James Sadler

James Sadler doesn't get much footfall these days, which is odd considering he was England's first hot air balloonist. The man took off from the grounds of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford back in 1784, and there's a memorial to mark where it all happened. It's a quiet spot rather than a flashy attraction - just a plaque and some space to stand and imagine the sheer nerve of it all. The location itself is lovely, right in central Oxford where you can easily combine it with the university colleges and museums. You won't need more than ten minutes here unless you're genuinely into ballooning history or early aviation. Kids might find the idea fun for a minute or two, but they're not going to be entertained for long by a plaque. What makes it worthwhile is context - if you're already exploring Oxford's Georgian streets and intellectual heritage, this fits nicely into that narrative. It's free to visit, obviously, since it's just a public memorial. If you're staying at Common Leys Farm just outside the city, you're well-positioned to pop into Oxford for a morning and tick this off along with the bigger draws. Best visited on a clear day when you can actually picture someone going up in a basket of hot air and terrifying absolutely everyone below.