In the next few days we are looking forward to going on a virtual tour of CS Lewis' old home, the Kilns. But there are many places to explore in Oxford itself which are part of CS Lewis' story.
You can find a comprehensive walk of CS Lewis' favourite haunts here but if you would rather the highlights tour, here are five places you can go.
1. Start at the Kings Arms on the corner of Holywell Street and Parks Road
Walk down Holywell Street, past the Holywell Music Room. On the corner of Mansfield Road, you can find the first place CS Lewis stayed in Oxford.
2. At the end of Holywell Street, turn right onto Longwall Street
Here you can see the wall which is part of the perimeter of Magdalen College where CS Lewis taught. Opposite the wall you can see the original garage where William Morris made his cars.
3. At the end of Longwall Street, turn right onto the High Street. Cross over the road. As you walk up the High Street, you will go past University College which is where CS Lewis studied as an undergraduate. You can see Logic Lane which runs through University College and you can also see a plaque on the outside recording that it was also at University College where the first living cell was observed under a microscope.
4. After going past University College, cross over the High Street. You will walk past the University Church where CS Lewis sometimes preached. You can see St Mary's passage and the doorway with a lion's head on and fawn like creatures. Some people think this inspired CS Lewis' writing of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
5. The last stop is a bit further along. Keep walking up the High Street until you reach Carfax. Turn right down Cornmarket and walk through Cornmarket. Keep walking past St Mary Magdalen Church, past Beaumont Street and the Ashmolean on your left. As you walk up St Giles, you will eventually come to the Eagle and Child pub which CS Lewis and his fellow writers, the Inklings, met together a space called the 'Rabbit Room'.
If you had a space where you could discuss stories and creative ideas, what would it be called?
Comments