Day 4- The Kilns, the Scholars, and the Pubs

Today, we headed off to the Kilns, which is where C.S. Lewis lived from 1930 til his death in 1963.  We were lead around the house by the Scholar in Residence, Johnathan, who actually lives at The Kilns.  We also met the cat Warley, named after C.S. Lewis’s brother who lived at The Kilns with him.  The cat took a liking to anyone who would pet him.

While touring the house, we learned that none of the furniture in the house was original, but was reconstructed through photographs taken throughout C.S. Lewis’ time at The Kilns.  We also learned that, much like the Pevensie children in The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe were taken in by Professor Kirke during World War II, C.S. Lewis took in children during the London bombings in WWII.  Though the woman he lived with, Jane Moore, the mother of a friend and fellow soldier, only allowed girls to live with them and she interviewed them personally before allowing them to stay.

The house is small and the stairs narrow, but it was really interesting to see where C.S. Lewis lived for over half of his life.

After we visited The Kilns, we walked up the street to C.S. Lewis’s church to see where he’s buried.  The church also has a “Narnia window” that was installed in 1991.  It depicts well-known characters and objects, like the Dawn Treader, from the books.

For lunch, we stopped at the Six Bells pub.  It was a little crowded since there are 45 of us, including the group from Regent.  We also had to go up to the bar to order food, instead of having some one come to our table and take our orders.  We had fun though, and timed lunch perfectly because as soon as we were seated, it started pouring outside.

We had a lecture back at the church following lunch, then headed back to Oxford’s city center, where we split off for dinner and a bit of shopping.

For dinner, Leslie, Dr. Haller, Brandon, Mr. Nichols, Ryan, Laura, Jessica and I ate at the Turf Tavern, which was hidden in between some buildings.  We had to go down a narrow alley way and I wasn’t sure if I was about to be in Oliver! or Sweeney Todd.  We all made it to the restaurant in one piece and had a great time, chatting for nearly 3 hours. Though, I am a bit sick of pub food.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Magdalen College, where Lewis taught.