Narnia In Oxford- part 1 introducing The Inklings writers, including CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien
How do great inspirations start? It has been said that inspiration strike in the most unexpected places. This is true for the classic author C.S Lewis who is famous for his work The Chronicles of Narnia, which sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
It was a snowy winter. Lewis was walking along St. Mary’s Passage near Bodleian Library when a lamp-post, much like any other lamp-posts that surround the city, caught his attention. This was the very lamppost that welcomed Lucy into Narnia. Right opposite the side door of University Church of St Mary is a wooden ornate door of a lion. On both the top side are two finely sculpted golden Faun. This was when Lewis first met Aslan and Mr Tumnus.
As an aspiring children’s book author, one of my early inspiration is CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. I fell in love with it from the time my mother read it to me –The fantasy world, the magic and the adventures; It was the world that awakened my imagination. Having visited the places where they all began was simply magical if CS Lewis’s work is part of your childhood.
CS Lewis spent most of his academic life in Oxford along with other friends who were also great names in Literature. Among them were JRR Tolkien and Lewis Carroll. The Inkling, which their group was known for, met at The Eagle and Child where they compare and discuss their work. A visit to Oxford will not be complete without visiting this historical pub to sample their local ale.
CS Lewis is a graduate of Oxford and taught at Magdalene College. It was believed that the ornate with animals, which seem to be frozen in time, awaits Aslan’s return.
Bespoke tours of all these amazing places mentioned in Oxford are available on www.visitoxfordtours.com.
The guides will be happy to entertain, educate and fascinate you with facts that surround this great city.
For those who love literature, it is highly recommended to give Oxford a visit. Look around and soak up the atmosphere. Let the gargoyles inspire you in creating a magical land of your own. Let the architecture speak to you in a language only you would understand. Who knows? Your next visit could be the beginning of a new magical world.
VisitOxfordTours run an Inklings Oxford writers focused tour which you can book as private group any afternoon or you can book for individual tickets every Sunday at 2.30pm via this link athttp://visitoxfordtours.com/cslewis_tolkien_tour.html
You can find out more about CS Lewis heritage & society at these links below.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis