To the World of J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis

A train ride into Oxford this morning turned us loose on the trail of Tolkien and Lewis. But first we went to the Bodelian library at Oxford University. Another MIND-BLOWING experience.

This is the ceiling of the Oxford School of Divnity- built beginning in 1435 and finished some 50 or so years later. (Construction kept being interrupted by English wars.) It's been in continuous use since 1602 after a period of disuse during the reformation. This building has SUCH ornate carving covering every square inch of the ceiling and windows it's LITERALLY unbelievable. And the remarkable arches support two more stories of books above this room. This was where Divinity students stood and were interrogated for their examinations by their professors until the 1800's.

This is a fascinating picture below. The original books donated to begin the library were all Catholic in nature- and therefore burned during the reformation- at which time the library had NO books for a season! Every area of the ceiling of the school of divinity is covered with carved images. In the center of this picture, above the entry door, was a Catholic crucifix which was removed entirely during the reformation. The lower left-hand figure was the pope at the time, and as you can see his head was removed during the reformation as well!

Some 38 separate colleges make up Oxford University. And the Bodelian library occupies numerous buildings- some as far away as 28 miles from the main building. There are underground tunnels and trolleys for moving books between buildings. There are currently more than EIGHT MILLION volumes in the library on 138 MILES of shelving! And approximately 5000 new books are added EVERY WEEK! One of the larger storage facilities nearby is being renovated and working industriously it took TWO YEARS just to move the books located in that building to a different location so that remodeling could begin.

The library was founded with several absolute rules: No book could EVER be removed for any reason- not even by Kings. There is a private, screened 'reading area' where English monarchs could come to read books- but they couldn't borrow them. There was no flame allowed in any of the library buildings for any reason- which meant the library closed mid-afternoon in winter for centuries when the light began to falter since there were no candles or gas lights. EVERY BOOK was CHAINED by the cover to an iron bar nearby so that no book could be removed, but the chains have since been removed and library employees go and locate each book requested and the books are brought to one of several reading rooms where you may read them. There are more than 2500 reading spots in the library.

The library houses priceless original manuscripts ranging from the original Shakespeare folios to the original handwritten draft of Wind in the Willows. (We had hoped to see that manuscript- but it's permanently locked away under strict temperature, humidity and light control as are all the priceless antiquities.)

And I have to say that I've never used the words 'respect' and 'Bill Clinton' in the same sentence before- but being in such an august center of learning gave me immense respect for anyone (including Bill Clinton) who could get accepted and study there.

We saw HUNDREDS of books dating from the 1500's including the first Dictionary ever created by Samuel Johnson in 1755. The original Gutenberg Bible is also housed there. AMAZING!

So having failed to see the original manuscript of Wind in the Willows, we set out in search of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis- both of whom were a central part of Oxford life for decades. Their favorite pub was called "the Eagle and Child" and the pub itself has been in continuous operation in the same building since 1650! Here's a photo of C.S. (Jack) Lewis with his wife that hangs in the pub.

A photo of Tolkien also hangs there.

This plaque above the pub fireplace tells the story better than I can.

THIS is the back room where Tolkien and Lewis and others met every Tuesday for 23 years. They undoubtedly OFTEN sat exactly where Jane is sitting and would read aloud their latest work on the Hobbit or Narnia to get the reaction of their peers to their latest efforts.

Here's the ceiling of that back room where they ate- and where we ate as well today.

A wonderful exchange of dialogue of Tolkien's- undoubtedly dreamed up while having a pint with friends at the Eagle and Child is captured on this sign in the pub.

 The front room, one of several quiet seating areas in the pub.

Jane had amazing chicken, I had bangers and mash and we shared THE BEST calamari I've ever had.

Another view of the room where they met and we ate in their memory today.

The bar at the pub where we (and they) placed our orders for food and beverage near the front entry.

A few more sights around Oxford. You walk around and EVERY DIRECTION YOU TURN is ancient and photogenic and camera-worthy. You simply can't photograph it all.

This is the oldest building in Oxford dating to the time of the Normans more than 1000 years ago.

Random architectural details which abound on every building in town it seems.

Beautiful views are everywhere you look.

The river Thames runs along beside Oxford and there are scores of these long 'houseboats' parked for miles along the river where people live. (This is a canal which connects to the Thames.)

So once again, we came away with a profound sense of how short our lives are and how long history is. When you sit where King James has sat, where Oliver Cromwell has sat (and donated his personal library) where presidents and kings and prime ministers have been educated, where some of the greatest authors in English history have lived and taught and written and walk among buildings that date back in some cases to 500 years before the reformation-- you come away feeling very, very small and finite and are honored to walk where the giants of history have walked. Genuinely awe-inspiring.