800 years of medicine and science in Oxford, on foot.
A guided walk through the city where modern science was built. Over roughly 2.5 miles and two hours, we trace eight centuries of discovery, from medieval scholarship to modern experiment, through the streets, colleges and gardens where it happened: Boyle measuring the spring of the air on the High Street while Hooke first named the cell, Willis founding neurology on Merton Street, Britain’s oldest physic garden, and Magdalen, where Howard Florey began the Oxford journey that led to penicillin.
Most Oxford walking tours follow the literary thread: Tolkien, Lewis, Pullman, Carroll. This one follows the scientific thread instead, through the buildings, courtyards and quadrangles where the work was done. The stories are told with printed photographs in hand, so the people and the places come alive as you stand in front of them. It’s story-led, not jargon-led: no science background required.
Your guide
I’m Kester, an Oxford-trained scientist with a DPhil in antibacterial nanoparticle research, though I leave the jargon at home. I love making complex science accessible, which is why I also volunteer as a guide at the Science Museum in London.
Oxford has one of the greatest scientific histories of any city, and this tour is for curious minds who want to see where, and how, modern science was built. The walk looks at how discoveries are made and how science has changed over 800 years.
Booking
The tour is currently available by private arrangement: small group walks booked directly by email. Want to come along? Email tours@kestercampbell.com and let’s pick a date.
Public tour dates and online booking will follow shortly.