England, 2005
It was the summer before my 8th grade year. My mother and I served in childcare at a Christian conference for missionaries held at The University of Exeter. Before we arrived at Exeter we spent a few days in London. As a 13-year-old, my impression was London was a place rich with history. There was only one problem. I found history boring. In fact, I dismissed all of the statues we walked past (and, if my memory serves me correctly, London has many). I called them “ODDS” which stood for “Old Dead Dude Statue”.
Fortunately, I have matured since 2005. As I approach coming to England for the second time, my hope is that with the deeper appreciation for history I have obtained, I will drink up more of the richness of history this country possesses. With the specificity of the city of Oxford, there are several things that excite me about our upcoming advance. In this post, I will highlight what they are, referencing C.S. Lewis, History Hit’s YouTube video on Oxford, and close with Paul Sullivan’s The Secret History of Oxford. After this, I will conclude with a posture I intend to hold while immersed in the rich history of Oxford.
C.S. Lewis – An Oxford Man
Not surprisingly, C.S. Lewis is in the upper echelon of authors I enjoy. Because of this, I am eager to explore the city Lewis called home for many years. In Alister McGrath’s biography of Lewis, he writes this:
Lewis had already fallen in love with Oxford, on account of both its stunning architecture and its rich intellectual heritage. It was a city based on culture and learning, not on Britain’s imperial exploitation of its colonies nor industrial desecration of the local landscape. As Lewis put it in Spirits in Bondage, Oxford was one of the few great cities ‘That was not built for gross, material gains, Sharp, wolfish power or empire’s glutted feast.’[1]
The significance of Lewis in my intellectual journey gives me an excitement to learn all I can about the history of the city this intellectual giant walked around in. According to Sullivan, “His biggest legacy in modern Oxford is the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve at Risinghurst, formerly part of the grounds of his house The Kilns, which is now a private residence with a blue plaque to the famous scholar-author.”[2] Hopefully, I will see The Kilns and the Nature Reserve, as well as what I learned from a YouTube video about Oxford.
YouTube Video on Oxford – The Inspiration for Narnia
Whenever I have thought about going to Oxford, one of the places that comes to mind is the famous Eagle and Child pub. It is at this pub where the Inklings, a writers group that included Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, gathered for conversation. In the Rabbit Room of this pub is where they met and where Lewis first shared his most famous work The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.[5] It is said the streets of Oxford inspired Narnia. There is even a solitary lamppost outside Brazenose College that some believe was the inspiration for lamppost in Narnia.
The Secret History of Oxford – Christ Church
A majority of our time in Oxford will be at Christ Church. Sullivan points out that this is both a college and church. “The head of the college is a Church of England Dean and its college chapel doubles as Oxford’s Cathedral, HQ of the Diocese of Oxford.”[3] This is a prestigious institution with an alumnus of notable individuals.[4] The hallways I will walk will be filled with history from which to glean.
Posture for Oxford
Unlike 13-year-old David, the heart posture in Oxford will be one of curiosity, eagerness, as well as a reception to the less impressive, and sometimes downright ugly, pieces of Oxford’s history. Oxford is rich with intellectual and cultural history. Yet, my hope is to learn both the purposefully hidden secrets of Oxford in addition to the remarkable aspects of Oxford’s history.
[1] Alister McGrath, C. S. Lewis — A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2013), 79-80.
[2] Paul Sullivan, The Secret History of Oxford (The History Press, 2013), 103-133. I am not sure the exact page number for this text, for I utilized books.google (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Secret_History_of_Oxford/JPU6AwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1).
[3] Ibid. 16.
[4] Ibid. 17.
[5] The Secrets of Oxford’s Streets | And What Lies Beneath the University, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jck5VOnNL0s, 8:08-10:10.
About the Author
David Beavis
David is Australian by birth, was raised in Southern California, and is the Youth and Young Adults Pastor at B4 Church in Beaverton, Oregon. David and his wife, Laura, live in Hillsboro with their dog, Coava (named after their favorite coffee shop). M.A. Theology - Talbot School of Theology B.A. Psychology - Vanguard University of Southern California10 responses to “England, 2005”
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David,
Thank you for sharing about your previous trip to London. As most countries have their great contributions to this world and try not to bring attention to where they fell short. I can’t help think about the band U2 and their song “Bloody Sunday.”
Thank you bringing attention to the need to look at both the good and bad. God Bless!
Thank you Greg! See you in Oxford!
It is very funny that you had an acronym for the statutes. I hope that you will be able to enjoy this experience this time I am sure that God will have a message for you and it will be greater than the ODD that you received when you were a teen.
Yes, me too! I’m eager for the Lord to speak to all of us in different ways through this time in Oxford!
Hi David, How was your summer? Thanks so much for your post. I enjoyed reading about your first trip to England, as well as the topics that caught your attention in your recent reading and research. I love the McGrath quote you used that talked about the description of Oxford. I also am very interested to learn that there is a Nature Reserve at Lewis’ former home!
Reading through everyone’s blog is helping me to better round out my understanding of Oxford and plan for the things I want to learn and see. Thanks for the great information you have included in your blog and for the thoughtful way you present it. I’m excited to learn alongside everyone while we are there!
Hi Jenny,
My summer was incredibly busy. I wish it wasn’t so, but it’s all good. It flew by. Nevertheless, I am excited that our fall semester has begun! And I am incredibly excited for our time in Oxford!
I feel like an ODDS myself considering you were 13 in 2005!
Awesome post, brother. C.S. Lewis is awesome and one of my favs too. I look forward to walking the streets that inspired so many great authors like Lewis and taking part in the culture of this iconic city. I am sure they have a handful of ODDS there too we can appreciate.
See you soon!
Hey David,
C.S. Lewis was one of my favorites also. I’m also hoping to visit the Kilns while we’re there. And I’d love to see that lamppost which served as the inspiration for Narnia. I love his books.
See you soon!
David…I love ODDS!
I want to bring my children but I know that they would have similar thoughts. Oh well. Perhaps when they are in a doctorate program!
It is wild and makes sense that Oxford would inspire Narnia. It is an epic tribute to the city that CS Lewis loved.
It kinda reminds me of the young imaginations that might come up with a funny description like ODDS. Thanks for sharing.
What do you think 13 year old David would tell you if you were able to let him in on his adventure soon to come!? Would he believe he was a doctoral candidate?