Studio Rosa is named after the rose that climbs its outside walls. Rosa Mundi is an ancient Oxford rose that, according to legend, decorated the grave of Fair Rosamund, the mistress of Henry II, who was buried upstream at Godstow Priory in 1176.
As was traditional in Victorian times, the ground floor of Folly Bridge House is raised so that Studio Rosa has a view over the garden wall to the swans and punts floating under the stone arches of Folly Bridge. From the side window, the water is just below you through the shrubs.
With tall ceilings and large windows, Studio Rosa feels light and airy. Decorated with modern art and ceramics from the owners’ collection, pride of place is given to the French Louis XV style antique chair, upholstered in a contemporary patchwork design.
Folly Bridge House is one of Oxford’s iconic buildings. A crenellated Victorian tower standing on an island in the River Thames at the point of the original 900 AD oxen ford, it conjures all the romance of the city. This is the spot where Alice in Wonderland was invented by Lewis Carroll. On Folly Bridge, the 13th century philosopher and alchemist Roger Bacon had a tower. From the roof, the River Thames and the dreaming spires of the city spread out before you.
Folly Bridge House has been beautifully restored by a potter and a writer. It has 7 self-contained studio apartments (for more information on the whole house search for follybridgehouse). Each apartment is hung with objects from the owners' collection of contemporary paintings, sculptures and ceramics. Each is equipped with the elegant necessities of city living, including fibre optic broadband and flat screen TV. Folly Bridge House strives for an Eco and Fair Trade ethos.
Only ten minutes walk from the High Street, the colleges of Oxford University and the shops of the New Westgate Centre, Folly Bridge House lets you be in the bright lights in a moment and yet return to the tranquillity of the river.
FBH is perfect for individuals, couples or groups of colleagues, seeking the epicentre of the city but wanting something different.
Oxford s most fashionable riverside restaurant, stands across the courtyard. The Folly offers a discount to our guests. Across the road is the famous old Head of the River Pub.
The Studio Rosa is furnished with double bed, with organic fair trade linen, a round dining table with chairs and a comfortable armchair. The wardrobe has a mirror glass door, a hanging rail, and 3 drawers. It is W50xD60xH236.
The hideaway kitchen is cleverly designed to provide for modern living, almost invisibly: double induction hob, combination convection oven/microwave/ grill, under counter fridge and a Nespresso pod Coffee Machine.
Folly Bridge House bathrooms are small. Their size is dictated by trying to introduce 21st comfort into a heritage house. So, if a large bathroom is a critical element of your enjoyment, FBH is not for you. They are new, bright with a water softening shower and hairdryer.
There is superfast fibre optic broadband and a flatscreen TV/DVD. The latest in ventilation systems removes cooking smells, steam and Oxford’s notorious damp climate from the apartment, replacing them with fresh, warmed air from above the trees at a rate of 180 cubic metres per hour.
Clothes washing and drying/ironing facilities are provided on the lower ground floor. Parking in front of the house, is available at extra charge as is a cleaning service.
Our riverside garden with newly commissioned bench and sculptures from the British artist Stephen Rook allows guests to read, watch the canoes, punts, narrow boats, barges, waterfowl and university rowing crews at play.
On Folly Bridge, you are in walking distance of most of Oxford’s pleasures. For those who like to linger over their food and drink, try the Folly Restaurant for elegant riverside chic or the Head of the River for a classic Oxford pub. Both are only a short stagger home to bed. Almost all Oxford’s other restaurants, cafés and pubs are within walking distance.
For those who prefer natural life to night life, the famous River Thames National Path runs past our front door, giving beautiful walks downstream past the university boat houses and their rowing teams practicing in the early morning, to the ancient village of Iffley. Or upstream to Port Meadow, the ruined Priory at Godstow and the famous Trout and Perch Inn.
The boat hire and punt station is across the river for those who prefer more traditional Oxford pastimes. Gerry's ferry can take you to Port Meadow from our private wharf. Christchurch Meadows and the Botanical Gardens (Britain’s oldest botanical gardens) are on the other side of Folly Bridge. And if you walk south through Grandpont Nature Reserve, you will arrive in 10 minutes at Hinksey Park, with its ornamental lake, children’s playground and huge, heated outdoor pool.
It will take you 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the Sheldonian Theatre and the Playhouse. The Ashmolean Museum and Modern Art Oxford are on the way. If Oxford’s multitude of shops are, for you, its main attraction, Folly Bridge House is close enough to go mad with your credit card and still stagger home with your loot. Indeed, is a visible landmark from the roof terrace of new Westgate Centre.
