OH, HE IS LOST!, a photo from Oxfordshire, England

Photographer's Note

Our guide took us to a walk around the main buildings of Oxford and at the end, when the rain was becoming to stop, he gave us 30 minutes to walk around by ourselves.
I used this place as a point of reference and after to visit many other places I couldn't find this place again and I didn't know its name, but I knew I was very near of it.
I asked about it to the people, most of them weren't locals and the others didn't know what I was asking for, nor wanted to help me. I tried to explain but they weren't able to understand where was "the building with big heads in the top of a fence". After to ask for help to more than twenty people a man gave me the direction and I arrived in the meeting point ten minutes after my tourist bus gone. Fortunately Oxford has good links with London and I got a public bus fast.
This is a famous theater of the town, but locals don't know it I guess. haha.
...........................

Nosso guia havia nos levado para caminhar ao redor dos mais importantes edifícios de Oxford. Ao fim, ele nos deu 30 minutos para andarmos por ali sozinhos. Eu usei esse edifício como ponto de referência e depois de percorrer um monte de lugares acabei não encontrando o local, que eu sabia que estava bem próximo de mim. Tentei pedir ajuda às pessoas na rua, mas a maioria era de estrangeiros e os que eram dali não entendiam o que eu queria dizer quando explicava: "aquele prédio com umas cabeças de homens barbudos em cima de uma cerca".
Depois de perguntar para mais de vinte pessoas encontrei um senhor que me falou onde o local estava e alcancei o ponto de encontro dez minutos depois que o ônibus do tour havia partido. Felizmente Oxford tem um bom transporte e voltei depressa de ônibus público para Londres.
Esse edifício é um famoso teatro da cidade.

danos, holmertz, LuisGustavoLima, alvaraalto, lucasgalodoido, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

danos (110407) 2018-01-30 23:00

Ola Jorge,
i visited Oxford during my last trip in the United Kingdom.So i saw this round building with the heads of the men to 'watch' the passing by people.The other buildings on the left are also impressive.

Regards,danos

emka (152136) 2018-01-30 23:32

Hello Jorge, So you walked around Oxford with the guide. We have seen this theater in TE too. Interesting adventure. Haven't you a map of Oxford? And it is now easier when you have GPS in mobile. Since summer I have GPS and now I do not know how I could travel without it :). Nice black and white picture. I like the expression of this guy.
Kind regrad s Malgo

Silvio1953 (205657) 2018-01-31 1:21

Ciao jorge, lovely composition with beautiful statues, fine details and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

lousat (129925) 2018-01-31 1:50

Hi Jorge,bad adventure loosing the bus of your group but an happy end as i can read in your note.ehee..and beautiful capture of a part of the exterior of the Oxford theatre,good choice of black and white and excellent brightness too. Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Tue (82204) 2018-01-31 2:47

Hello Jorge,
Excellent close-up photo of these large heads with such staring looks on their faces. I like the many grey tones and the architecture makes a fine backdrop too.
Lars

holmertz (92836) 2018-01-31 3:27

Hello Jorge,
I have seen these heads on TE before. They make obvious photo opportunities, but I am actually more attracted by the angel (or maybe just a woman) standing on the roof playing a horn or flute. It's a very nice figure seen against the light sky. I am surprised that the guide didn't count the passengers of the group, and that nobody raised an alarm that one person was missing. Well, getting lost in England is not so bad. Imagine what it would have been like in Congo, just to mention one alternative. ;-)
Kind regards,
Gert

fabianoleite (13575) 2018-01-31 6:25

Interessantes estátuas, que ficaram bem enquadradas com parte da construção antiga ao fundo. Bom trabalho!

LuisGustavoLima (5184) 2018-01-31 7:49

Oi, Jorge!

A expressão da estátua em destaque é muito legal, combina com o título rs! Colocar a foto em preto e branco foi uma boa ideia, acabou realçando a expressão da estátua. A estátua no fundo é um bom detalhe.
Boa foto!

alvaraalto (42260) 2018-01-31 12:52

Hello Jorge
Nice picture with a good story. I wonder if you captured these head before of after you lost your way.
Good old-fashioned scene with good contrast.
Have a good evening Groet Rob

lucasgalodoido (26944) 2018-01-31 17:01

Olá Jorge,
que situação ruim essa, talvez se tivesse com um mapa ajudava. Pelo menos rendeu uma boa foto em P&B. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço,
Lucas

BennyV (32570) 2018-02-02 4:26

Ola Jorge

You deserve sunny scene, but still I like this atmopsheric bl/w picture from rainy Oxford too. The angle (?) with the trumpet in the bg is my favourite element here. I also like the personal touch in your note.

Thanks & enjoy your weekend

Benny

mcmtanyel (58830) 2018-02-04 18:50

Hello Jorge,
No you didn't! Sounds like you really did miss your bus. I would have panicked. I hope you hadn't left anything on the bus.
Regards,
MT

maloutim (13617) 2019-03-10 1:02

Ola Jorge,
Each time I went to Oxford, of course I admired these sculptures outside the famous “Sheldoniann Theatre”. I was told they were the heads of Roman emperors, but then I was frustrated because nothing said which head belonged to which emperor !
So, on coming across your picture, I eventually took the opportunity to make some further research, and I found that the idea of the “Emperors” was only one amongst others !!
They are also sometimes called “the philosophers” or “the 12 apostles”. So the mystery remains…
Only 1 thing is sure, each head shows a different type of beard ! So perhaps, the author, sir Christopher Wren (in 1669) was only having a good time in coordination with his barber :-) ( CHRISTOPHER WREN was the famous architect responsible for the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire in 1666, St Paul’s cathedral being his masterpiece.)
These heads are the 3rd set, carved in the 1970’s, the 1st and 2nd sets having crumbled away with time. However, a search is on apparently to recover these crumbled originals in private gardens and what not !
I like your choice of just these 2 heads in B&W surrounding the angel playing the trumpet on the Clarendon building (Oxford University Press).
As for your little adventure, I expect a lot of people you asked were tourists themselves and didn’t know anymore than you:-)
Anyway, however annoying it was at the time, I hope it can now be classified in the good memories, if only for this beautiful picture !
Sorry about this looong tirade ! I do get carried away, especially if something had been on my mind for a long time, and I finally take the opportunity to solve the mystery :-) thanks to your photo !
Kindest regards.
Marie-Louise.