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.