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 During the year 1997, I spent a year as a visiting Fellow at the Queen Elizabeth House in Oxford University. Located near the Church of St. Giles and close to St. Johns College, (one of the oldest and richest Colleges in Oxford) it was only a two minute walk from the city
centre.
In the evening, we often walked around the shops in the city centre. The university is eight hundred years old and many shops are located in the 14th and 15th century cottages, which makes them an interesting place to shop in.
 Talking of shops, Oxford has amazing book shops. There is the multi-storey ‘Dhillons’ book shop on the corner of Broad Street. There is a smaller ‘discount book shop’ across it, on the other side of the road. The famous
Blackwell’s book shop next door is probably the largest book shop in the world. It is reputed to have five kilometers of shelf space under ground. It goes all the way under half the city centre. There are several old shops which sell rare books, maps and antiques. You can also buy old books at the Oxfam shop.
 There are numerous souvenir shops on the High Street selling the university T-shirts, track suits, jackets, ties, mugs, calendars, diaries, cufflinks, guide books etc. Everybody has to buy something to remember their stay in Oxford, specially, the students who spend several years here.
On the same street there is another interesting place called the ‘Oxford Story’ which takes you through a quick historical tour of Oxford. Not far from here is the stand of the ‘Oxford Rickshaw’. (Oxford Greens are trying to popularise the use of rickshaws instead of cars within the city centre). The other day, I saw the Lord Mayor of Oxford and his lady taking a leisurely ride in the rickshaw which made me feel very much at home.
 As you walk through all this, you run into street musicians on every corner and intersection. In fact, Oxford is a very musical place. There are a lot of churches and a lot of chorus singing going on, specially, in Christ Church. There are also Colleges of music and the famous ‘Oxford Symphony Orchestra’ has concerts all the time. But what really sets it apart are its ‘Street Musicians’. I have not seen so much music being played on the roads anywhere else as in Oxford. It lends colour and an air of informality to the atmosphere. I have taken many pictures of these musicians, to remember the true landscape of Oxford, which I am sharing with you today.
 One good looking bagpiper played near the town hall. Another one used to dress in a Pathan suit and wear a turban and generally stand near the Oxfam book shop. The square near Sansbary used to boast of a full fledged street orchestra. A young man dressed in a suit played on a huge viola with his companions accompanying him on other instruments.
After a tiresome shopping spree, it was very refreshing to come out and stand near the florist and listen to the street orchestra. I always took a breather under the tree and listened to a tune or two.
 There was also a gypsy look alike group playing outside the public library. They wore colourful clothes and played on strange looking long wooden pipes and drums.
The number of street musicians increased around Christmas time as every one was out shopping and inclined to throw some money into the musician’s box. The melodies added to the din and bustle of the city centre and made it vibrant and livelier. It offered a change and relief from the sober and serious life inside the colleges. So next time you are in UK, visit Oxford, and walk to the ‘the sound of music’.
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Street Musicians of Oxford
