Michael Davis
I grew up in Oxford and have spent much of my life exploring its streets, colleges, churches, pubs, libraries, and hidden corners. I have a postgraduate background in history, years of experience teaching and guiding international students, and a lifelong fascination with the stories that make Oxford such an extraordinary place.
I am not an academic historian in the narrow sense — I am a guide, educator, and storyteller. My aim is to bring Oxford’s history to life: not just through dates and buildings, but through the people, conflicts, ideas, scandals, traditions, and everyday human stories that shaped the city.
Oxford can sometimes feel grand, beautiful, and a little intimidating. My tours are designed to make it feel vivid, accessible, and memorable. Whether we are standing outside a medieval college, walking down a narrow lane, or pausing outside a historic pub, I want visitors to feel that the past is still present all around them.
My Approach
I offer thoughtful, engaging private walking tours for people who want more than a standard sightseeing route. These are tours for curious visitors — people who enjoy history, architecture, literature, politics, religion, eccentric traditions, and the strange mixture of brilliance and absurdity that makes Oxford unique. Above all, I believe the best tours feel like good conversations: informed, entertaining, personal, and full of stories worth remembering.