Coming into residence

Undergraduate freshers arriving from within the UK, will be expected to arrive at Christ Church by 3pm on Sunday, 2nd October. You should make arrangements to arrive in College between 10am and 3pm on this day. 

Graduate freshers arriving from within the UK, will be expected to arrive at Christ Church by Sunday, 2nd October. Your exact date of arrival will be determined by the start date of your course, which will be communicated to you by your department. If you are living in College accommodation, you should communicate with our Accommodation staff in good time about the date of your arrival.

Those students living in College accommodation who are travelling from outside the UK can arrive from Friday 30th September 2022. The Accommodation Office will be in touch with individuals to confirm travel plans.

If you are travelling from outside the UK, please ensure that you check the government advice for current requirements and guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19 

Rooms in College

Almost all undergraduate freshers will be given single bed-sitting rooms, but a few may share a study and have a separate bedroom. It is not normally possible to arrange changes of rooms after arrival, so freshers with disabilities or additional requirements should inform the Academic Office at once. If you are reading Music you will be allocated a room with a piano or clavinova in it.

Furniture and Accessories

Rooms in College are adequately furnished. You will need to bring bed linen, such as two or three single sheets, a duvet and covers, pillows plus pillowcases, and towels and tea cloths. All linen should be marked with the owner’s name. You may like to bring from home other useful things, such as coffee mugs, plates, glasses, a bicycle, etc. (If you have a bicycle you must register it at the Porters’ Lodge, for which there is a small one-off charge). If you order items online, these should be timed to arrive at the Porters' Lodge to coincide with your arrival date. 

Cars, Motorcycles and Bicycles

There is no formal restriction on keeping a car or motorcycle in Oxford. However, Junior Members are themselves responsible for finding a garage or parking space, and the College can provide parking only in exceptional circumstances (such as disability). The unauthorized parking of cars on University or College premises is prohibited, and free long-term parking spaces in the City of Oxford are impossible to find. Most of the City’s parking is restricted to holders of Residents’ Permits and the City Council will not issue permits to students. You are therefore strongly advised not to plan to have a car in Oxford. A separate sheet on cycling in Oxford is attached.

Oxford is a very bike-friendly city and some of you may wish to bring one up with you. This is especially advisable if you plan on playing a lot of sport (both Christ Church and the University Sports grounds are a 5-minute cycle compared to a 15-minute walk) or if your subject faculty or library are a fair distance from college.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a bike or don’t feel comfortable cycling on roads – nothing in Oxford is very far away! The most important thing to remember is to be safety-conscious; the roads in the city were not designed for modern traffic. Always wear a helmet, and bring a good quality, strong bike lock (D-locks are always the safest).

There are two secure bike sheds in College, one at Tom Gate and one at Canterbury Gate, which are only accessible with a fob. There is CCTV in all bike sheds across college. Before you can store your bike in these, you must register it at the Porters’ Lodge. This is part of a scheme run by Thames Valley Police – for a one-off payment of £2 the Porters will register your bike and give you a sticker to put on the frame so if it’s stolen, it can be traced back to you if found.

Student Possessions Insurance

All graduates and undergraduates who are living in college accommodation are covered by a Student Possessions Insurance Policy which is administered through Endsleigh Insurance Services. The annual premium of approx. £6.82 will be charged to your first battels bill each Michaelmas term. You will receive details of the insurance cover and another copy is available from the Steward’s Office, if required.

For additional information, please see our 'Find Us' page, including an interactive map of Oxford City, the Colleges, and University sites.

By Car

For many people, arriving by car is the easiest way of transporting you plus your entire luggage to Oxford in one piece. On arrival and departure days only, you may park on Christ Church Meadow (map attached) on arrival, to unload your belongings. Cars are not allowed into College quads.

Oxford has a Transport Strategy that restricts city centre access along the High Street/Merton Street for private cars (for traffic from the east) and egress (traffic heading east) between 07:30 and 18:30 each day. The restrictions include a barrier in Oriel Square. There are no access restrictions from the south, up the A4144 Abingdon Road, which is the recommended route. 

The Oxford one-way system is complicated, and some roads are closed at certain times of day, so whichever direction you travel from, we would recommend that you stay on the Oxford ring road system until you get to the south of the city where there is a roundabout with the A423 and A4144. Take this A4144 north towards the city centre and you will see Redbridge Park and Ride on your left. The A4144 (Abingdon Road) turns into Folly Bridge; go over the bridge and then take a left on Thames Street, a right turn to Speedwell Street, and a left turn into St Aldate's. (All these names are on the enclosed map). Turn right into Christ Church through the Meadow Gate (which is before you come to Tom Tower) and drive about 100 yards along a cobbled road past the electric barrier arm that will already be raised, and then park on the Meadow opposite Meadow Buildings. Further details will be communicated soon about the actions to take on arrival.

By Train

Oxford station is about twenty minutes’ walk from College so if your bags are heavy it’s probably worth getting a taxi. Black metered cabs wait outside the station, and should cost about £5. The station has good links to London, and a direct train from Paddington takes a little under an hour.

By Bus

National buses terminate at Gloucester Green Bus Station, which is about 15 minutes’ walk away from the College.

Again, a taxi is available if you have lots of bags – there is a stand at the station.

The two London services (the X90 and the Oxford Tube – which runs every 20 minutes for 24 hours) stop at various points throughout the city. The Oxford Tube stops right outside Christ Church, on St Aldates.

Mail (post) received for all students is delivered to the Mail Room at Tom Gate. Please note that packages, parcels and trunks may be sent to the Porters’ Lodge at Christ Church, OX1 1DP but, owing to lack of storage space, should not arrive ahead of you.