2 Best Sights in Oxford, The Thames Valley

In addition to secluded cloisters and gardens, the abbey has a spacious church dating from 1170, with a rare lead baptismal font from the Norman period. There are two unique items from the 14th century: a sculptured stone Tree of Jesse window and a wall painting of the Crucifixion with an unusual cross design. The great tower was rebuilt in 1602, but it incorporated the old 14th-century spiral staircase. The Sanctuary has unusual carved wooden niches, depicting figures representing the Seven Deadly Sins. In the Lady Chapel, you can see the so-called "Swaggering Knight" effigy, one of England's best-preserved knight's effigies, which has faint traces of its original 13th-century coloring (extremely rare for statuary of this age). Be sure to check out the People's Chapel for its rare and beautiful fragments of 14th-century wall paintings. Dorchester Abbey is about 9 miles south of Oxford, on A4074. Although free and open 365 days a year, check the bookings calendar in advance to make sure.

Seven hundred years' worth of funeral monuments crowd this spacious, galleried church, including the altar-step tombstone of Amy Robsart, the wife of Robert Dudley, who was Elizabeth I's favorite suitor. One pillar marks the site where Thomas Cranmer, Anglican author of The Book of Common Prayer, was brought to trial for heresy by Queen Mary I (Cranmer had been a key player in the Protestant reforms). He was later burned at the stake nearby on Broad Street. The top of the 14th-century tower has a panoramic view of the city's skyline—it's worth the 127 steps. The Vaults and Garden café, part of the church accessible from Radcliffe Square, serves breakfasts and cream teas as well as good lunches.