Searching for the Real-Life Alice in Wonderland in Oxford

Last Updated on 10th February 2022 by Sophie Nadeau

With a vivid imagination and a love for historical places, a trip to Oxford guarantees a tumble down the rabbit hole and into a world where the real-life Alice in Wonderland once lived.

Alice was a real person and the author of the book, Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) actually met her. Here’s your ultimate guide to the best of Alice in Wonderland in Oxford locations and inspiration!

Editor’s note: While, of course, you can always take a self-guided tour to the best of Alice in Wonderland in Oxford, guided tours are to found in abundance. For true fans of both the wizarding series of Harry Potter as well as the magical world of Alice in Wonderland, this one and a half hour tour is full of insider information, including Oxford Harry Potter filming locations and stories about Lewis Carroll.

A quick history to the real-life Alice in Wonderland in Oxford

Over the centuries, many authors have drawn inspiration from Oxford for their novels and many movie producers have filmed there. You only need to look to the wizarding world to find plenty of Harry Potter inspiration in Oxford. Other famous films shot in the city include An Education and The Golden Compass.

For those unfamiliar with the author of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, he was a tutor at Christ College Oxford for a large part of his career. Alice Liddell was the Dean’s daughter and she was to become the inspiration for the central protagonist of two fictional books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) & Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871).

Elements of the fantastical world Caroll conjures within his novels can be found throughout the City of Dreaming Spires, as it is so-called by those who love and know it.

From the Dodo of the Natural History Museum through to the incredible Botanical Gardens and simply all of the architectural features which are layered to create an intricate backdrop through which Alice navigates, all this and more is to be found in Oxford, the city of dreaming spires.

Alice in Wonderland Locations in Oxford

Folly Bridge, Abingdon Road

Address | Abingdon Rd, Oxford OX1 1SW

Caroll first conceived his magical world on a single boat ride along the River Thames with 10-year old Alice Liddell and her family. Caroll (real name Dodgson) was a close friend of Alice’s parents, Henry and Lorina Liddell and the group would often spend time together, particularly during the late 1950s. The date was 4th July 1862.

Although Caroll had never intended to become a children’s writer, Alice so loved the story so that she asked him to write it down. The story was about a girl who was bored, in search of magical adventures and so the novels everyone knows and love to this day was born…

How to visit: Folly Bridge was constructed between 1825 and 1827. Free to visit, it’s in frequent use by both pedestrians and motorised vehicles. Best seen from the green banks that overlook the Thames, you’ll find tour boats going past throughout the summer months.

Christ Church College, Oxford University

One of the main highlights for discovering Alice in Wonderland in Oxford can be found in the form of Christ Church College, a place of learning first established by King Henry VIII in 1546.

Since its opening in the 16th-century, no less than 13 prime ministers have attended the college, as have several Kings and Archbishops. Of course, Lewis Carroll also attended Christ Church College, just as his father had done before him.

However, he did not study a language or English literature as many people so assume. Instead, he attended Oxford to study Mathematics where he went on to gain first-class honours in the Final Honours School of Mathematics.

He then remained at Christ Church in order to study and teach simultaneously before he won the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship in 1855, a position which he retained for over a quarter of a century. During his time as a mathematical lecturer, he went on to meet Alice, and begin his second career as an innovative wordsmith.

Within the college, there are several Alice features, some more subtle than others. One particular feature of note is a stained glass window within the college’s cathedral dedicated to Alice Liddell.

Another ‘Lewis Carroll inspiration’ piece is said to be the Firedogs in the Christ Church dining hall (the dining hall served as inspiration for the Great Hall in Harry Potter). They are thought to have inspired the caterpillar’s incredibly long neck in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 

How to visit: Christ Church College is one of the most expensive University colleges to visit, but the tour does include the chance to visit the Cathedral which gives Oxford its city status, see the final resting place of St Frideswide, and enjoy several Harry Potter locations, to name but a few of the activities included. For opening times, check out the Christ Church website.

The Cheshire Cat Tree, Christ Church Campus

Elsewhere on campus, it’s alleged that a tree in the grounds serves for inspiration for the place where the Cheshire Cat enjoyed spending time, while a green door inspired the White Rabbit’s door.

However, there are numerous claims from various towns up and down the country that ‘their tree inspired the Chesire Cat Tree’ and so the claim of Christ Church’s tree is dubious at best.

Alice’s Shop

Address | 83 St Aldate’s, Oxford

If you are a fan of all things Alice related, then you simply must visit Alice’s Shop. Once upon a time, this was the very location where the real-life Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell would buy her favourite sweets- barley sugar in case you were wondering!

It’s often thought that this storefront also inspired the ‘Old Sheep Shop’ in the Through the Looking Glass book. The building itself dates all the way back to the 15th-century, though the structure was heavily remodelled and modified during the 1800s.

Today, numbers 82 and 83 St Aldate’s are Grade II* listed, notably for the quirky bay window which now displays oodles of Alice in Wonderland in Oxford related goods. For more secret spots in Oxford, such as the Alice Shop, be sure to check out this guide to the best hidden gems of Oxford.

How to visit: If you want to wander around the Alice Shop for yourself, then the store is open on a daily basis between 10 AM and 5 PM. Filled with all sorts of Alice in Wonderland and Oxford memorabilia, you may well end up walking away with a souvenir or two! Check full opening times on the Christ Church website

Merton Walk

Though the Master’s Garden is closed to the public, it can still be spied via a gate along Merton Walk. It’s thought by some (though not everyone agrees!) that this flat grassy lawn or one similar influenced the fantastical Queen’s Croquet-Ground from the book. While we were venturing past, the sun was shining and students were even playing their very own game of croquet on the lawn!

Museum of Natural History

Although not explicitly mentioned in any of the books, Oxford’s Natural History Museum now houses an exhibit celebrating Alice in Wonderland, and specifically the Dodo which so features in the books. Another preserved and taxidermy character from the book is a white rabbit holding a pocket watch (sound familiar?!)

Map of Alice in Wonderland locations in Oxford

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