Today I arrived in Oxford for the VTBS at St. Anne’s College. Since the inaugural lecture will be given only tomorrow afternoon, I used the day to visit The Kilns with my sister, my brother-in-law and my friend Cristian Ispir. Baby Rafi, my little niece, had the great honor of accompanying us and the great privilege of visiting C.S. Lewis’s home before reading any of his books or seeing any of the Narnia films. Not because she would not like, but because, being only 10 months, she can’t yet apply herself to these highly demanding intellectual pursuits.
At the moment when I am writing this post I don’t really have much time and energy to describe in details my impressions. Oxford is so peaceful (because most of the students are gone) and I count it such great joy to be here for the next two weeks.
I did not expect to visit The Kilns today, so I am much indebted to Cristian for coming up with the idea of going to see the pond close the Lewis’s house. We wanted to see only the pond and see the Kilns from the street, but tt so happened that Debbie Higgens, the Resident Director at The Kilns, and another Lewis scholar were in the garden and we could inquire whether it was possible to take a peek at the house. Normally, extended tours are available only by appointment, so we were very blessed to be given a short tour in the two main rooms of the house: the common room and the dining room.
I was sorry that I did not take with me a copy of the Romanian translation of Reflections on the Psalms. Since I do have one spare copy with me in Oxford, I will be glad to donate it to the library at the Kilns, which serves as a center for Lewis scholarship.
Below you can see a few pictures.
28 Iulie 2013 at 7:04 am
Personal, multumesc mult Manu, pentru C.S Lewis „redus la esente”, daca imi permiti aceasta exprimare.
Inseamna mult si doar sa vad imaginile a ceea ce tu vezi in realitate. E emotionant si doar asa.
Fii binecuvantat! Ma bucur ca ai avut ocazia sa ajungi in acel loc de inspiratie. Gabriel Cojocea Biserica Farul – http://www.biserica-farul.ro Constanta Pandurului 81D, 900006 0762.222 808 (orange)
>________________________________ > De la: „Methoughts, mefeats and medefeats” >Către: minister_gd@yahoo.com >Trimis: Duminică, 28 Iulie 2013 0:42:48 >Subiect: [Articol nou] An unexpected visit at The Kilns > > > > WordPress.com >Vaisamar posted: „Today I arrived in Oxford for the VTBS at St. Anne’s College. Since the inaugural lecture will be given only tomorrow afternoon, I used the day to visit The Kilns with my sister, my brother-in-law and my friend Cristian Ispir. Baby Rafi, my little niece, ” >
29 Iulie 2013 at 9:37 am
Reblogged this on Quo Vadis, Domini… ? and commented:
The Kilns, which may also be known as C. S. Lewis House, is the house on the outskirts of Headington Quarry (where Lewis is buried at Holy Trinity Church) in the village of Risinghurst, Oxford, England, where the author C. S. Lewis wrote all of his famous Narnia books and other classics.[1] The house itself was featured in the Narnia books.[2] Lewis’s gardener at The Kilns, Fred Paxford, is said to have inspired the character of Puddleglum the Marshwiggle in The Silver Chair.[3]
The Kilns was built in 1922 on the site of a former brickworks.[1] The lake in the garden is a flooded clay pit. In 1930, The Kilns was bought by C. S. Lewis, his brother Warnie Lewis, and Mrs Janie Moore. Maureen Dunbar, Janie Moore’s daughter, also lived there. C. S. Lewis wrote of the house: „I never hoped for the like”. Mrs Moore was the mother of Lewis’s university friend Paddy Moore, who had been killed in World War I.
The house is located in what is now called Lewis Close, south of Kiln Lane.
The Kilns is currently owned and operated by the C.S. Lewis Foundation, who runs it as the Study Centre at the Kilns.
8 August 2013 at 11:48 pm
Oh the Kilns. Be still my heart. I only hope that one day, I’ll be able to have a talk with *Jack* on some Golden Street.