Though my focus is on mathematicians, a goal on this trip was to spend at least a bit of time visiting places related to writers who have been influential in my life: J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. I put it off to the last day because both of these locations were too far to walk to, and I am not a fan of buses, but the last day arrived, and it was time to do it or not. Tolkien is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery, north of town. It's nice that they have markers like the one above to help people find his grave. I've been in a lot of cemeteries over the last 6 years since I started my journeys, and sometimes I can find what I'm looking for, and sometimes I can't. To find a single stone in acres of ground can be pretty tough.
Beren and Luthien
I can very specifically remember my brother reading Tolkien's work when he was in elementary school and I was in junior high. I have to credit him for turning me on to Tolkien. I still remember hearing him talk about the Hobbit and mentioning "Smaug," and I, not having read it, thought he was saying, "smog." I was wondering what air-pollution had to do with it. I think that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the first purchase I made in an actual bookstore (as opposed to school book orders through Scholastic). All these years later, here I am paying homage at Tolkien's grave.
Obviously I'm not the only one who's been here recently paying homage. Mementos of flowers and currency have been left - including not just British coins but also Euros and currency from Viet Nam.
Many cemeteries I visit in my travels are closed to additional burial because they are so old that they are full. Those cemeteries feel like historic sites. Wolvercote is very definitely an active cemetery, so there was a very different feeling here than at a place like Old Calton Burial Ground in Edinburgh, which goes back hundreds of years, or Highgate Cemetery in London, which is from the Victorian Era. I spent some time here at Wolvercote reading memorials on other graves - spent quite a bit of time in the children's section and shed more than a few tears. I saw a number of graves that were newly filled. As I walked over to one of these to pay my respects, I noticed that it was that of Tolkien's youngest daughter and that she had passed away earlier this spring. It's about 30 yards from her parent's grave. Normally I post a LOT of pictures from cemeteries because they feel historic. At this one the grief felt too fresh in much of what I was seeing, so I'm holding back a bit.Having paid my respects here, it was time to head back into town and then catch a but out of town in a different direction to get to Lewis's home and grave. As you can see below, I have a very sophisticated system for figuring out bus routes!
I stopped back in town for a bit of lunch (lasagna at Pizza Express again) and then grabbed a bus on the High Street to make my way out to Lewis's home and grave in Headington Quarry, to the east of Oxford.
This is The Kilns, the home where C. S. Lewis and his brother lived for more than 30 years.
Here is the blue plaque near a side door of The Kilns honoring C. S. Lewis.
Just beyond The Kilns, on what was also Lewis's property, is what is now the C. S. Lewis Nature Preserve, which consists of a lake (filled in clay pit) and the land surrounding it. If you enter the path and turn to the right you will come across a brick bench that Lewis built and on which he and Tolkien sat and talked at times. What I wouldn't give to have been part of one of those conversations!
I sat here for a while, but, as usual, I didn't leave myself enough time to really savor it, and that was too bad in this particular situation. I think that this spot was the most peaceful, restful, calming sites I encountered throughout the entire trip, and I would have loved to have sat here for a couple of hours just relaxing and enjoying the natural world, and maybe doing just a bit of journaling as well.
As well as taking the still shots, I did take a short video (under a minute) as well, mostly to capture the sounds as well as the sight. Hearing the birdsong and the wind in the leaves was really wonderful, and I had the place all to myself.
Next it was a 10-minute walk or so to Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry, which is the church Lewis and his brother attended and is also where their grave is.
It was raining a bit at this point, and I'd hoped to rest inside the church for a few moments, but it was locked. I have been inside before, six years ago, and there is a lovely Narnia window that I would liked to have seen again as well.
Given that I'd been here before, and given that the church yard isn't that big, I was surprised at how long it took me to find the grave, but finally I did.
"Men must endure their going hence."
I took the picture below so that if I am able to come aback again someday I will know the location!
It was time to head back to town, but, apparently, the bus drivers didn't have the same idea I did. There is supposed to be a bus (more than one bus) heading to the town center here every fifteen minutes. I stood here by myself for 35 minutes with no bus showing up, and I was getting a little worried that I'd have to sleep by the side of the road in the rain or something. Finally a couple that looked like locals showed up, and that gave me hope. If locals were heading to this bus stop, there must be a bus coming eventually! I think I scared them a little bit with how enthusiastically I greeted them and how frantic I must have come across. I explained myself a bit and pointed at the sign that gave the bus times. The guy (an older gentleman) said very calmly, "Well, I'm not sure if it's term-time, but if it isn't, the U1 buses don't run as frequently." I'm guessing "U" stands for "University," but still, the sign gave bus times; my phone gave bus times, and it wasn't just the "U1" that was supposed to be showing up. Am I the only out-of-town visitor in Oxford? Why is an accurate time-table for buses not available? This is one of the reasons I do not like relying on buses!! (Oh, and on this excursion I had to cross this four-lane road with no crosswalk 3 times. Can you see the bus stop on the other side of the road just beyond the round red sign in the middle? That's where I got off the bus on the way here and had to cross the street like the guy in the median is doing. Then to get from Lewis's house to his church, I had to cross this road in a different area about a half a mile away, and then I had to cross is back in order to get back here - just FYI if you're ever thinking of making a Lewis pilgrimage. Unless you have a tour guide with a car or take a taxi or something it probably isn't going to be the easiest excursion.)
The visits above were actually the last two items of my day. I had started my day in the History of Science Museum, but I figure I put mathy-sciency stuff up here in nearly every post, so it was time to start with something different today. The blackboard below has been preserved by the History of Science Museum and contains notes by Albert Einstein from a lecture he gave in Oxford on May 16, 1931.
I also found items relating to "my" mathematicians. One item The Holy Table of John Dee (given to him by the angels). It's actually a marble copy of the wooden original.
Napier's Bones (rods), which I'm finding in every science museum - which is AWESOME! They really were in very widespread use for hundreds of years, so, many of them still survive. The next two pictures are of Napier's Bones.
And there was a mathematical models case that I would love to have for my classroom or office!
And there were cool sundials with multiple faces for use in different parts of the world.
And, as at Greenwich, there was a nice display of historic hour glasses.
Here too I'm holding back on posting. I took pictures of SO many things, and I didn't even really look at all that was available here. The museum has a small feel to it, but it does contain three floors, and there's really quite a lot here. If I'm ever back in Oxford I want to spend more time in this museum, really taking it in.
Below is a closer view of the display case above, showing the pocket sundials. They had these in the gift store as well, and I decided to buy one as a souvenir.
I don't normally buy souvenirs because I'm always traveling as light as possible, and because my memories act as my souvenirs, but I went all out on this trip and bought three things. The sundial is on the left, bought here at the Oxford History of Science Museum. The item in the middle is a perpetual calendar, that I bought (appropriately enough) in Greenwich earlier in the trip. The item on the right is from the gift shop of the Bodleian Library. The token on the key chain is exactly the same size and shape of a one-pound coin, which is what is needed to use a locker in the Bodleian Library. Normally you put in a one-pound coin, and it is refunded when you put the key back in and open the locker. Of course if you've spent all your one-pound coins, you're out of luck! So I spent two pounds to get a replica of a one-pound coin, but since it's not a real coin I'm in no danger of spending it, and it says "Bibliotecha Bodleiana" on it. I just couldn't resist. I actually used this token for my locker on my last visit to the Bodleian, and I hope it might work as a "good luck charm" to bring me back there some day! Well, I can hope, can't I?
On Friday, May 13, 2022 I left Winchester for Oxford - Friday the 13th - and it lived up to its reputation! It started well enough. I packed up, checked out, walked back down the high street with its market stalls and even bought some fudge for the train trip. I arrived at the train station, having bought my tickets a day in advance and having checked all the details - or so I thought. I arrived only to find that my train had left 2 minutes before my arrival. And the next train wasn't coming for 2 more hours. But, I was told by an official that I could use my ticket to board a train that was coming sooner but for which I would have to make some transfers (at Basingstoke and at Reading). I decided to wait the two hours, knowing how if you don't know exactly what platform to be on and exactly how to get there within the station, and if you're a little slow because you're hauling all your luggage around, you will miss your train. I really didn't want to take a chance on missing two more trains! Then I rethought my decision and went for it, as it just seemed ridiculous to sit in that little train station for 2 hours when it wasn't strictly necessary. I'm simply not an experienced train-traveler, and it did end up being rather frantic and tricky, despite having a railway worker on the first leg of the journey who was looking out for me. Because I had missed my original train and had had to make a decision about an easier journey or an earlier journey, and because I'd walked for 20 minutes hauling my luggage over cobblestones, and because I'd had to make that decision pretty quickly, I wasn't thinking straight, and when the earlier train arrived I started to board as soon as the doors opened. Well, they're very good here about the whole "letting everyone off the train first" before you board, and the lady coming off looked as me askance, so, realizing my error, I backed off immediately, and she said "thank you" - twice - in a very pointed and sarcastic way. I wanted to say, "I wasn't being rude; I'm just nervous. Don't be mad at me." Alas . . . no big deal, but I was already so tired and frantic that it nearly made me cry. I really do hate the travel-between-city days.
I'd had one thought in mind all day, and that was to get to the Eagle and Child for their wonderful Macaroni and Cheese. The Eagle and Child (aka The Bird and Baby) is where C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien and the other "Inklings" got together for a pint and to discuss their writing. It's THE place to go in Oxford for any C. S. Lewis fans. I got there only to find out it was closed. Permanently. It's been bought out by a company that is going to turn it into a hotel. Sacrilege!!
I considered going to the Lamb and Flag across the street from the Eagle and Child, which is where the Inklings met in the early 1960s when the Eagle and Child was undergoing renovations, but that too was closed (temporarily - thankfully!). Those two options off the menu, I decided to go The Mitre, a place I remember from my time here in 2016, which had a wonderful steak and fries dinner for a very reasonable price. Guess what? Closed. I just decided to go back to my hotel, because I felt like I, personally, was jinxing everything on this Friday the 13th. I bought some wine and turned on the TV for the first time in 3 weeks! I don't even remember what I did for dinner; I think I bought a pasta meal at a grocery store and heated it up in the microwave in my hotel room.
Oh, yes, that is what I did. I just found the picture.
It was kind of cool that there was a quiz show on TV, my thing for sure! It was also kind of funny to listen in on the British humor used by the host that just wouldn't work in the US. For instance, one of the items in this category was the eustachian tube, and the host said, "Not to be confused with the Euston Tube Station - very different things." Yeah, that makes sense if you've used the London underground. Anyway, the cure for triskaidekaphobia was simply to wait for the 14th and venture out again then. I just started walking.
And I stumbled across the Ashmolean Museum - cool!
I always seek out game displays when in museums, and they had a couple of them! The travel backgammon/race game and the chess board above are both mid-1400s. The display case below is filled with games from India - including circular cards.
A couple of other examples of displays are the following - the funeral pall for King Henry VII -
- and ceramics!
Time to head out again - onward and forward to the Natural Science Museum - spectacular displays within a spectacular building!
This museum is one of the places that Lewis Carroll took Alice Liddell (the real Alice) and her sisters. He was a mathematics professor (real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) at Christ Church Oxford where their father was dean. Some ideas for the creatures in his Alice books came from this museum.
Each column is made from a different type of stone and is labeled at the base.
Graduations from different colleges at the university were taking place throughout the day, so I saw graduates all over town with their families - and walking toward the Divinity School - and recessing out of the Sheldonian Theatre. It was pretty festive (lots of regalia!)
I've got this out of order, but that's OK. On my way between museums, I noticed that the Weston Library (Bodleian) was open. I wasn't expecting that on a Saturday. Though I didn't have all my forms with me (letter from HR with proof of faculty status, email confirming sabbatical studies, etc.), I stepped in to inquire about renewing my card. Since I did have a previously issued card, proof of address, and photo ID - and was able to write a short essay on the spot about why I needed to access rare documents - I was able to get my new card. WOW! These Saturday 14th adventures sure worked a lot better than the Friday 13th adventures!
I did a lot of wandering about town and taking pictures of all the cool buildings, but I think I'll hold off with posting those snaps since it would make my already long post far longer. There are really just two other big items for the day. As part of my wanderings I went past Magdalen College where C. S. Lewis had spent most of his career. I wanted to see when it was open to the public and how much it cost to go in; costs to get past the porter's lodge and view the college grounds is usually somewhere between 3 pounds and 12 pounds, depending on the college. I came across a cool-looking game store on the way, so I had to stop in!
I tore myself away from the gaming world and continued on down the high street. Magdalen happened to be open then, and was very reasonable, so I got to step into another area of Lewis's life.
Above is a picture from the outside. You really have to get through the porter's lodge and inside in order to really see the college. The next two pictures give views of the chapel tower from the cloisters.
This is the hall. Lewis would have sat at the high table with the other faculty, of course. I was excited to see it Saturday night. I was even more excited Sunday morning after worship at the chapel to be invited to come eat lunch here!
I can't currently remember the name of the building below - it's like "New College" or something, because it wasn't built until the 1700s or something like that. Sorry to not be more specific, but my brain is kind of fried at the moment! Anyway, this is where Lewis had his rooms.
Below is the view back toward the cloisters from the "new" building.
Where Lewis lived seen from the bridge over the Cherwell that leads to Addison's Walk.
A little boat moored by the "new" building.
Addison's Walk is a place where Lewis and Tolkien (also Dyson) used to walk together. Conversations along this path contributed powerfully to Lewis's conversion from atheism to Christianity.
I almost missed this plaque with a Lewis poem on it that is about Addison's Walk, but I do try to keep my eyes very open and to look up and down and around, and I saw this kind of tucked away in a bit of a corner.
After my tour of the grounds, I had time for a quick "dinner" of ice-cream and quick rest in Merton Field before evensong began at Magdalen.
Entering chapel -
Choir stalls -
The east end of the chapel - Jesus carrying his cross -
I won't give the quote, but I have been saddened over the years to know how Lewis felt about hymns. I love hymns, and I love Lewis. I had never understood how he could feel the way he did. But after worshiping here tonight (music list below) and hearing the boys choir and also the accompaniment by "Instruments of Time and Truth" (a world-class period instrument ensemble), I am coming to have more understanding for where Lewis was coming from. (I still love hymns.)
I didn't really feel like walking further that day, but since I was at this end of town I decided to walk on to South Park to get the view I'd heard of of the "dreaming spires of Oxford." (This is the view someone coming overland from London in the 16th century would have had - minus the modern housing.)
My feet were very, VERY happy about time here!
And then the walk back - past the Radcliffe Camera and Merton College and Christ Church College and over the bridge over the Thames.
Having paid my respects here, it was time to head back into town and then catch a but out of town in a different direction to get to Lewis's home and grave. As you can see below, I have a very sophisticated system for figuring out bus routes!
