Oxford is a city built on words: from its centuries as a haven for word-loving academics, its role as a publishing centre, and as home to famous authors and characters.

This talk offers stories from the history of the city and its people (real and imagined), and celebrates the many forms of wordplay to relish on its streets and walls. Meet famous writers including saga master JR Tolkien and fellow writer and friend CS Lewis, of Narnia fame. Learn about compelling fictional characters who have left real traces on our city, from John le Carré’s master spy George Smiley to Philip Pullman’s brave heroine Lyra Silvertongue. Uncover wordplay in coats of arms and college names, learn why we have ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ case letters, discover the origin of ‘spoonerisms’, and spot the pun lurking in a hairdo! 

Tickets cost £6 and are available online via Plinth or at the Museum shop. Tickets for this event also include access to our Galleries.

Further information

Complimentary tea and coffee will be available to enjoy during the talk. We recommend arriving before the start of the talk if you would like to grab a refreshment.

Sales from tickets help support our work to deliver fun and accessible family activities, community engagement projects, schools workshops, exhibitions and special events for Oxford’s people in our Museum spaces.

Sean Callery was a children's author and a teacher before training to be a tour guide in Oxford and the Cotswolds. He has written more than 60 information books and uses his research and presentation skills to deliver a variety of talks as well as show people the sites and stories of the area. He holds the Green Badge (Oxford) and Blue Badge (Cotswolds) tour guide qualifications, and has devised audio tours for four Cotswolds towns. 

Access

There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax Tower (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift to the Galleries and then a lift to the basement.

Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum. Please contact the Museum team if you’d like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on our page dedicated to access at the museum.

Photo consent

Please be aware that photographs will be taken at this event for use in marketing. If you (or a member of your group) would prefer not to be photographed, please let a member of staff know during the event.