Jack

Yesterday I hopped on a train and went to oxford town.(please sing the bob dylan song as desired.)

The train was about an hour long and upon arriving, I wasn't so sure I was going to love this new place. Anyway, the group I was with started exploring the town a little and we went around to a couple of really cool churches and even went up into this beautiful building that Christopher Wren built.sidenote: I have become a little obsessed with this architect since I've been here. Mainly because he was an astronomer and all of his buildings somewhat tailor to the love of having a place to see the stars above the city. Smart man. So we explore oxford a little and then we were told that we needed to meet back at this bookstore at 12:30 to have a tour about the Inklings around Oxford. When we arrive I see this awesome old British chap wearing sweatshirt grey keds. not kidding they were the coolest shoes. He also is wearing what you picture older fellows wearing slacks, a white collared shirt with a tie. Anyway, he starts giving the tour and i love it because hes telling these stories about Lewis and Tolkein that I would have never known, and you hear the stories he's telling and seeing the places where they happened. It was all quite wonderful. Here are some of my favorite.





Back of the Church
















Front Part of the back. Also, the place where Lewis gave his famous sermon "The weight of glory"





Front altar









outside of the church










Built by Christopher Wren, used by Oxford Graduates.









Tolkeins Room in College, some random student is living there now.














If you saw shadowlands, this is the bar where Lewis meets Joy Gresham for the first time.




Eagle and Child, favorite bar of the Inklings















Rabit Room Inside Eagle and Child







House where Tolkein edited the Hobbit and Lord of the rings














After the tour our group went out to a place called the Kilns. Which is where C.S. Lewis(Jack), his brother Warnie, and Joy Gresham(Jack's wife of 4 years) lived. It was really funny because at the time when Lewis lived there, there were not a lot of other houses but some have been built sense and as we're walking up many of the houses have been named Narnia or Caspian, at least... something to that degree. Anyway, we all went inside the house and walked into this amazing study filled with books and old chairs and pipes and all sorts of wonderful things you expect a c.s. Lewis room to be filled with. So we are sitting there and this man is telling us about Lewis and the stories are wonderful and he asks if there are any questions and I raise my hand and say "what in this room was actually theirs?" the man replies with well, just the flooring in this room. I was a little sad to tell you the truth. The man explained that when the Lewis brothers died another family bought the house and at the time when the brothers died many things were auctioned off or donated to salvation army, however, they did have many original photos of the house and the places that things were and the decorations that were used in the house when the brothers lived there. Furthermore, they did have some original furniture stored up in the attack of the house and warnie's original typewriter. Once we started going room to room in the house, I began to really love it. I mean I was sitting in the same space where lewis created and imagined his stories. The same space where he lived everyday and eventually died. I know it is just space but it was great to imagine for a bit what it might have been like.




The Kilns Then.









The Kilns today.










Jack and Joy Lewis







Warnie's typewriter








Jack and Warnie







The room was recreated to look like Lewis's room.

















The famous Shrowd picture that Lewis always kept on his wall.












Room where he wrote most of Narnia.












The only real furniture that belonged to the Lewis or his brother






Austin sitting in the chair
















Pathway to pond behind the house















Pond where Lewis would go skinny dipping.








Room where Lewis died




After the tour we went and saw his grave sight and eventually made it back to town where some of my friends and I ate dinner at the eagle and child. we sat in the same room where the inklings met every tuesday morning and thursday night to discuss among other things, their books.






grave site







Graveyard where Jack and Warnie are buried