Oxford Day 3

 May 16th.  An overcast day but no rain.  Coolish.

Today we made a list.  Little Sister wanted to visit the Narnia Door and Lamp Post.   Next we both wanted to visit Christ Church and then we needed to go to a Post Office.  So at 9:30 off we went.

We didn’t get lost today and easily found The Door and The Lamp Post and took photographs.   It was fun to see a mother there with her little girl, maybe 8 years old.  While the mother was excitedly telling the story, the little girl looked slightly bored.   I hope she will read the book and capture the enchantment of the story.   Oxford Tourism  makes a huge thing of the locations for Harry Potter films, the connection with J R R Tolkein and The Lord of the Rings; also Alice in Wonderland but I think they should include CSLewis Narnia series too.  Perhaps in my next life (ha ha) I can come back and open up a small shop in one of the quaint buildings and sell copies of the book and endless merchandise🤣😂

We walked down the street to Christ Church and here, an apology and edit of yesterday’s information.  Old Tom the bell which rings 101 times each night at 9:05  is not in Magdalen College but in Christ Church.  Oops.

Entry was through the Christ Church meadow.  My, what a beautiful garden.   We saw many of the flowers that Mother used to grow in her garden when we were children but neither of us have green fingers so we didn’t know any names.   

Then it was a case of follow the arrows to the Visitor Centre where we paid £2 extra as we hadn’t pre booked!  To our delight the entry fee included an audio visual guide similar to what we’d had at Windsor Castle.  We waited until 10:30 and were then allowed in and past rooms in which current students live and into a large quadrangle with the Tom Tower in front of us.   It was here I realised the error I have corrected above.   The lawns were circular but still had the manicured look and stripe effect we are so admiring.

Along the edge were ancient foundations which the commentary told us Cardinal Wolsey had laid in his grand pretensions for the development of the College.  Unfortunately he came to a dismal end when he failed to achieve an annulment for Henry VIII’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon.  Henry was fond of “off with his head” but the Cardinal died of natural causes before reaching the block.   The foundations had been intended for cloisters but they were never built.

As the students were sitting exams we could not enter one part and had to peer over signage to view the Library building and a strange but accurate sundial on the wall.   

Back to climb the grand staircase and view the dining hall made famous in Harry Potter films.  Three walls were resplendent in stained glass and portraits.  Most notable portraits being Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII.   We were there to see the Alice in Wonderland window.   Charles Dodgson lived most of his life as a scholar and teacher at Christ College and he wrote the famous book, under his pen name Lewis Carroll, basing the characters on people he lived and worked with.   The window has at the centre a portrait of Alice Liddell and in the bottom left the character as she was illustrated in the book.

The last panel in this window is of Charles Dodgson himself and in the bottom right is the illustration of the Dodo. Charles had a stutter and often referred to himself as Do do Dodgson, hence the character of the Dodo.

The Top Table was laid out like a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.  Presumably students and tutors weren’t using it for the day!  Apparently there are two dinners served here daily, the first informal and an hour later formal dinner at which academic robes are worn.  1000 meals daily are prepared for students of this college.

The church at the centre of the college has a large wooden seat on which the Bishop sits to teach.  This seat is called a cathedra, hence the name Cathedral for the church.  This cathedral is for the diocese of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and is one of the largest in Britain.   Steeped in history it too had many many stained glass windows. 

 One was a depiction of the Biblical story of Jonah, another the story of St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford.   I had never heard of her, so sat in one of the seats and listened as the audiovisual narrated the story following each panel of the amazing stained glass window.

In the Lady Chapel, there were remnants of the medieval painted ceilings.  Apparently back in that time the churches would have been very colourful.   The colours have dulled over the centuries.

Beneath the dark carved wooden pulpit was a plaque commemorating John and Charles Wesley, possibly the most famous sons of the college.   Their fame however is more from their hymn writing and the fact that John founded Methodism.  Apparently Charles started a club called The Holy Club and subsequently John joined, became leader and administratively organised everything in a very methodical manner - hence the name.

And as I exited the Chapel of Remembrance  I saw this sign.  This Bible verse is the one that my father wrote in my autograph book when I was only 8 years old.

So saying goodbye to a gargoyle or two, 

some more intriguing wooden doors 

and the wonderful tower we exited, 

handed back the audiovisual and totally satisfied prepared to walk up the street. 

But Little Sister spied Alice’s Sweet Shop so we crossed the road, took a picture and opened the door.

Imagine our delight when it wasn’t sweets but Alice memorabilia in profusion.   The shop assistant, from Japan of all places, kindly took a photo.

Then back up the street to post cards in a venerable post box.

By then it was definitely cup of tea time so Westgate Shopping Centre called.  Once refreshed we wandered and guess what we found!  John Lewis is Little Sister’s new favourite shop.

Then at Benugo with yet another pot of tea we saw these two.  We couldn’t decided whether he was Jeeves the Butler or James the Chauffeur who had left the Bentley round the back.  Morning Suit was definitely not de rigeur among other patrons of this establishment.

Then it was “home James and don’t spare the horses” bringing our last day in Oxford to a glorious close.

I’m so very pleased I came here.