Category Archives: England

Hogwarts Infirmary ~ Bodlein

Oxford Day 6 066This magnificent room in the Bodlein in Oxford was used as the Hogwarts Infirmary in the Harry Potter Movies. The detail of the carved ceiling is amazing don’t you think?

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Oxford Day 6 074Our timing wasn’t the best to be able to get the guided tour of the library room while we were in Oxford. You have to sign up for their timed tours and we were a bit late out of the gate to do that. Next time…

This post will wrap up our day six  in Oxford and I’ll be moving along to day seven in Broadway soon.

And now for some local news…

We finally have some sunshine again and the rain has paused for a few days.

Thankful for that as Andrew and Katie will begin their move into a spanking new apartment on Monday. How nice to not have to deal with pet hair this time around. I’ll share some photos next week. They will pick up their pod and empty that and then get the rest of their belongings that are at this old house. They used a U-Haul pod which was more economical for them than other pod companies. The savings probably comes from the fact that you pick up and deliver the pod yourself from the local U-Haul Carrier. Then they ship it across country for you. When it arrives close to your zipcode you have to pick it up and return it. Their pod is being delivered to a very inconvenient place in the Seattle area. We are northeast of Seattle and the pod is being delivered south of Seattle with the route to get there going right through downtown Seattle. Traffic timing will be a huge necessity.

Today there’s a little gathering of friends of theirs at this old house. The Pork Butt is in the smoker and has been since 3am.

What does your Saturday hold?

Toadstool Fences ~ Bourton on the Water

Bourton-Gloucester 024On our way to Ross on Wye and our 2nd self-catering cottage we stopped in Bourton on the Water for a very short visit. This is where we saw this unique toadstool fence by the river and across the street in front of this next building.

There were a couple more fences in town that caught my eye.

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Bourton-Gloucester 025I’m linking up to Good Fences #21 with TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch Report for this weekly meme. TexWisGirl is the hostess with the mostess!

The week is flying by. I’m surprised and happy to report our traveling kids might have already chosen an apartment and it has quick occupancy. Their pod of possessions has not arrived in the Seattle area yet (probably on Monday) so the idea of emptying out the pod into an apartment is more appealing than emptying it out into our garage and then moving it all again. Andrew was able to transfer his driver’s license yesterday in record time at the DMV. It’s wonderful when things work efficiently. Now if only I can get back into an efficient routine.

 

InSPIREd Sunday ~ St Michael and All Angels’ Church

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While we spent a morning in the Cotswold town of Broadway we enjoyed a visit to this church just down the road from the Pub we were going to have lunch at. The present parish church, built in 1840, and dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, is a building with nave, two aisles and chancel.
Broadway Day 7 033Broadway Day 7 039Its chief antiquity is the pulpit, which is a fine piece of wood carving, and was transferred from the old church. It was reconstructed and part of it was used to form a chair which had since been stolen from the sanctuary.

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Broadway Day 7 034We were intrigued with these ornate Eagle lecterns that we saw in most of the churches and cathedrals we visited in England. I researched to see the significance of this design. Here’s one explanation:

THE FLYING eagle is the symbol of John the Evangelist (see Revelation 4:7) who proclaimed Christ as ‘the Word of God’ at the beginning of his Gospel. The flying eagle is thus a suitable emblem from which God’s word is read, reaching (we hope) the ends of the earth. The eagle is also thought of as the bird which flies nearest to heaven. I am not sure such lecterns are confined just to the Anglican church. It was not until the Reformation that the lectern became prominent in ordinary parish churches of the reformed tradition, carrying the open bible.

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Broadway Day 7 044This is my favorite Stained Glass Window from this church and appropriate for a church named St Michael and All Angels Church.

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Broadway Day 7 047I love old doors of all kinds and this door into the church is very cool.

InSPIREd Sunday is hosted by  Beth and Sally. This is a weekly meme devoted to sharing religious architecture from around the world.

Hope your Sunday is going well.

Good Fences ~ Oxford, England

It’s time for Good Fences #20 at Run*A*Round Ranch Report with TexWisGirl.

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This fence with “Head” posts is in Oxford England close to the Bodlein and and next to the Sheldonian Theater and Old Ashmolean. Each post has a different head.

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Oxford Day 6 079I didn’t have a lot of time to research why there are heads on each of these posts and information about them isn’t an easy click away.

Last night while Dear and I watched an episode of Inspector Morse they drove on the street next to this fence. I enjoy seeing places we have walked when we watch shows like Morse, Inspector Lewis, or Lord Peter Whimsy series from Dorothy Sayers mysteries.

I’ve got to run today and will be around later to see more Good Fences. Hope your day is going well.

 

D is for Doors!

It’s time for ABC Wednesday and the letter D. Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt and the ABC crew for hosting this weekly meme.

D is for Doors!

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Oxford Day 6 040Our tour guide in Oxford said that there are stories about this door being an inspiration to C.S. Lewis on the writing of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as he was housed behind this door from time to time.

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Oxford Day 6 041and just to the right of this doorway was this…

Oxford Day 6 042…the lamp post that served as the model in the story.

Good story if it’s true and you can see the inspirations are there. The Chronicles of Narnia are a favorite of mine.

There is so much great history to hear about and see in Oxford. We are already talking about spending at least a couple days in this city the next time we visit Jolly Old England.

University Church of St Mary the Virgin ~ Oxford

Oxford Day 6 046St Mary’s stands in the physical centre of the old walled City, and the university grew up around it. In medieval times scholars lived in houses with their teachers and the university had no buildings of its own, so it adopted St Mary’s as its centre. The church continued as a parish church, but by the early 13th century it had become the seat of university government, academic disputation, and the awarding of degrees.

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Oxford Day 6 120The Oxford Martyrs ~Each of the three anglican bishops, Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer, who were burnt at the stake in Oxford during the reign of the Roman Catholic queen, ‘Bloody Mary’, underwent part of his trial in St Mary’s. Their principal crime was not to believe the doctrine of transsubstantiation, although Cranmer, as Henry VIII’s Archbishop, had also played a crucial role in the downfall of Queen Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon.

Oxford Day 6 118This bit of history at St Mary’s really was interesting to me to read…

John Wesley, founder of Methodism, often attended the University Sermon in his Oxford days, and subsequently, as a Fellow of Lincoln College, preached some of his most stirring sermons before the University here – notably the famous sermon the ‘Almost Christian’ in 1741. In 1744, again in St Mary’s, he denounced the laxity and sloth of the senior members of the University. He was never asked to preach here again. ‘I have preached, I suppose,’ I wrote, ‘the last time in St Mary’s. Be it so. I am now clear of the blood of these men. I have fully delivered my soul.’

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In 1947 a disastrous fire destroyed the original 17th-century ‘Father’ Smith organ. Its replacement, by J W Walker, had become unplayable by 1981. The present organ, the third, was built in 1987 by Metzler Orgelbau of Zurich with the intention of recapturing the spirit of the original ‘Father’ Smith. It is undoubtedly one of the finest instruments of its kind, and incorporates the few of Smith’s decorative pipeshades which survived the fire.
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Oxford Day 6 121While traveling I never have the time to thoroughly study the history of the places we visit. In preparing my posts for my blog, after the fact, I learn so much more information and history and I find out all the things I missed while visiting these amazing places. That’s why I always am ready for another trip to see the things I missed. There’s only so much my brain can absorb in a short visit.
Since we’ve been home and while watching an episode of Endeavor we noticed that the outdoor patio area of this church was in the segment. It’s fun to see the places we’ve visited on these shows.
I’m linking to InSpired Sunday for the first time this week.  This weekly meme is hosted by – Beth and Sally . This is a weekly meme devoted to sharing religious architecture from around the world.

Magdalen College ~ Cloisters

The 15th Century Cloisters construction commenced in 1474 which makes this medieval square of stone among the oldest parts of Magdalen.

Oxford Day 6 156Balancing on the buttresses that jut from the Cloister walls are the figures later known as ‘hieroglyphics’, the ‘GARGELS”, Magdalen’s very own gargoyles. Some are biblical, some heraldic, all symbolic. Since they entered the College in 1508-9 they have been keeping their emblematic eyes on the comings and goings in the Cloisters and the quad.

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Oxford Day 6 155Wanted to let you all see that we did “keep off the grass”.

From the Cloisters we headed out to Addison’s walk and the New Building following the footsteps of Tolkien and Lewis along one of the paths that leads to  the famous meetings of the “Inklings”.

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Oxford Day 6 170As you can tell from my posts from Oxford there is a lot to see in this city. I still haven’t shown you photos from Bodleian and Radcliffe Camera or the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. These places have been seen in many Masterpiece Mystery series and scenes from Harry Potter movies, too. My last post of Oxford will be photo heavy.

Back at this old house the renovations continue. We were hoping for things to be wrapped up today but that’s not happening. Maybe by Tuesday…

We have Fleet week and SeaFair and Hydro races and the Blue Angels in Seattle this weekend. What does the first weekend in August hold for you?

University of Oxford ~ Magdalen College

We visited Magdalen College with our daughter Katie in 2004 and we were happy to re-visit the buildings and grounds this past July. What drew us to this college in 2004 was the information we read about Tolkien and C.S. Lewis enjoying walks and theological discussions here and along Addison’s Walk. We wanted to walk along that path, too.

Magdalen College was founded just outside Oxford’s City walls in 1458 by William Waynflete.

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Oxford Day 6 137The chapel was begun in May 1474. The remarkable West Window of the Antechapel is a dramatic depiction of the Apocalypse and the judgement of souls. This vision was cast in 1637 but has been subjected to subsequent restorations, the re-glazing in 1859-1861 leaving the windows as they appear today.

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Oxford Day 6 141Above the stalls hangs Giampetrino’s remarkable 15th copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, on permanent loan from the Royal Academy. In view of the bad condition of the original fresco in Milan, (which I had the privilege of seeing in March of 2013) Magdalen’s copy on canvas is a piece of increasing historic and artistic significance.

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Oxford Day 6 139In 1635, the repaving of the Chapel floor in a pattern of black and white marble tiles.

Oxford Day 6 140The doors to the main Chapel were locked so I had to get these photos by looking through the glass on the doors. The choir sings from the middle stalls at either side. Towards the end of the 19th century the Choir achieved renown and played a pivotal role in ensuring an unprecedented fondness of carol singing among the general public by the publication of an anthology of carols.

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Oxford Day 6 157This is the Hall which was built at the founding of the College. The High Table at the far end seats the President, Fellows and formal guests, just as it did in the early 16th century when it welcomed King James I. Oscar Wilde was a fromer member of Magdalen.

This post is getting long so I will do another post with photos from the Cloisters and some outdoor spaces.

Good Fences ~ Oxford, England

Oxford Day 6 099Balliol College ~ University of Oxford

It seems that everywhere you look in England you see wonderful stone walls and ornate gates. Here are a sampling from each of the colleges we visited while in Oxford on July 6th.

Oxford Day 6 110Trinity College ~ University of Oxford

Oxford Day 6 166Magdalen College ~ University of Oxford

I’m linking to Good Fences at Run*A*Round Ranch Report #19

Trinity College ~ University of Oxford

Oxford Day 6 094You can read about the history of Trinity College by clicking here. After our walking tour of Oxford on our 6th day in England Dear and I enjoyed some lunch and then walked about on our own. We visited two more of the University of Oxford Colleges, Trinity and Magdalen. We had to pay a small entrance fee to walk about these colleges.

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Oxford Day 6 100The Chapel was consecrated in 1694 and was hailed by contemporaries as the most magnificent Chapel in the University.  Its dynamic integration of architecture, sculpture and painting is unrivalled amongst surviving ecclesiastical interiors in England.

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Oxford Day 6 107Deposition of Christ ~ (copy after Andrea del Sarto) by Gaetano Cannicci, 1870.

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Back here in the “States” work did not proceed as planned on Tuesday. One thing we’ve learned is that there are too many different laborers that are required in a bathroom renovation. You have your plumber, your tiler, your drywall installer, the taper, the sealer, the electrician. We can’t say that the skill level for all these workers has been to our standards. We were pleased with the plumber. Work halted on Tuesday since the prep work for the tile man was not completed as needed. I really am hoping we are real pleased with the tile man. The upside to the delay today was that I was able to go out and take care of  some errands that needed to be done.

Today, hopefully the tile will be installed with no glitches. I better go run and take some more before photos. Have a wonderful Wednesday!