For our daughter Katie’s high school graduation, Dear and I took her to Great Britain in April of 2004. Katie is a reader, a learner, a writer, a poet and an artist. We asked her what she’d want to see and she came up with the brilliant idea of following some of her favorite authors and characters around the Isle! This is a photo log of our trip that we can highly recommend to all lovers of Hobbits, Inklings, Literary Giants, 19th Century England, Harry Potter, and wacky Holy Grail enthusiasts! For my flashbacks I’m going to cover less ground in each post. This first post will be our Oxford experience with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien on our radar. The photos on this trip were taken the old fashioned way with a camera that was still using film!
The Eagle and Child (The Bird and Baby) Oxford
We set out from our first B & B base in Cheltenham to tour Oxford. We were still getting over our jet lag just arriving the day before. We found a park and ride outside of Oxford and rode a bus into town. Our first stop was The Eagle and Child (The Bird and the Baby) where the Inklings would meet and discuss their current writings, thoughts, etc.
The pictures on the wall are of C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and other Inklings, plus letters, etc. We had a bite to eat and a pint was raised to toast our respected authors! “It comes in pints?”
Addison’s Walk
Dear and Katie on Addison’s Walk. This walkway is on the grounds of Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin) where Tolkien and Lewis would walk and have long conversations, after which C. S. Lewis converted to Christianity. We found it, walked it and reflected on the beauty and wonder of it all!
This next photo shows a spot on the walkway that we took a photo from different directions in 2004 and in 2014.
And here’s one of the beautiful courtyards that we took photos of both of these years.
We saw the iconic phone booth on the grounds of Magdalen, too.
Walking from Magdalen College back to the center of town we saw other familiar sites, too.
The Bridge of Sighs
Radcliffe Camera
In 2004 when we came across Logic Lane Katie insisted that we take a photo of her dad under the sign. In 2014 we came upon Logic Lane again so I had to take another photo.
We walked about to find this address where Tolkien lived at 21 Merton St. after his wife died in 1971.
Katie would not let us leave Oxford till we found Tolkien’s grave. This was no small feat! Here we are at Wolvercote Cemetery in North Oxford at the graveside where he and his wife are buried. His son is buried here, also. Katie left a note in Elvish, (yes, she learned to write and speak Tolkien’s Elvish).
EDITH MARY TOLKIEN
LUTHIEN
1889 – 1971
JOHN RONALD
REUEL TOLKIEN
BEREN
1892 – 1973
Wolvercote Cemetery in North Oxford
We headed back to our B & B in Cheltenham to rest up for our next days adventure around the Cotswolds in search of Hobbits.
The thing about film photography is that we didn’t know if the photos we took even turned out well till we were home and had the film developed. Aren’t you happy we have digital cameras now? You can see if you chopped someone’s head off or missed the top of a beautiful cathedral etc. These photos that I took with film in 2004 were scanned and uploaded onto my computer and in a lot of cases lightened up and sharpened and sometimes cropped.
I’m linking this post to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and the ABC Team.
F is for film photography.
I’m also linking to Tuesday’s Treasures hosted by Tom the Backroads Traveler.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
I love seeing these kind of comparisons! What a gift for Katie’s graduation! I have scanned many a photo in the last number of years and also see how we take pictures differently now.
We zoom in or crop more. Digital sure is nice!
Wonderful — I love this; how fortunate you were to trace these favorite wonderful authors. I was happy to find some Dickens, Harry Potter, and of course Shakespeare … most just by chance. Wonderful to have time to do this as a goal.
It looks like the perfect time of year to go to the UK, all the flowers were in bloom!
What a fantastic trip, full of interest and meaning to a literary person like your Katie! I am sure that you made some indelible memories together.
I don’t miss the days of film photography. So few chances to get it right! And not knowing if you did get it right until it was too late.
Wow Ellen how wonderful this is!
Not only for her, but for you also that you were able to give such a gift to your daughter.
Wonderful memories, wich you will always cherish.
have a nice abc-day / – week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
What a brilliant idea from an avid reader!!! I haven’t been to Oxford since the early 80s and have been hankering to go. Now I am determined!
Thanks Ellen for these views of Joy Old England. I never took many pictures on film, but last night I took 50+ pictures of the sunset. Please hurry back to Tuesday’s Treasures soon.
Your pictures are wonderful and I adore the time lapse! What a treasure!
I loved being in Oxford with you Ellen.
I visited all these and more in 1999 with my son.
I took fewer photos then than I would take today and mine were film too!
Wonderful memories come flooding back thank you!
Shane
Wonderful journey! Wonderful graduation gift. There really is no comparison between digital and film, is there? Though I have heard that many “valuable” photos are deleted these days.
Beautiful shots and isn’t Oxford wonderful? I’m going back there this year and will try to see more than I saw before. My friend, who lives just outside Oxford gave me a wonderful walking tour in 2012 and we walked across Magdelen Bridge and saw the punters below. We also took in the Eagle and the Child pub and went inside to take lots of photos. They didn’t mind that we didn’t stop for a beer. lol The photo of your daughter inside takes me right back there! What a wonderful trip you had and you got to go back in 2014, too! I’m looking forward to another visit this year.
Leslie
abcw team
The itinerary sounds great! Super idea!
So ,many great views, now with so many significant moments to you and your hubby and daughter! Especially love the one with the great background you and your daughter are standing in front of:)
How fun! I’m glad you revisit your photos and share them with us, too!
That was fun. How neat to see pictures of the same area taken 10 years apart as well.
A great post. I have only seen Oxford through ‘Morse’s eyes’ or now ‘Lewis’ on TV. but have read a lot and an fascinated by the Colleges. Lovely pictures – they seem softer than digital – have we given something up or is it your fine editing.
What a great trip! My daughter and I took a trip to England in 2005 that was so much fun. She, too, was a voracious reader of British authors. We also had film in our cameras!!
What a fun post, Ellen! 🙂 Love seeing all the pictures.
What an excellent adventure series!
ROG, ABCW
Wonderful tour! It is almost like being with your favorite authors.
Great pics.
Happy ABCW!
This is such a fun post Ellen. How photography has changed over the years – so much easier now. However, at least when we used film we actually printed the photos. Now, I fear, there may be a generation with no printed photos? Note to self – start sorting all my pictures and get some printed :).
Oxford is one of my favourite places, not least because Mrs P studied there (her room overlooked the Bridge of Sighs). We also have friends there, so visit now and then.
Oh, what fun!
Both wonderful authors
Wonderful post. Those tree pictures are just captivating me. Reminds me of that ol saying if the trees could talk.
Have a great day!
what a wonderful trip!
Boy, I would have sworn I had seen this before…I must have opened it and not got to comment or something. That would have been the trip of a lifetime.
Oxford is a great city and I remember my walk in this fantastic ancient city. I am also a fan of Lewis’ and Tolkien’s. I read “The Lord of the Rings” and several books of Lewis’ . I also remember the guide talking about the difference in pronunciation of the Magdalen College in Oxford and in Cambridge( the other place”). A lot of memories came back, which I cherish. Thank you so much!
Wil, ABCWTeam
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