On our first morning in Oxford, September 13th, we went out early to have breakfast at Brown’s Cafe in the Covered Market.
Our first Full English without the beans. We tried the fried bread instead of toast…never again. It tasted like some bad fried food at a Fair.
On the way to the Bodlein to get tickets for a tour we strolled around the Radcliffe Camera and The University Church of St. Mary. Early morning was a good time to be there before more foot traffic started.
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
From its beginnings over a thousand years ago, St Mary’s has witnessed the foundation of the University of Oxford and some of the most significant events in English church history.
Fellows of Oxford Colleges were regularly invited to preach at the church in the 18th Century – in the case of John Wesley, on three occasions.
Wesley’s years in Georgia, subsequent conversion experience and new found energy to spread the Gospel to all who would hear, had by 1741, distanced him from Oxford both physically and spiritually.
In 1741 he returned planning to deliver a condemnatory sermon at St Mary’s but was persuaded by a friend to substitute this criticism of Oxford’s lack of godliness for the sermon on the ‘almost Christian’, which he preached on 25th July 1741.
No such restraint applied in 1744 when towards the end of his sermon on ‘Scriptural Christianity’ he made a powerful attack on the University’s spiritual apathy. Not surprisingly, Wesley was not invited to give the University sermon again.
Indeed, he recognized that effect his sermon might have reflecting: “I preached I suppose the last time at St Mary’s. Be it so…. I have fully delivered my own soul.”
This time around I didn’t take photos inside the church because during the Mourning Period for Queen Elizabeth II most churches and cathedrals requested that visits were limited to signing of condolences. Many of the College chapels were closed during this period. On our visit in 2014, photos from the indoor of the church can be seen here.
These photos are from the High Street entrance to the University Church of St. Mary.
After our tour at Bodlein (which requires it’s own post) we returned to the Covered Market to M. Feller & Daughter traditional butcher to buy some lamb sausages, bacon, and a half dozen eggs. Then we made a stop at Sainsbury Grocery store for tomatoes, mushrooms, butter and other goodies to have at the apartment so we could make our own breakfast.
We took everything back to the apartment and regrouped to meet a tour guide for a 2-1/2 hour tour on Tuesday afternoon.
Back to the USA and Colville we are getting more in sync with the Pacific Time Zone.
Keeping Florida friends in our prayers!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 