Beyond the Grand Tour: British Travellers in Europe 1400-1914



Overview

The Grand Tour, undertaken by aristocratic young gentlemen in the 18th century, was central to the high-class tourist trade in Europe and has become legendary. But British people have long travelled for all sorts of purposes and to an extraordinarily wide range of places, encountering danger, experiencing enchantment, feeling superiority over foreigners, and drinking in the newness of it all.

Their travels played a major part in developing awareness of the cultural, political and social character of other nations. Prejudices and stereotypes were thereby confirmed, but enlightenment and understanding were gained.  During this course we will look at a variety of travellers in Europe between 1400 and the early twentieth century.

Using letters, diaries and journals and published travel writing we can discover the motives for their journeys, explore their experiences, and find out their perceptions of the countries and people they encountered. Our subjects range from a medieval housewife, via a devoutly Catholic gentleman in the 1670s, a lady’s companion in the Napoleonic period and an eminent Victorian novelist, to an obsessive Edwardian amateur botanist. Each is a fascinating character in his or her own right, and we learn of their stories in their own vivid and revealing words.

This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.

Programme details

Seminars

Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor. 

Sunday

Seminar 1: The background, including the physical, cultural and political challenges of travel; and the general patterns of travel by such groups as churchmen, merchants and diplomats.

Seminar 2: Margery Kempe (c 1373 – c 1438): a truly remarkable woman, author of our first autobiography, travelling on pilgrimage in the early 15th century to (among other places) modern Poland.

Monday

Seminar 3: William Clifton (1635 – 1695), a devoutly Catholic Lancashire gentleman who in 16786-1677 travelled to the Holy Land and the sacred places via central Europe; his letters home tell of the realities and dangers of travel.

Seminar 4: Thomas Pennant (1726-1798), Welsh naturalist, antiquary and inveterate traveller, who in 1765 visited France and met a wide range of scientists, literary figures and other scholars.

Tuesday

Seminar 5: John Patteson (1755-1833) was a young man working in the Norwich woollen cloth business who in 1778-1779 went on a version of the Grand Tour, but with commercial considerations foremost on his mind.

Seminar 6: Katherine Wilmot (1773-1828) accompanied the Irish peer the 2nd Earl of Mount Cashel on a European tour in 1801-1802, as his wife’s companion, recording (inter alia) Paris during the brief Peace of Amiens.

Wednesday

Seminar 7: Matthew Todd (1791-1853) was a gentleman’s gentleman, who in 1814-1820 accompanied his master on a series of European journeys (including Switzerland), as a lively and spirited observer.

Seminar 8: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the celebrated Scottish essayist and novelist, travelled through the remote and backward Cevennes with a donkey, in a pioneering ‘wild camping’ expedition.

Thursday

Seminar 9: Reginald Farrer (1880-1920) an obsessive and eccentric plant collector, botanist and gardener, was highly influential in the development of English gardening in the early 20th century; his Among the Hills (1910) recounts expeditions to gather alpines in the mountains of France, Switzerland and Italy.

Seminar 10: Norman Douglas (1868-1952), novelist and literary figure, wrote about ‘undiscovered Italy’ in Siren Land (1911) and Old Calabria (1915) emphasising the primitive and impoverished state of the southern parts.

Friday

Seminar 11: Douglas Goldring, a minor novelist and poet (1880-1960) undertook a walking tour of the Balkans in 1910, visiting places which had scarcely ever been seen by ‘western’ tourists, including Montenegro.

Seminar 12: Summing-up: what have we learned during the course of the week, and what do we feel about travel-writing as a source of historical evidence? 

Programme timetable

The daily timetable will normally be as follows:

Saturday

14.00–16.30 - Registration

16.30–17.00 - Orientation meeting

17.00–17.30 - Classroom orientation for tutor and students

17.30–18.00 - Drinks reception

18.00–20.00 - Welcome dinner

Sunday – Friday

09.00–10.30 - Seminar

10.30–11.00 - Tea/coffee break

11.00–12.30 - Seminar

12.30–13.30 - Lunch

13.30–18.00 - Afternoons are free for tutorials, individual study, course-related field trips or exploring the many places of interest in and around Oxford.

18.00–19.00 - Dinner (there is a formal gala dinner every Friday to close each week of the programme).

A range of optional social events will be offered throughout the summer school. These are likely to include: a quiz night, visit to historic pubs in Oxford, visit to Christ Church for Evensong and after-dinner talks and discussions.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee Option 1 (Single en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) £2050.00
Fee Option 2 (Double en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) 1 person £2100.00
Fee Option 3 (Twin en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) per person £1680.00
Fee Option 4 (No Accommodation - inc. Tuition, Lunch & Dinner) £1250.00

Funding

Concessionary rates are available on a non-residential basis for those that qualify, more information can be found here.

Unfortunately we do not offer any specific scholarships or funding opportunities for OUSSA programme, but you can visit our departmental funding webpage, where you may be able to find a particular source of funding that matches your requirements alongside meeting the funding criteria.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Tuition and meals are included in the programme fee, with both residential and non-residential options available.

Course change administration fee: Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances; however, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking
  • If submitting an application form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date

Cancellations and Refunds

1. Cancellation by you

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator in writing: by email to oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or by post to OUSSA, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

The following cancellation and refund policy applies in all cases:

  • Cancellation within 14 days of online enrolment / payment of fees – full refund of all fees paid.
  • Cancellations received up to and including 30 April 2025 – OUDCE will retain an administration fee of £100 per week booked; all other fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received between 1-31 May 2025 – OUDCE will retain 60% of the fees paid; the remaining 40% of fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received on and after 1 June 2025 - no refunds will be made.

2. Cancellation by us

Where there is good reason, OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course by giving you notice in writing at any time before the course is due to start. In these cases, we will endeavour to offer a transfer to another available course if practical and acceptable to you, subject to payment or refund of any difference in the course fees. Alternatively, we will refund the course fees that you have already paid. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred. The status of this course will be reviewed on 1 May 2025. If it is likely that the course may be cancelled, anyone affected will be notified by email within 7 days; if you have not heard from OUDCE by 8 May 2025, you should assume that your course will be running. You may wish to delay finalising your travel arrangements until after this date.

OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course at short notice in exceptional circumstances that would prevent the course from being delivered e.g. tutor illness. In these rare instances, we will notify you as soon as possible and arrange a transfer to another available Oxford Experience course. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

3. Travel insurance 

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check cancellation policies carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Dr Alan Crosby

Tutor

Alan Crosby is the editor of The Local Historian and has taught OUSSA courses in most years since 2000.

Course aims

This course aims to investigate, using diaries, letters and autobiographical accounts, the experiences of British travellers in Europe from the 15th to the 20th centuries, and to consider the ways in which they contributed to awareness and understanding of the social, economic, and cultural character of other nations.

Teaching methods

The teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be expected to understand:

  • And appreciate more fully the context and circumstances of Continental travel in the past
  • That the Grand Tour was only part of a much wider and long-lasting pattern of such travel
  • And identify ways in which such travel contributed to different aspects of British culture and society
  • And read travel writing from the past with a greater awareness of the issues, themes and implications involved

Assessment methods

Participants are required to undertake preparatory reading and complete a pre-course assignment of 1,500 words. Although this does not count towards credit, it is seen as an important way of developing your ideas and is mandatory. The pre-course assignment is typically due in the first week of June.

You will be assessed during the summer school by either a 1,000 word written assignment or a presentation supported by individual documentation. To successfully gain credit (10 CATS points) students should attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment. Participants will attend two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor during the week.

OUSSA is an accredited summer school taught at undergraduate level; each one-week course carries 10 CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points at FHEQ (Framework for Higher Education Qualification) Level 4. Learn more about CATS points.

Certificate of Higher Education

Credit earned from OUSSA can be transferred towards our flexible Certificate of Higher Education.

Study when and where it suits you by gaining credit from short courses, including short online courses, weekly classes and OUSSA, and build your way to an Oxford University award. This part-time undergraduate programme lasts between two and four years depending on how intensively you want to study.  

Find out more about the Certificate of Higher Education.

Application

Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.

Single accommodation, double room for 1 person and non-residential places may be booked online by clicking on the “Book now” button in the “Course details” box at the top right-hand side of the course page.

Those requiring twin, double or accessible accommodation should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked online. Please send the completed enrolment form to the email address below. Both the PDF and Word option of the form below are editable, so you can complete them online before saving and sending to us as an email attachment. You do not need to print and scan them. (Please use these forms only if you are making a twin or double booking for two people.)

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Those who do not wish to register online or who have specific requirements (eg an accessible bedroom) should contact the Programme Administrator directly at oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or OUSSA, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA, UK.

Accommodation

More information about our accommodation can be found here.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support