More Oxford

Our exploration of Oxford continued with a visit to the Covered Market followed by an Inklings Tour tracing the residential colleges and well known haunts of the writers JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, the two most famous members of this group of Oxford academics.

Following that Anne discovered the tranquility of the gardens in Balliol College, while Steve visited the Museum of the History of Science. This is the world’s oldest surviving purpose built museum building, and houses a vast array of scientific instruments and demonstration apparatus collected by and donated to Oxford University. The display case dedicated to calculation was an interesting exhibit, as seen in the picture, showing components from Sir Charles Babbage’s unfinished difference engine, (1822-1830). Also on display was a Hewlett Packard HP25 scientific calculator, the type popular with TAFE students in 1975 when it was released…… and, I nearly bought one at the time…… I did feel much better when one of the visitors pointed out a slide rule of the type he owned and used.