically, Oxford lags about five minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time.
The 101 strokes symbolically commemorate the original body of 101 students for whom this evening signal first rang out.
A Promise Without Fire: The Riddle of the Bodleian Library
The legendary Bodleian Library preserves a unique tradition: every new reader, upon signing the reader's declaration, solemnly promises not to light a fire within its walls.
This requirement can be turned into a great interactive riddle for pupils or students during a lesson:
“Why would a library ask readers to promise not to light a fire?”
Teacher/Student Hint: “Imagine reading after sunset, before electric lights.”
Intriguing historical details and unusual university rituals help combine English language learning with immersive exploration of Great Britain's rich academic culture.
Source: Official history section on the main university website — University of Oxford Archives / "Introduction and History".
Source: Official archives of the Bodleian Libraries — "The Bodleian Declaration / Reader's Oath".
Source: Official guidebooks and archival records of Christ Church College, Oxford — "The Great Tom Bell Tradition and Oxford Time".
