Tag Archives: Oxford England

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.

Oxford Day 6 039

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.

In Memory of the Savior’s Love ~ Hymn

Oxford Day 6 141

In Memory of the Savior’s Love

In memory of the Savior’s love
We keep the sacred feast,
When every humble, contrite heart
Is made a welcome guest.

Symbolic of His broken flesh,
We take the broken bread,
The cup in token of His blood
That was for sinners shed.

Under His banner now we sing
The wonders of His love
And so anticipate by faith
The heav’nly feast above.

Words: Thomas Cotterill, 1805.

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.

Oxford Day 6 096

Oxford Day 6 112

Oxford Day 6 110

 

Oxford Day 6 108

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.

Oxford Day 6 106

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

Oxford Day 6 105

 

Oxford Day 6 101

Oxford Day 6 103

Oxford Day 6 102

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!

The Oxford Colleges ~ Balliol

I’m linking this post about one of the many Colleges in Oxford to ABC Wednesday. C is for Colleges. Thank you Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team.

On Wednesday July 9th (Day 6 of our England Trip) we boarded a train in Moreton in Marsh to Oxford for the day. We found free parking on the street close to the station. The train ride was a short 37 minutes. Since parking in Oxford is a challenge and you are advised to use park and rides on the outskirts of town we thought a train ride close to the center of town was the best option for us.

Oxford Day 6 011We opted to go to the visitor center and sign up for a walking tour. There were a few other tour options but they seemed a little too hawkish for our taste.

We only visited one of the colleges with the tour guide. The oldest Oxford college continuously on one site, co-founded by a woman, Balliol is home to young people from many different backgrounds who have come to study with world-class academics.

Oxford Day 6 012Each of the Oxford Colleges to my understanding have their own chapel, dining hall, libraries, and dormitories.

Oxford Day 6 013Some inside views of the William Butterfield chapel.

Oxford Day 6 014

Oxford Day 6 018

Oxford Day 6 019

Oxford Day 6 021

Oxford Day 6 022

Oxford Day 6 023These are the outside views of the chapel designed by William Butterfield in 1857.

Oxford Day 6 024

Oxford Day 6 099

Oxford Day 6 026This was the dining hall for the college.

 

 

 

Oxford Day 6 032Oxford is a very bicycle friendly town and on our walk around town it seemed we were more in danger from being hit by a bike than a car.

Oxford Day 6 033Because of the way this chap was dressed our tour guide said that he’d be sitting for exams. The white bow tie was significant as to what exams he’d be sitting for. There are dress codes that are still observed for taking exams and other ceremonies, too.

After Balliol our tour guide showed us some other major sites in Oxford that I will post about soon. When our tour was over Dear and I spent some time at Trinity College and Magdalen College before we met up with a couple we met on the tour from Vancouver Island at the Oldest Pub in Oxford.

It’s only Monday and it feels like Friday. We are having a very warm summer day in the Pacific Northwest. The thermometer is already registering over 80 degrees. We are in a dry hot spell this week. Work is continuing slowly in our bathroom. The tile guys are suppose to be here tomorrow.

 

Cheers From England ~Day #6

Oxford Day 6 155Today we hopped on a train in Moreton in Marsh and headed to Oxford for the day. We chose today since there are rain showers moving in the rest of the week and we wanted a dryer day since we’d be on our feet and away from shelter for most of the day. The above photo was taken in the courtyard of Magdalene College.

We kept off the grass.

We payed for a 2 hour walking tour of Oxford at the visitors center.

On our tour we met a retired couple from Vancouver Island who do house sitting around the world.

We visited several colleges and learned the history of the Oxford Colleges.

We enjoyed a meal at the Eagle and Child where we met a family from the Bay area and enjoyed a lively conversation with them.

We re-visited Magdalen College where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien would stroll and discuss philosophy.

We headed to the oldest pub in Oxford and chanced to meet up with the couple from Vancouver Island and enjoyed a table together with our refreshments. More enjoyable conversation about their retirement lives spent on the island and in other parts of the world.

Back to the train station we jumped on the wrong train first and realized it in time and hopped off.

When the right train arrived because of problems on the line between London and Oxford we were packed in like sardines. We were happy to finally make it to our stop and hop into the cool breezes.

We stopped at the grocery store close to the train station and bought a few items to enjoy for a evening snack. We arrived home exhausted but filled with appreciation for all the wonderful sites and people we met and talked to.

Now we are chilling at the cottage and watching Argentina play Netherlands.

Oxford Day 6 046Christ Church, Oxford

I will have to devote a few posts to all the wonderful colleges and architecture of Oxford after I get home.

Hope all is summery where you are!