Book

His Dark Materials Walking Tour
Oxford

From Philip Pullman's own college roof to the bench where two worlds' boundary runs thinnest, walk the real Oxford that became Lyra's Jordan College.

10 stops · 3.6 km

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GPS-guided · Works offline · No signal needed

Every Stop Has a Story

Parallel Worlds and Parting Benches

The bench where Lyra and Will promise to sit every Midsummer's Day at noon, each in their own Oxford.

High Tables and Stuffy Scholars

The college where scenes for The Golden Compass were filmed, and where the Scholars still dine at High Table.

Rooftop Scrambles and Secret Passages

Philip Pullman's own college, and the real model for Lyra's home, Jordan College.

Whispers from the Great Library

The library that appears in Lyra's world as Bodley's Library, keeper of one of the rare alethiometers.

Forbidden Knowledge

The Bodleian's oldest reading room, in the library that put Pullman's manuscripts beside Tolkien's and Lewis's in 2013.

Instrument of Truth

The world's first purpose-built museum, whose dials and astrolabes helped inspire Lyra's alethiometer.

Bridge of Secrets

The bridge over New College Lane where Lyra and Will run through our Oxford in the BBC series.

Television's Courtyard

The college that played Jordan College in the BBC series of His Dark Materials.

Ancient Skulls and Shimmering Dust

The museum where Lyra studies the trepanned skulls in The Subtle Knife, and where the BBC series filmed her visit.

Narrowboats and Gyptian Tales

The canalside home of the Gyptians, and the boatyard Pullman campaigned to save in 2005.

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Download on the App Store

Free to download · £4.99/$4.99 per year unlocks every tour, in every city