Oxford Reflections Part 3

Here is my third and final round-up of favorite photos from the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class. They’re quite a hodge-podge, as they represent all the various things I saw that didn’t fit into part 1 and 2!

Our guest cottages were at Banbury Hill Farm, planted in the Cotswold countryside near Charlbury (if you zoom in on the third and fourth photos, you can see village buildings). The farm was quite a spread, with a bed-and-breakfast, holiday cottages, camping sites, and everything else that would make visitors comfortable. And it was a working farm: walk several hundred yards and you'd find sheep, chickens, rabbits, and practically every other kind of farm animal you can imagine. If you're ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend staying here. The second photo is our guesthouse; the door to the suite (named Evenlode) where I stayed is in the middle.

The many moods of an English wood. As I said, Banbury Hill Farm had lots of amenities . . . my favorite being the woods and walking trails behind the place, quite possibly my favorite location on the whole trip. I walked these trails a couple of cold mornings, enjoying time to pray in the silence broken only by birds. 

Amanda Cannon Photography

These are views of Elstow Abbey, where John Bunyan was christened and where he attended as a child and young man, even ringing the bells. He was born not far from here in a rural cottage in 1628. We saw some things that probably inspired his book Pilgrim's Progress, including this wicket gate in the wall of the church. The stained-glass window is a Victorian depiction of important scenes from the book. The church, which used to be a much more extensive convent, was built about 1078 by William the Conqueror's niece Judith. Learning about Bunyan's humble origins and difficult life inspired us . . . if someone with limited education could write a book (Pilgrim's Progress) in a cold, dark, seventeenth-century prison, then how can we be discouraged at the small obstacles we face as writers today? God is with us as He was with John Bunyan.

Amanda Cannon Photography

The Round Church (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) is one of many intriguing buildings we saw in Cambridge, another university town.

On our last full day, we went to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. The brown house is believed to be the actual place where he was born in 1564! Stratford still contains a lot of architecture from the era. That evening we saw Julius Caesar at the Royal Shakespeare Company—an amazing performance. The actors and actresses transported us to Ancient Rome (albeit a Shakespearean version) with only their skill and a few well-selected sets and props. 

I hope you enjoyed this summary of my week in England! Anybody want to go back with me? (I really do hope to return one day, if the Lord wills it!) Have you ever wanted to go to England? What would you most like to see?

Oxford Reflections

England in early April was more beautiful than I expected. Being from a southern clime, I thought that northern countries would still be gray so nigh to winter. But England was sunny, green, and in full bloom when I arrived. White blossoming trees, resembling suspended snow, mixed with their cousins’ young, emerald leaves in the fields of the middle counties, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Pink magnolias graced cultivated homes and college gardens. Flowers of every color were out, most noticeably white and yellow daffodils, red and pink tulips, and indigo hyacinths and muscari.

I am a plant person (though, to my sorrow, my thumbs are brown), so these beauties made me ecstatic. England’s natural loveliness praises God for His artistry. It also provided a paradisiacal backdrop to our class and tour. The weather cooperated, too, and held off the usual rain, except during our afternoon in Cambridge, Oxford’s rival university town—as an Oxford local quipped (I paraphrase), “Really? It didn’t rain here in Oxford. Well, that’s Cambridge for you.”

This class had me excited for months in advance, and I knew it would be marvelous, but I didn’t expect how deeply the actual week would thrill and satisfy me. Our leader and teacher, Douglas Bond, is extremely knowledgeable about the Bible, history, literature, and the writing craft, and very helpful and encouraging to budding writers. He gave us more than just writing tips—he showed us how to use all of life, including history, the arts, food, people, great literature, and the Bible as contributors to our writing. We studied gifted men and women who used their words in noble ways, men and women who became real to us as we saw their homes and churches and paths, and who inspired us as Mr. Bond read us their work. We took home a hefty reading list and a burning desire to write for God’s glory as these people did.

We also took home new friendships, although these have to be carried on long-distance. My classmates are wonderful people; we had such an amazing time together! We could share anything and everything about our stories at anytime, and whenever we had something to say, we could always be sure of a sympathetic and interested listener. With designated hours of reading aloud and critiquing in the cozy sitting room of the house we stayed in, we garnered fans and allies. All of us possess deep-seated love for God and writing, firm foundations for relationships.

As Christian writers, we learned we have an advantage—we have the whole picture of truth, which inspires and informs our writing. But, as C. S. Lewis put it, “Don’t write what people want, don’t write what you think they need; write what you need.”

I bet you’re ready for some pictures now!

Image: Amanda Cannon Photography

Our group plus two friends (and a photo-bomber in the doorway) and minus our wonderful photographer, in front of the Eagle and Child pub, famous for being a meeting place for the Inklings, C. S. Lewis's and J. R. R. Tolkien's “writing club." We ate there twice.

One of my picturesque meals at the Eagle and Child: steak and ale pie. 

The pub celebrates its connection with the iconic Oxford authors.

Just one of many atmospheric cubbies in the pub, the Rabbit Room was a frequent spot for the Inklings to cozy up and discuss writing and literature.

Image: Amanda Cannon Photography

Our class spent time in countless remarkable places like this one, the eating hall in Balliol College, Oxford. This moment was our first writing tutorial; minutes later we penned our impressions of the hall, reflecting on the famous men who ate there—most notably John Wycliffe in the 14th century, an Oxford student and later a master.

Amanda Cannon Photography

I did a lot of this during the week—scribbling away in the notebook that companioned me everywhere! Here, we're in the sunny garden of Balliol College.

All these photos are in Balliol College, where gorgeousness abounds. We visited several different colleges, but I think this one had the best landscaping.

Christ Church Cathedral, the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, where we heard a heavenly evensong.

Oxford rooftops from St. Michael's Tower. St. Michael at the North Gate church is the oldest building in Oxford, from 1000-1050. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the building itself. (Rueful head shake.) 

The Radcliffe Camera, a reading room for Oxford's Bodleian Library, and a favorite study location for students.

These last four photos are of Merton College, where J. R. R. Tolkien taught English language and literature. Merton is one of the three oldest colleges in the University of Oxford, established during the 13th century . . . can you image teaching or even learning in an institution that's almost one thousand years old? That intricate sculpture (top picture) that looks like it came from Narnia or Middle Earth is above Merton's gatehouse.

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This post is growing longer and longer, but I still have so many more pictures to share! Stay tuned for another post featuring C. S. Lewis haunts.

Days in England: The Rest of the Tour

I left you last week saying goodbye to Oxford, so now we’ll take the train northwest to Manchester, and from there go south again to Hereford and the other sites.

The countryside that glided by the train windows looked much like the American Midwest farmland, with hay bales, harvested fields, and livestock peopling the gently rolling land. Only the buildings were noticeably different, because they were transplants from the nineteenth century—farmhouses, country cottages, the occasional manor house and medieval church, almost all of them built of brick or stone. It was lovely!

Manchester, a large city, is energetic and industrial. The Sense and Sensibility costume tour that Laura and I were on began here. Manchester was interesting to me for its pivotal position in the Industrial Revolution; we had no time to really tour it, but if I go back I’d like to explore its history some more. I’d want to see Elizabeth Gaskell’s house, which is being turned into a museum; this important Victorian author lived in Manchester for over thirty years.

Liverpool, which we visited on Monday after the tour started, seemed relatively similar to Manchester, but it had a seaport feel. Despite the business-oriented character of both, these cities had beautiful architectural examples—Liverpool has the fantastic Walker Art Gallery, which looks like a temple from Rome! (I’m serious—my friend Laura, who’s been to Rome, said she did a double-take when she saw it.)

Liverpool

Liverpool isn’t right on the sea—so I still haven’t seen the ocean up close—but has access to it by the Mersey Estuary. London has its pigeons, Liverpool has its seagulls. But believe it or not, so do Hereford and Bath, which are decidedly landlocked (though they are built around rivers). By the time I was in Bath, I’d had rather enough of seagull shrieks!

Hereford is a mid-sized town of over 50,000 people, but it felt smaller. (Everything feels smaller in England, though; I think I might have mentioned that before.) It’s about sixteen miles from Wales, and I was excited to see some Welsh—in a brochure and on signs around the county of Herefordshire. I didn’t hear anyone speak it, though, which would have been so cool! We stayed at a wonderful bed-and-breakfast, which was our jumping-off point for exploring the town, which felt more normal to me, seeing as I’m used to towns that size and that modern. (Actually I’m the most used to little American towns, but the little English towns I visited were very individualistic.) Hereford has its share of lovely, old-fashioned buildings, however! The cathedral, made of layers and folds of reddish brick, reminded me of a rose, especially because when I first saw it, it was awash in sunset. One of the oldest buildings in Hereford is a striking black-and-white, half-timbered house built in 1621 … that’s from the reign of King James I! Townhouses that old are unusual.

Hereford Cathedral

The Old House (wikipedia)

We also jumped off from the bed-and-breakfast to see Berrington Hall, a gorgeous country estate now owned by the National Trust (we went there in Regency dresses—we actually looked a part of it), have a private Regency ball with dancing instructors in an old Hereford hotel, and visit Hay-on-Wye. Now, don’t be jealous, but Hay, on the River Wye on the Welsh border, is “The City of Books.” It has twenty-five bookstores, of the never-boring, old and/or second-hand variety. If only I didn’t have to lug purchases in my suitcases before I could get them home! If I could have avoided that, more books would have immigrated to the U.S. with me.

Berrington Hall

Berrington Hall

Between Hereford and Bath, our final location on the official tour, we stopped at Lacock—a perfect village where every structure is fabulously old. It’s so pristine that BBC has used it as a set for movies such as Cranford and Pride and Prejudice; basically all they had to do was move out the cars and cover the tarmac (British term for pavement) roads with dirt. Inns, restaurants, and tempting little shops intersperse the houses; it’s a place you could easily spend a day or two in even though it’s so small.

Lacock

Bath was another favorite on my visiting list. A beautiful, beautiful city … it almost doesn’t feel like it can be a real place where people live out their lives, when I look back on it. It’s almost all made of Bath stone, which is a light sand-colored limestone, and built up in a picturesque Georgian style. With its unusual prettiness, it also possesses a relaxed, holiday atmosphere. We were there for the Jane Austen Festival and dressed up in our Regency costumes on Saturday to participate in the Promenade. The coordinators were counting us and we were all holding our breath—we were going for a record number of people dressed in Regency attire, gathered in one place. We assembled in where else but the Assembly Rooms, the lovely building where Jane Austen’s characters attended parties and concerts. And guess what … we broke the record! Our total came to 550, breaking the previous one of 400-something and thus landing us in the Guinness Book of World Records. While collected, we were addressed by Adrian Lukis, who played Wickham in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice; he is very involved with The Jane Austen Centre of Bath. Surprisingly, he was not in costume—he joked that he doubted his officers’ uniform would fit him anymore. But he looked great!

Outside the Assembly Rooms

The Pump Room in Bath---also in JA's novels

Pultney Bridge

The Royal Crescent

 Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while, and she transports readers there in her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Even though Bath wasn’t a place she liked, I felt close to her there, especially on Gay Street and No. 4 Sydney Place, the two places she lived. Somehow, despite the variety and interest and wonderfulness of everything I saw in Bath, it all came down to that.

The Jane Austen Centre

No. 4 Sydney Place

I’m sorry this post got so long … I had more to say than I realized! I should have known better than to try to cram a week’s worth of England in a normal-sized blog post. Is there anything you want to know more about before I move on to other subjects next time? (I’m actually planning on something related to my trip—namely, historical costumes!)

Days in England: Chawton and Oxford

Before I pick up where I left off, I just wanted to say something in honor of Elizabeth Gaskell, whose 204th birthday was September 29. This British Victorian lady is the author of two of my favorite books, Wives and Daughters and North and South, of two others I enjoyed very much, The Moorland Cottage and Mary Barton, and of many others that I hope to read one day. Four well-loved miniseries dramas were made from her stories. I am planning a special post about her one of these days—it’s too bad I wasn’t ready for her birthday!

wikimedia commons

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As much as London stimulated me, I felt a peace when we left it for the country. As Laura and I drove on the highway to Chawton Friday afternoon with new friends whom we had met online, it felt much like the highways here, only smaller and busier and, of course, reversed. All those roundabouts were a new experience, too! Though surrounded by fields and trees, there were houses, farms, and small towns always in view. The sky was cloudy, and the rich greenery seemed to infuse the air with moisture and freshness.

The drive went quickly because we were busy getting to know one another (it was one of the sweetest hours of the whole trip!), so before I knew it, we had entered Chawton and a red-brick Georgian house slid by the corner of my eye. Wait! That’s it! That’s her house already! You see, Chawton is where Jane Austen’s last home still stands. It’s a large, square, homey building right on the corner in the center of town; you can’t miss it. Across the road is the car park, and just like some of the characters in my novel about England, I couldn’t wait to park and go explore what is now Jane Austen’s House Museum. This was the place Jane Austen loved for eight years and where her creativity flourished: here she prepared all six of her novels for publication.

To describe it further, let me use a passage from my novel England Adventure:
The bricks were mottled red, orange, and brown, the roof dark-brown shingles. It was three-storied, with only two little dormer windows in the garret story sticking out from the roof. There was a delicate wooden fence in front, a brick wall along the side, and a lawn. The flowers and shrubs around everything were too diminutive to do more than decorate; they didn’t creep up the walls and pull the house down into its natural environment. But it was picturesque nonetheless, even sagacious with its earthy coloring and without the flourishes of overgrown blooms.

Jane Austen's writing table

It’s a whole, small complex, with outbuildings and gardens. It’s wonderfully old and cozy inside, with creaky hardwood floors, little rooms, and furnishings much like it would have possessed when Jane Austen, her mother, her sister, and her friend lived there two hundred years ago. Some of the items actually belonged to the family and Jane herself, while others were only similar. If you love this author, you will love her house and her village. The coziness spreads to the yard and outward to all the surroundings. Walking down the road to St. Nicholas Church made me imagine all the Sundays the Chawton Cottage ladies trod the same path.

We left reluctantly; it was getting late. I will remember it as perhaps my favorite of all the days in England.

But Laura and I had almost the complete adventure to look forward to: eleven more days! We went to Oxford the next day and oh, what a beautiful place. It’s the ultimate university town, with classic architecture, tree-shaded avenues, and interesting things going on all the time. Oxford University’s thirty-eight colleges are scattered throughout; I probably walked by several without knowing what they were. Every building has its own character. We weren’t there for long, but we got to do several cool things. We ate at the seventeenth-century pub, The Eagle and Child (or the “Bird and Baby”), in the very room (“The Rabbit Room”) where C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien met with a group of friends called the Inklings, sharing conversation and their writings. I could easily imagine the creative energy coursing through that dark, pleasant room when those men gathered. We visited Blackwell’s Bookshop, a three-storied establishment right in the center of town. It was quite crowded when we were there! (It seemed to me that England has a bigger concentration of bookstores than here, and they were better frequented, too; Blackwell’s was the biggest of all that we visited.) On Sunday morning, I attended a service at Christ Church, Oxford’s cathedral, and that was the perfect way to say goodbye to this lovely city. 

One of the colleges, I believe

In the Rabbit Room with Tolkien's and Lewis's books

The Camera at the Bodleian Library

“The Bridge of Sighs," part of Hertford College, somewhat resembles the Bridge of Sighs in Venice

Christ Church Cathedral

It’s time to bring this section to a close, but next week I can wrap things up with tales about Hereford, Hay-on-Wye, Lacock, and Bath! Which is your favorite Oxford building of those pictured?