17th July 2007 - by Duane Shinn
I Know a Man Who Can Take You To Narnia...
I know a man who can take you to Narnia. Well, not really
Narnia, but to the very spot in England where Narnia was born
in the mind of C.S. Lewis, author of "The Lion, the Witch &
the Wardrobe", which was recently released as a major motion
picutre by Disney, and the entire Chronicles of Narnia
series.
His name is Ron Brind who was a childhood pal of Lewis's
stepson Douglas Gresham and a frequent visitor to Lewis's
former Oxfordshire home in the 1950's.
This wonderful tour takes place in Oxfordshire, England, and
visits places of interest including Lewis's former home 'The
Kilns' and the beautiful Holy Trinity Church, Oxford, which was
Lewis's final resting place.
The tour duration which is approximately 3 hours and commences
from outside the Randolph Hotel in Beaumont Street, Oxford,
which is noted for its connections with Colin Dexter, who wrote
the very famous Inspector Morse novels, and frequents the
Randolph. En-route you will see the remains of the old 'City
Wall', Magdalen College from Longwall Street where Lewis was
elected a Fellow in 1925, Magdalen Bridge, where the famous
Oxford May Day celebrations take place, and Magdalen College
School, which was attended by Doug.
You will be taken through Headington to see one of the former
homes of J R R Tolkien and to The Kilns, Lewis's former home
which was purchased jointly in October 1930 by Mrs Moore, Jack
and Major Lewis. A short stroll away is the lake that yielded
the Punt from the murky depths, owned by Lewis. How did the
Punt get there? Find this out on the tour!
In leaving the Kilns, the tour passes a local watering hole
used by Jack and Warnie and travels to Holy Trinity Church in
Headington Quarry, where the vicar Mr Tom Honey will, subject
to commitments, allow you to see inside this beautiful
building. Outside in the Churchyard you will see the grave of C
S Lewis and Mrs Janie King Moore, mother of the writer's close
friend Paddy Moore.
You will also see the entrance to the Mayfair Suite at the
former Wingfield Hospital, today the Nuffield Orthopaedic
Centre, where Jack and Joy's marriage was blessed in a bedside
ceremony in December 1956 because her death was thought to be
imminent. The penultimate stop will be Oxford Crematorium to
see the memorial plaque to Joy Davidman in cloister 2 and if
you wish knowledge of exactly where Joy's ashes were
scattered.
The tour finishes at the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford's
magnificent St Giles thoroughfare. This famous watering hole
was regularly used by Lewis and his circle of intellectual and
literary friends known as 'The Inklings'. It is here that you
will be presented with a personalised Certificate recording
your visit to 'The Kilns' - a memento of your tour and a
reminder that the Lewis legacy lives on.
So even though he can't take you as far as Narnia, he can take
you to the very places where Narnia was conceived and born. And
if you've seen the Disney movie titled "The Lion, The Witch
& The Wardrobe", it's likely that you would love to see
where and how Narnia was born.
Article Source: http://www.bb-articles.com
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