England - "The Dowry of Mary" - Part 4: Oxford

Toward the end of my Christmas vacation trip to England we visited some of the sights in Oxford. Here are just a few of the highlights:


1. The Anatomy of a Medieval University
In a courtyard-sort-of-area connected to the main library building stands a series of doorways representing what was once the orginal "core" of Oxford University.

Take a look at the names above the doors...

School of Metaphysics
School of Logic
School of Astronomy and Rhetoric
School of Natural Philosophy
School of Grammar and History
School of the Lanuages of Hebrew and Greek and School of Geometry and Arithmetic
School of Moral Philosophy
School of Music
Now that is a University! They certainly don't make them like they used to.

2. The Eagle and Child
We had lunch at the famous pub, The Eagle and Child. During the 1930s and 40s, the "Inklings" - a literary discussion group - met here at lunchtime on Tuesday afternoons. Numbered among the group were several famous literary enthusiasts and scholars associated with Oxford Univesity, including both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.


There is a note posted on the wall of the room where they regularly dined which is signed by all the members of the group.




3. The Oxford Oratory
The English Oratorians boast three beautiful Oratories throughout the country: The Birmingham Oratory (founded by John Henry Cardinal Newman), The Brompton Oratory (in London, of Fr. Frederick Faber fame) and most recently, the Oxford Oratory.

Here are some images of the Oxford Oratory, founded relatively recently in 1993. The church was originally a parish by the Jesuits.




And with this, I'm finally concluding my series of posts on England. Only 3 months late...