A C.S. LEWIS AFTERNOON

Leslie had a plan to go to the neighborhood of author C.S. Lewis' final home located in Risinghurst, a small residential area in the suburb of Headington.  I tagged along and wanted to relive it with you. Hopefully you will feel as if you had been for a visit, too.

First, I would like to point out these little blue plaques that you find throughout England (most heavily seen in London).  The English Heritage handles this scheme (don't you love their use of the word scheme?).  The blue plaque "commemorates the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked."

We took a bus out of Oxford toward Headington and hopped off at the "Kiln Lane" bus stop.

The weather was perfect, a slight breeze and no rain in sight.  We walked along this quiet residential street not knowing exactly what we would find.

 That's the first glimpse of his house (above). Can't you just picture yourself living on this street?

His house wraps around following the curve of a cul-de-sac.  The hedges neatly clipped and a tad too high for my taste (given that I had to stand on my tippy-toes to get a better look).

"The Kilns" is the name of Lewis' home. If you squint, you can make out the name on the plaque tucked away at the upper left side of the house.

Ta-da! It is just what I pictured. Look at the flowers beckoning you to follow the path to the front door (which we did not do).  The C.S Lewis Foundation (U.S. based) now owns the home and uses it for scholarly conferences.  Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe Leslie and I would have qualified? You know since we were attending Christ Church College at Oxford.  I mean, really, isn't that like a scholarly conference?  We should have at least tried.

Further down the road at the end of the Lewis property is the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve dedicated to Lewis' friends, Henry and Dora Stephen.

We walked down the path and through the gate.  Now picture the scene below with snow scattered amongst the tree limbs. Wouldn't that lend itself to be a magical place?

This little pond may look stagnant, but it isn't.  So, happily the air was fresh and we could sit a spell.

Which is what we did right on this little bench, facing the pond.  As it happens,  C.S. Lewis and his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, would sit and talk about their middle-earth stories on this very bench.  Clearly, this is a charming place and we could sit here for hours but we need to push on.

Back down the street, across a few roads, and down a few paths, we find this little parish.  Holy Trinity Church is where C.S. and his brother, Warnie, attended church for over 30 years.  Joy, C.S.'s wife, would also join them.

This is a small entrance on the side of the church with the ever-present boot-scraper.

Look at these kneeling pads in this darling little church.  All hand-made by parishioners. They really brighten up the dark wood pews.

At times I am obsessed with doorways.  But look at the stone arch, so simple and the iron gate just right with that little flourish at the top.

This is what I envision when I think of an English country parish.

This is the marker of the grave for both C.S. and his brother, Warnie.


Now we are walking back to catch the bus to Oxford.  But first, a little something about the Headington Quarry which is how this village came to be.  The quarry dates back to the late 1300's supplying the local churches with stone. Then they hit pay dirt (literally) supplying all those Oxford colleges (including Christ Church College) with massive amounts of stone for building. Most of the quarry used at Oxford is golden yellow but a lot of the stone used in Headington is the white-gray limestone, as in the cottage below.

Can't help myself--love this little cottage so I had to snap a pic. The light gray stones, the crisp white windows, the vines climbing to the right, the peaked doorframe with the window above, and the pot of boxwood below, tells me this owner would be my friend. And if she knew I was standing over her gate taking pictures she would surely open the door and say, "Please, do come in and have a spot of tea and scones with me while I tell you about my little cottage."

And doesn't this path look inviting? The half-gates are positioned this way to keep out farm animals.  But no time to take a peak at what lies at the end.  We need to get back to College in time for dinner.

Cardinal Wolsey (the fellow in the middle) welcomes us back to Christ Church College.

Back at Oxford.  Wasn't that a perfect afternoon? Thank you for coming along.

Note:  For more information on C.S. Lewis sites in Oxford, please click on Leslie's blog here.

BOOKWORM

I am a book addict.  Seriously.  I have books.  I buy books.  I borrow books from the library.  I download books. I rent books (on tape). And to read all of the books I own I will have to live (and have excellent eyesight) until I am 100. Here are a few of the books I have purchased in the last several weeks--fortunately, I did some buying at Abe Books and Book Depository--cheap, cheap, cheap.

Hmmm, but not these beauties.  I bought these whilst visiting London and had them shipped. If you don't know about Persephone Books, please take a peek at their website. If you stop by in person (lucky you), please give my regards to Miranda.









These little gems I found at an Oxford bookshop.  My Oxford tutor had recommended Some Country Houses and their Owners so given that it was a small book I stopped by Blackwell to purchase. I was proud of myself for only buying one (but secretly thinking I would buy the rest back home).

Penguin has published 20 small books called English Journeys. When I returned home I became obsessed about purchasing the remaining 19 and couldn't find them in town.  So I checked Penguin's website, but couldn't purchase if I was out of the UK.  Seriously?  It is 2010 for heavens sake.  So, Thomas at My Porch to the rescue who told me about the Book Depository where I promptly purchased the four books they had left (and always free shipping!).

Three of these books were purchased through Abe and one at Oxford. The Cat's Pyjamas was recommended by Pauline, one of my Oxford classmates.  It's a fun book about the origination of English cliches and written by one of the Tutors at the Oxford Experience, Julia Cresswell.  So, I had to buy her book given that I met her and that Pauline said it was quite humorous. I think there are a few more books I purchased this last month lying around or loaned out. Must. Stop. Buying. Books.

Then I was reminded of the comfort and beauty of books.  This charming picture by Carl Spitzweg entitled, "The Bookworm", hangs in my office at work (clearly a copy).  Looking at it makes me think maybe one can never have enough books.

THE OXFORD EXPERIENCE - 2010

Welcome to Christ Church College!

When you arrive you will always be greeted by one of these friendly Porters wearing the sharp bowler hat.  

Let's take a tour, shall we?

This is Tom Quad, the heart of Christ Church College.  To get to my room for my week long stay (The Oxford Experience) we will go through that dark archway in the corner, past the Great Hall (pics to follow), and up 4 flights of stairs.  Leslie and I always get the top floor.  Our rooms are in the same building, same floor, practically next door to each other.

Here is my room.  The door to the right leads to my private bathroom and there is another twin bed in the room convenient for piling up the stuff of the day.  Next time, I'm going to bring a few items to decorate that bleak bulletin board.  

Just one of the views from my room.  It was a treat to sleep with that window open and feel the cool breeze cross my face. 

See that tiny little head in the second to the far right window, top floor?  That is Leslie and those are her two windows.  My room is the two windows to the left.  This is the Meadows building since it faces the meadows clear to the River Isis. You can also see a bit of scaffolding to the right.  Is there anyplace in Europe without scaffolding?  I don't think so. Of course England is sprucing up right now in preparation for the Summer Olympics.

Let's go take a look at where class will be held.  We leave my room, cross Tom Quad, and head to Peckwater (building on the left).  That is the school library to the right.

And this picture is too pretty not to post.  

Impressive, isn't it?  That is Peckwater building where my class is held.  First floor which is really second floor but in Europe it is ground floor, then first floor, and so on.  That's to trick you into thinking that you aren't really climbing so many stairs.

This is my classroom for The English Country House. I apologize for this picture of my classroom.  The rooms are dark and not conducive to pretty pictures. That's my tutor, Nicholas Doggett, standing near the door.  He was excellent and quite the expert in English country houses, PhD in medieval architecture (or something close to that). He would usually start class by saying, "Right." 

Here are a few of my classmates.  There were ten total representing Japan, Australia, Sweden, England, and the United States.  Fortunately, we all got along great. On the first day everyone is usually quiet, but by the second day we're all starting to warm-up and relax. 

Oh, good, it's raining.  Now we really feel as if we are in the English countryside.  We head through this arch back to Tom Quad.

The main entrance and exit is where the red truck is parked.  Let's head out and get some lunch.

Sadly, our favorite fish and chips shop closed down a week before our arrival.  So, instead, we had traditional Cornish pastys on the run, but I'm not complaining.  And, yes, lunch is included in our room and board at Oxford, but street food is hard to pass up. 

If you are a fan of the "Inspector Lewis" series you've seen this shot a few times.  This is the Hertford Bridge which links two of the quads at Hertford College.  We are now walking along New College Lane toward Broad Street. 

This is the Sheldonian Theatre on Broad Street, doesn't it look like a wedding cake? It was designed by Christopher Wren (I need to find a good book about him).  I've never been inside but intend to on my next visit (that way I will definitely be back).

Love this little vignette.  

Now let's head back to Christ Church College.  We'll wind along this little street and enter through the back gate.

Wave to Larry, a lovely man who is welcoming us back.

Before we head back to change for dinner, let's take a peak into the Cathedral Garden.  

Gorgeous lavender and don't you love those windows?

On to the Great Hall where we are so graciously served breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  When I am in this room it is as if I am a character in an old English book.  I also feel extra smart when I'm sitting here discussing the day with my dinner mates.

This is darling Ruth, from Scotland.  I must have asked her a million times to say, "Edinburgh" which when she says it sounds like, "Edenburrrrra".  She also said, "Murrrderrrrr" which sounded spot on.

This is High Table where each student will be seated one time during their week-long stay.  Those pictures are on the paintings of former Dean's of Christ Church College.  Can you pick which painting seems a bit out of place?  

The Great Hall is surrounded by stained glass windows.  This grouping of windows is known as the "Alice" windows.  Alice in Wonderland's author, Lewis Carroll, was a student here and 'Alice' was the daughter of the Dean.  If you look at the bottom corners of the windows you will see various characters from the book.  Alice is depicted at the bottom corner of the top left window. 

Please meet three of my excellent classmates: Rosemary (Australia), Reiko (Japan), and Pauline (England), at our closing night dinner.

And Paul, Mary, Reiko, and Nick (Dr. Doggett to you)

This is just a little glimpse of my time at Oxford (sigh).

Next stop: Oxford Excursions