Uncomfortable Oxford Tour: Delving into Histories of Empire, Inequality and Discrimination

Join Uncomfortable Oxford on a thought-provoking walking tour of Oxford, exploring the histories of empire, inequality, and discrimination. Engage in analysis and discussion about uncomfortable subjects within the city. Discover the enduring impact of these legacies on our modern lives.

Duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Carfax Tower - Begin the tour with an overview of the historic divide between the town of Oxford and the university.
  • University Church of St. Mary the Virgin - Discuss the controversies surrounding the statue of Cecil Rhodes
  • All Souls College - Learn about the connections between All Soul’s College and money from slave plantations.
    -…
What's Included
  • Uncomfortable Oxford™ trained guide
Additional Information

Uncomfortable Oxford offers a distinctive use of the walking tour model - it’s both enjoyable and thought-provoking, fostering discussions around uneasy topics within the town.
This ambulatory exploration delves into the political aspects of recollection within the city and its university. It brings to light the histories of imperialism, disparity, and…

Location
Carfax Tower
Queen Street
Meet us at the bottom of the tower - look for the guide with the 'Uncomfortable Oxford' tote bag!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(84 Ratings)
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Suegj5098er
Oct 8, 2024
See another side of Oxford - This is a fascinating tour visiting some of the lesser known places in Oxford and discussing their history. It should not be viewed as a complete tour of the sights of Oxford nor as a tour of the university. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and, despite the street noise, made the tour into a discussion and made sure that everybody got involved in the discussion. The tour covers some areas where Oxford could be said to have issues, such as racism, women's rights and classist attitudes. I know Oxford very well but I learnt a lot and found the tour extremely worthwhile.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sewingbee22
Oct 7, 2024
Fantastic and informative! Highly recommend. Especially Kelsey 👏 - I highly recommend this tour for an alternative view of Oxford. So interesting to hear about the history and consequence of an elitist system and privilege. Kelsey, our tour guide was brilliant. I love the way she included everyone by asking the groups opinions and opening up a gentle debate. Such a great guide and very knowledgable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosemary_d
Oct 6, 2024
Uncomfortable Insights - Learning about… controversial statues and benefactors, (Rhodes and Coderington), racism, (Christian Cole), misogyny (The only females permitted in the colleges for centuries were laundresses who were old and unattractive), College vs City power struggles (since the 1200s), the marginalization of female students who, while permitted to study in small numbers after 1879, were not allowed granted graduate status until 1920, and finally the end of gender segregation by all colleges as recently as 2008!
Review provided by Viator
Excitedexplorersx4
Oct 6, 2024
Uncomfortable tour of Oxford - Absolutely brilliant. Thought provoking. The opportunity to engage with the others in the group who were in the tour. Covered a wide range of uncomfortable topics, making you challenge your perceptions. Well lead by Jordon. A tour I would return to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_h
Sep 29, 2024
A must for all Oxford travellers - A very well-researched, carefully thought-out, engaging tour. Provides historical information that the university does not want its visitors to know. Some of the information was shocking, some not so shocking, given the history of the British Empire. But the present-day actions of the university is highlighted in this tour, with an appropriate amount of context. Tom, our guide, was very engaging and facilitated some extremely interesting discussions among tour-goers. A perfect tour for tourists to learn about the place you are spending money to visit, and even more perfect for students to learn about your school. The blog and podcast are also worth checking out. 10/10 recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Curious792201
Aug 27, 2024
'The Uncomfortable Tour' is keen to hear your opinions and thoughts! - Elliot Thompson, Oxford university graduate and guide with the 'Uncomfortable Tour' was very approachable, friendly, well organised, very knowledgeable and informative and keen to hear our opinions and thoughts. He explained the fascinating origins of 'town versus gown' and the historical, controversial funding sources in the university - including how the recent university student and staff community have sought to come to terms with this - and other unacceptable issues of inequality and racism - through disruptive actions to stir the conscience and raise questions to find ways to address and remove injustice. I never knew that despite studying at the university, women were not allowed to formally graduate until 1920! Fascinating and unmissable! Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johntheladodgersfan
Aug 21, 2024
Best tour in Oxford - Fascinating and engaging - thought provoking and revealing- we did all the tours and they were excellent- prioritise these over any other tours and make sure you do at least one. The tour leaders are knowledgable, respectful and very friendly. Best thing we did in Oxford
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shrutik560
Aug 5, 2024
A must do in Oxford! - We did the original uncomfortable oxford tour and it was an amazing experience. Our guide Mia was super informative and engaging. We were a diverse group in terms of age but she ensured all of us participate in the discussions. The tour gives such a different picture of the Oxford which we would miss out otherwise. But more than all of this, I absolutely loved the uncomfortable oxford team for being extremely helpful. I had missed my tour because of traffic but they made sure to fit me in a private tour on special request, that was scheduled the next day, and didn't charge us any extra money for it. Really thankful for this gesture!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
8christym
Aug 4, 2024
Learn Hidden History - This is a great tour led by Oxford University students- if you want to learn untold stories about the various colleges this is a must. Learn about class, gender and race privilege throughout the centuries at Oxford University.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Youngmerinda
Jun 29, 2024
Engaging and thoughtful tour - The tour was well presented highlighting the ingrained inequality and injustice that is part of the world generally but comes into sharp focus in a university city such as Oxford. The guides were excellent and I liked how they encouraged discussion amongst the diverse participants, using stories and the past to encourage action in the present for a better future. PS no photos because I was more fascinated by the discussions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $25
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).