An English Journal,2007, V I

An English Journal

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

F

View from the balcony of the University Club

riday, July 6, 2007 Today Beth and I left Indiana for our first trip to London, England. Beth was awarded a Teacher Creativity Fellowship, and I did the unthinkable and took three weeks off work. My itinerary includes time in London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Rye. However, Beth will spend only one day in Cambridge with me, and then after my three days in Cambridge are finished, I will go to Rye to play golf at the famous Rye Golf Club. Although there had been recent terrorist activity in London, we were not really that concerned.

Judy Williamson drove us to the train station at Indiana Dunes to catch the 11 AM train to Chicago. The English gothic architecture of the club house would make a grand backdrop for our bon voyage lunch. We ate on the 12th floor balcony under the canopy, and it was a beautiful day. The lake was an extraordinary shade of light blue.

We could hardly hear the sound of the cars honking on Michigan Avenue below. The Art Institute and Grant Park stretched out below us. It does not get much better than this.

Chicago Departure

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

Afterward, we rode the train to O'Hare Airport and checked our bags, which were too heavy. In Boy Scouts, the motto was “Be Prepared.� That meant taking as much gear as you could carry, and that pretty much worked. When it comes to international travel, the better course is to pack light and take your chances. I hope to learn that lesson someday. After some minor accommodations we were able to arrange our luggage in such a way that only one bag was charged for the extra weight. Lesson learned.

Saturday, July 7, 2007 It was a long flight. It takes forever to fly from Chicago to London. I can see why those who can afford it prefer first class with those cool bed seats.

Our seats were dinky by comparison. We left Chicago at approximately 5:00 p.m. Friday night and arrived in London on Saturday morning at 7:30 local time, but about 1:30AM Logansport time.

Plane Trip

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

Opposite: The Heath Row Tube Station, inside and out.

This Page: As fast as a Speeding Bullet;

The breakfast of croissants and yogurt was a welcome treat as the flight concluded. It was day break in England.

Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, we went through customs (what customs?), answered a few questions, got our Passports stamped, followed the crowd, and found and boarded the underground subway train, known as the Tube, for our first ride into the city, into a section called ”Chelsea - South Kensington.” It was the first time we heard the ubiquitous phrase, “Mind the Gap.” It’s the Brits way of telling you to pay attention to the small gap between the train car and the platform. Anyone who has been there has heard it, and never forgets the phrase. The canned announcements kept stating the destination for the train, which was “Cockfosters.” The smooth, soft female voice went “You are on the Piccadilly line to…(wait for it!) ...Cockfosters.” The voice goes up on the first syl-

The Tube

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

lable, and down on the second and third, with a slight pause between the first and second syllables. I will remember it always. We passed several golf courses, which were teeming with old men walking their early morning rounds. Not a golf cart in sight. For once, I am glad to be elsewhere, like on a train, a train in England, heading for a bed…or so I fooled myself into thinking.

Chelsea sits a couple miles to the west from Buckingham Palace. We got off at the Gloucester Road Station. From there we walked about five blocks to our hotel. It was a sunny Saturday morning. Beautiful, really. But the jetlag made it difficult to enjoy, at least for me. Beth seemed to do better.

Our hotel is called The Cranley, and it is a very nice, small boutique hotel which has only a few guest rooms. It is very well appointed with traditional English antiques, paintings, and prints. Beth did a really good job of picking it out. It even had air conditioning, which is somewhat unusual for a London room.

Gloucester Road Tube Station

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

Our room overlooks a small street named Bina Gardens, which fortunately does not carry much traffic. There are a number of private homes, duplexes, multiplexes and hotels in this neighborhood, and lots of German cars parked in the streets. Mercedes and BMW are the most common. The cars look the same as their American counterparts, but have much smaller engines.

MEMO TO SELF: When crossing a street, always look right first. Always. If you don’t, you’ll get killed. In America, you look left first.

That’s because the oncoming traffic comes from the left. Here, the cars come from the right, the opposite direction. Seriously, look right first, or you’ll surely perish. The accommodating Brits even paint the directions “LOOK RIGHT” on the pavement, purely for the benefit of us American pedestrians, who instinctively look left first. In England, looking left first could kill you.

The Cranley

These pages: The Cranley Hotel, Chelsea

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

After checking into the hotel, We just left our bags with the desk because, of course, our room is not ready at 8 AM. To start killing time, we went walking, looking for breakfast.

We eventually found a very small restaurant. There we ate eggs, sausages, baked beans (for breakfast!) and consumed lots of caffeine.

Fried tomatoes and mushrooms rounded it out. We split it, Like we did in New York. We found out later that this is known as the traditional English breakfast.

In an attempt to fight the exponentially increasing Symptoms of jetlag we ventured into the heart of London, thinking it would wake us up. Our first stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was built in 1675 by Christopher Wren, after the previous St. Paul's burned to the ground in the great fire of 1666. It was about $20 American each, but was well worth it. It is an incredible structure. It is filled with paintThe Cranley

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

ings and mosaics, and the effect is sublime. In the center is a huge dome, and you can climb to the top of it, provided you can muster the strength to carry your jetlagged ass up the 460 steps which spiral and wind their way through shafts and tunnels to the balcony surrounding the dome at the top.

This building is older than our country, and is assailed daily by thousands of tourists. Even so, the place is absolutely rock solid.

In the basement is a crypt, also called an undercroft, which contains the tombs of many famous people including Lord Nelson of Trafalgar fame; The Duke of Wellington, victor over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815; and the architect himself, Sir Christopher Wren. “Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you� reads To the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL

the inscription in Latin on a plain piece of granite placed over his tomb, a reference to the Cathedral itself, as his life’s memorial, and to the dozens of churches he designed after the great fire scattered throughout London.

Opposite: The Dome from the south

It seems that most of the tombs at St. Paul’s are military heroes This Page: In honor of Queen Anne. who served in wars stretching from the French and Indian Wars, thru the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, to World Wars I and II. There are no royal tombs, as at Westminster or Windsor. Part of the Cathedral was bombed during World War II, and the entire back was rebuilt in honor of the Americans who lost their lives during that conflict. In the stained-glass window was a small panel which depicted the Indiana state flag. We wanted to break out in a verse of “Back Home Again in Indiana,” but managed to restrain ourselves.

The Dead of St. Paul’s Cathedral

TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

A Porch Column in Chelsea

While we were there we spoke with one of the ministers, an ordained female priest. Those liberal Anglicans. She was three years old in 1941, and can vividly remember the long nights of the Blitzkrieg, being held by her grandmother in the underground safety of the Tube, listening while the nazi bombs were exploding at street level, destroying London and its treasures, in an attempt to demoralize the British early on in the war. It nearly worked. I have no idea what that must be like. She pointed out the north transept which was destroyed by Nazi bombs, and said that when she was a teen and a young adult, after the war, the whole section was entirely boarded up until repairs could be made. As one looks at it now, it is almost impossible to tell that it was replaced from the original 1675 structure. The Brits clearly went to great pains to restore their historical buildings after the war, and St. Paul is but one of many.

By the conclusion of our visit to St. Paul's, and especially our climb to the whispering gallery high within the dome, we were really beginning to feel the effects of jet lag. We started back to the hotel. It seemed like a cloudy daze. Ah! The sweet sensation of sleep deprivation.

The Rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

Google Map of St. James and Pall Mall

Window in the Oxford Cambridge Club

W

e thought it might be fun to stop by at the Oxford Cambridge Club to check in and make sure they received the letter of introduction from the Columbia Club, and that we had full privileges at that Club during our stay in London. However, to get there from the St. James Street tube station we had to walk through St. James Park, which on any ordinary day would have been easy, short and beautiful.

However, this was no ordinary day. On this particular day, St, James Park was the starting point of the famous Tour de France bicycle race, which is the first time in 104 years that the race started in London. There were an estimated half-million people looking on, and the park was all cordoned off for the race route, which made the short walk to the Club more than a little complicated.

The Bicycle Race

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

Opposite: The Library, Oxford and Cambridge Club This Page: The Tour de France starts in London

About halfway through, and with hardly any strength to carry on, we decided to forget Club land, and instead focus on making it back to the hotel alive and not passed out in some London side street, sound asleep or dead. We made it back to the Cranley and got our room, It is a beautiful room. Beth was firm in her resolve to stay awake, in an attempt to minimize the effects of jet lag, while I was simply out of gas, gave in to fate, and took a three hour nap.

Just what the doctor ordered. When I awoke I felt much better. dressed up and rode the tube to the Piccadilly station and walked to St. James and Pall Mall, in the heart of clubland.

There are dozens of so called “Gentleman’s Clubs” or “City Clubs.” Many had odd names, like Boodles, Bucks, Whites, Pratts and Brooks.

They all occupied beautiful nineteenth century mansions and townhouses, each consisting of several rooms, including dining rooms, libraries, and billiards rooms. They all had bars.

Some are drop dead gorgeous, like rhe Royal Automobile Club, while others have either The Tour de France

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

The Oxford and Cambridge Club

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

Sockless at the Oxford Cambridge Opposite: Weight scales in the hall; Writing supplies in the library; 18th Century hand colored almanac of Oxford college arms

died, or are dying due to increasing costs and dwindling memberships. The O&C is definitely a traditional, old shoe, kind of club which contains many grand, old rooms. It seem old, because they are old. The clubhouse was purpose built for the new club in 1820. It is still rock solid. Much of the glass in the large windows is probably original to the building, as the image through them is slightly warped by the imperfections in the glass. Part of the club was destroyed in the Blitz, but was rebuilt soon after the war. Another club down the street was fire bombed by the IRA back in the 1970s.

The neatest rooms, in my opinion, were the various libraries located primarily on the second floor. One of the libraries was known as

The Silence Library

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

The Oxbridge Libraries

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

the “Silence Library," and there is a large sign on the fireplace mantelpiece which contains the single word “SILENCE". Another library is more formal, which is, I would guess, the original library room. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Oxford Cambridge books in existence, some in Latin and some dating from the 18th century. It was paradise for me. I could have spent a long, long time there before becoming tired and bored, I can assure you.

We thought about eating at the club on our first night in London, but then took a look at the menu and realized that it was, not surprisingly, very expensive, and we also had come to the realization earlier in the day that the dollar was shockingly devalued compared to the British

A Rather Pricey Menu

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

The Oxbridge library, dining room, card room and stairwell

Dinner at Waitrose

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

pound, and the dollar was worth something around $.50. With prices being double what they normally are and with the dollar being worth only half of what it usually is, it was a sure recipe for a giant buzz kill. It is perhaps the most difficult fact to accept when making the pilgrimage to the island. Anyway, we were staying at the club later in the week, and we would dine there then.

We took the tube back to our hotel, and from there we went to Waitrose, where we purchased three quarters of a rotisserie chicken, salads, wine and Diet Coke. We went back to the Cranley and ate on their front patio beneath the umbrella of a shaded table and, all in all, everything worked out quite fine. We Cigarettes?

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

Rooms in the Oxbridge; Waitrose Grocers

talked about the good old days, the days when we smoked cigarettes, especially at times such as this.

We vetted the idea of buying a pack just for fun.

Hard to believe, but we did not. We would soon learn how stupid an idea that was.

The Oxford and Cambridge Club

ST. JAMES & PALL MALL

Shameless self-portraiture: The window overlooks the back court of Marlborough House, which King Edward VII built when he was Prince of Wales.

Somewhat different from the Bakers on Tenth Street.

The Library

SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK

S

unday, July 8, 2007, we awoke and had breakfast at a local restaurant, Garfunkels.

This was about as American as you can get in London. Like Applebees. We ordered up an omelet, and split it like we did in New York on our Anniversary trip in 2005. But unlike New York, London omelets are quite small. The pinheaded staff couldn’t wrap their minds around the idea of having more than 2 ingredients in an omelet. They know now. It felt good to have food in the stomach at a time that made sense, and freed from the chains of jet lag. Satisfied, we embarked upon our travels for the day. First stop: Speakers’ Corner.

Speakers’ Corner

SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK

Speakers Galore

On the northeast corner of Hyde Park, on Sundays at noon, is an event called “Speakers Corner.”It is an area where anyone can bring their soapbox, stand on it, and pontificate about whatever they choose. People gather, if interested, and comment, or even argue with the speaker.

Some of the arguments become quite heated. For instance, one of the speakers was talking smack about how Americans were nothing more than the rouge subjects of her Majesty and America as a mere colony, and how we, American tourists, were somehow hypocritical by coming back to the so-called “mother country.” I truly think her point was to simply gather the largest crowd, mostly Americans. I was tempted to shout that Hitler would now be on the pound note had it not been for the Americans in World War II, but I opted to simply keep my Yankee mouth shut. Always a prudent course of action.

Speakers’ Corner

SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK

Speakers Corner

SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK

In America the politically inclined participate passively, sitting on sofas and watching FOX News. Their perception of the world is one sided, and they stew and boil inside. Not surprisingly, many need treatment for anger management or coronary heart disease, or both.

By contrast, the Brits take it to the streets, literally. These participants, speakers and audience alike, interact with one another, which causes thoughtful reflection before responding, or risk being called out by others for spewing half baked ideas.

We could learn something from this.

GREENWICH

Smiling on the Thames; MEMO TO SELF: Camera looking up is bad angle.

The Tower of London from the Thames

F

rom Hyde Park we took the Tube to the Embankment Station, which is right on the Thames.

Parliament stood behind us, a perpendicular gothic masterpiece. From there, we boarded a boat heading from Westminster to Greenwich, both had been a royal enclaves from the earliest days.

Very little remains of the original Westminster Palace, although Westminster Hall is a glaring exception, being started by William Rufus (King William II) at the dawn of the 12th century.

Greenwich Ho!

THE RIVER THAMES

The trip to Greenwich via the Thames was quite interesting and our tour guide pointed out many different points, including various pubs which sit along the Thames, and which were frequented by famous people, like Charles Dickens‌ and Cher. He told the story of pirates coming up the Thames, being captured, tried, and executed.

The executions were quite grizzly, as the pirate was chained to the riverbank at low tide. When the tide came in, the pirate would, ever so slowly, be covered over with water. Slowly, he would be covered over and drown, while others watched on in amusement, over a pint of warm brew at the nearby Pub. You’ve got to love this little island!

For whatever reason, I felt a little queasy both upon arrival at Greenwich and again upon arrival back at the Embankment. I initially thought it could have been due to either the diesel fumes from the Cher and Dead Pirates

THE RIVER THAMES

boat or the hot sun, I am now of the opinion that I've suffered a bit of seasickness, since the Thames is part of the English Channel and subject to ocean currents, tides, and waves. Then again, it could have been the deisel fumes.

Whatever.

Westminster and the Thames

The grounds at Greenwich are both remarkable and historic. The oldest structure is a block palace built sometime during the mid 1400s. Henry VIII was born there, as were sister Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I. The old structure is restored to Ride on the River Thames

THE RIVER THAMES

London

THE RIVER THAMES

Opposite: Parliament and Tower Bridge This page: Greenwich Palace from the river, the interior dome of the palace

The Ride to Greenwich

GREENWICH

Greenwich Palace, old and new

its former glory, and contains an art collection of national significance. The most memorable paintings were the portrait of Adm. Nelson, and a painting of a battle scene from his victory, and sad death, at Trafalgar. The guy who lost his arm ultimately lost his life as well in the service of king and country.

The newer sets of palace buildings were built in the 17th century by their joint majesties William and Mary. The two principal buildings frame the old tudor palace with the hall on one side of the central axis, and Greenwich Palace

GREENWICH

the chapel on the other side of the axis.

Both structures have huge domes, one of which contains a clock.

The hall is beautifully painted and incredibly large for a 17th century assembly area.

It has a small stage at the front end and is filled with murals and designs from front to back, top to bottom. At one time it served as a hospital. Now its principle function is one of tourism, and it is worth the trip. I don’t think there was an admission charge, either.

The chapel is located in the second building and is approximately the same size as The Grounds

GREENWICH

the hall. It has pews facing forward toward the alter, and a balcony on each side holding benches facing one another across the width of the hall.

Upon arrival back in town we got off on the south side of the river at a place called Waterloo Station, The Painted Hall

GREENWICH

The Painted Hall

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and from there we eventually found the Tube station and made our way back to the Kensington Station. And dinner again from Waitrose.

Unfortunately, once we arrived, we realized that Waitrose was already closed, and therefore we were required to eat at a restaurant, Garfunkles, where we split a chicken dinner. The meals are not as large as they are in New York; thereGarfunkel’s Restaurant

GREENWICH

fore, splitting a meal was not as satisfying. But the food tasted good and we went back to the hotel where we watched TV, and thought about day three in London.

A Closed Grocery

BACK TO LONDON

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

M

onday, July 9, 2007, started as a bright sunny day. We thought it might be an excellent opportunity to visit the British Museum. On the way, we stopped by the local post office/drugstore/currency exchange so the Beth could post letters to the states. While we were there, a local woman became quite angry and boisterous at the clerk, because he did not use what she considered to be proper English. It was all quite funny to watch. When the spectacle was over, I ask a gentleman if that was the Queen. He told me it was not, and that the Queen had far better manners. He was dead serious. I don't think he was amused at my joke at Her Majesty’s expense. As an American, it is hard to understand the Brits love of their monarchs. It just doesn't seem rational.

A Gathering in the Post Office

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

A Very Old Collection

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

The British Museum is in a three hundred year old, classical (ie. Greco-Roman) building, which was originally built in about 1753. It houses an incredible collection of artifacts from all over the world, no doubt the fruits of British imperialism in the 19th century. I examined the collection of artifacts created by the North American Indian and Eskimo peoples. They had very old pieces, coming from the period of early exploration, but before colonization efforts. These artifacts were much older than those at an American museum, like The Field in Chicago. It also had a great Egyptian exhibit containing various mummies and other artifacts, taken from Cairo when England pretty much owned it.

Repatriation of artifacts is a major topic nowadays, and the British Museum may be the number one target of the efforts. The most famous of the stolen booty from lands afar is the famous Rosetta Stone, and segments from the Greek Parthenon. The Rosetta was the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. And as for the remnants of the Parthenon, let’s just say the Greeks want their building back.

We also briefly visited the section displaying artifacts from Asia including several ancient, A Very Old Collection

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

The Rosetta Stone Doors on the way to the Inns of Court

golden Buddha from the Far East. As they say, the sun never set on the British Empire at its apex, and these exhibits highlighed the stretch of Brit domination. It is in a way a huge trophy room, with all the cultural souvenirs from foreign lands stacked floor to ceiling.

The most interesting part of the British Museum, in my opinion, was the large wing containing King George III’s personal library. There were also many other artifacts from his collections, reflecting the English Renaissance and advances in science made during the 18th century. There were also many other artifacts going back many years to the Middle Ages.

The books themselves were quite amazing, leather bound and gold leaf stamped. Thousands of them,

Repatriation of the Parthenon

THE WALK TO GRAY’S INN

and they were beautiful. They covered a wide range of topics including geography, history, and the classics.

While we were there, Beth's toe started to hurt because of a nasty blister. This may or may not have been caused by the wearing of new and not well worn shoes. We sought help from a security guard who took us from the main museum to a small first aid room. There he applied a bandage and she was as good as new. It was our first taste of the superlative health care in the United Kingdom. America could learn a thing or two. And it would not be our last.

The Kings’ Books

THE WALK TO GRAY’S INN

More Shameless Self-Portraiture during lunch

The walk to the Inns of Court

GRAY’S INN

F

rom the British Museum we walked eastward, hopefully to find the famous Inns of Court.

While they were somewhat hard to find, we were ultimately successful.

On the way, we had lunch at a small pub near the museum. The most interesting thing about this pub was the cigarette machine, in which the cigarettes cost six pounds a pack. SIX POUNDS A PACK! Converted to American dollars, each pack cost almost $12! It was absolutely flabbergasting, and we were quite pleased that we did not start smoking, as we nearly started again on Saturday night.

The Entry to the Hall of Gray’s Inn

Did I Say Cigarettes?

GRAY’S INN

The hall at Gray’s Inn

The first inn that we came upon was Gray’s Inn. Its foundation several hundred years ago is still shrouded in mystery. It is reminiscent of the typical old college quadrangles and courts of Oxford or Cambridge, and each contains a dining hall, library, chapel, and office accommodations considered essential to the medieval lawyer. These are part law school, part guild and part office space. Some of the practices were that of the paper pushing solicitors, while other offices belong to the trial practice barristers. American lawyers do both. The Brits do not.

Souvenir Hunting

GRAY’S INN

We eventually found ourselves able to get into the complex containing the dining hall, which was magnificent. It was a typical sixteenth century hall, almost identical to the one at Trinity College, Cambridge. The original was built in the 16th century and was leveled by the Germans during the Blitz. But the reconstruction was successful, and you would swear that you were in a medieval building. There were portraits and coats of arms surrounding the hall, which seated approximately 180 people at long tables, ten feet long. The windows contain the stained-glass coat of arms of various barristers and solicitors who had been members. We went up into the balcony in the back, originally designed for musicians, where we took pictures, and hunted for souve-

Grey’s Inn Governors Room

Kicked out of Lincoln

GRAY’S INN

nirs.

We ten found ourselves in one of the conference rooms, probably of the head honchos, as well as a room which contained the robes of all the members.

We then made our way to Lincoln's Inn, which survived the Blitz, and was still original late Tudor. When we found our way into the hall, we were stopped by a rather stern English barrister, and told we were not welcome and we would have to leave. I suspect that my short pants and Pinehurst wind shirt were dead giveaway that we did not belong. Come to find out, the Brits consider shorts on men to be in bad form. Deal with it, Winston! It was, though, one of the few times we were not able to infiltrate a target of our guerilla tourism. I have a feeling we will see Lincoln Inn Hall someday!

We were, however, able to find the Inn’s chapel, which was quite magnificent and dated from the 1400s. The British poet John Donne was once the chaplain there. The stained-glass was quite amazing and contained the coat of arms of various barristers and solicitors who were members of the Inn going back centuries. We sat and listened to a woman practice a song with piano accompaniment, apparently for the next service. Her voice sounded beautiful in the chapel, while we soaked in the history of it all.

We made our way across the street to the Courts of Justice, where we arrived just at closing time, and told to come back the next day. We did not make it back during our visit and it will no doubt be one of our stops the next time we come to London.

After that, we found our way to the Middle Temple and the Inner Temple, both Inns of Court as well. Sadly, the only building we could infiltrate was the library of the Middle Temple. It was an excellent law library, with books going all the way back to the 18th century.

Souvenir Hunting

GRAY’S INN

Sir Winston

GRAY’S INN

Grey’s Inn

GRAY’S INN

Grey’s Inn

GRAY’S INN

High Table at Grey’s Inn

LINCOLN’S INN

Chapel at Lincoln’s Inn

LINCOLN’S INN

Sir Thomas More

CANTERBURY

T

uesday, July 10, 2007. We made our Chauceresque pilgrimage to the ancient town of Canterbury, and its famous cathedral. Geoffrey would have been proud, as we have our own tale to tell. We call it “The Tourists’ Tale.”

As background, the cathedral at Canterbury is the epicenter of Christianity in England, and has been in existence in one form or another since St. Augustine's time in the end of the 6th century. The current cathedral was started in the early 12th century by various use of The Train to Canterbury

CANTERBURY

gothic architecture in an English church can be seen here, in the quire, which was remodeled with gothic, or pointed, windows in about 1170. It was the first use of a pointed window arch, as opposed to a rounded, Romanesque window arch. Very simply, this small innovation finally allowed the construction of taller buildings with larger windows. This was a complete paradigm shift in the construction of church buildings in western Europe, and would hold sway for centuries to come. After all, they didn’t have electricity.

But the bigger story here is the story of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and at various times either a friend or enemy, since boyhood, of a certain Henry Anjou, who in adulthood sat on the throne of England as Henry II. Seems the two had serious disconnects on various church versus state questions when they became adults. Eventually a few royal thugs made the trip to Canterbury, found the Archbishop, and with a sword took off the crown of his head, leaving him to quickly bleed to death in the north Canterbury Cathedral

CANTERBURY

Details of the Canterbury Cathedral GateNight Entrance, Canterbury Cathedral

CANTERBURY

Cathedral Details and Door. An Expectant Graduate

First English Gothic Building

CANTERBURY

Thomas Becket

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transept of the cathedral…oh yea, did I mention this happened ON CHRISTMAS DAY!. ..CHRISTMAS DAY?? …hard to believe, but true. Anyway, Merry Freaking Christmas, Tommy!

His people collected that piece of skull and other remnants of the Archbishop, bundled them up and constructed a magnificent shrine in the back of the cathedral. It was claimed to have great healing power, and thus attracting pilgrims from across England. The granite steps in the aisles are worn with huge central groves, caused by the millions of medieval pilgrims climbing them…-on their knees! And it was Chaucer who wrote his famous collection of tales told by Medieval Canterbury

CANTERBURY

pilgrims making the journey to Canterbury and the shrine to Thomas Becket, which make up the famous Canterbury Tales. It is the first important piece of literature written in English. Like it or not, it is a big deal in the history and development of the English language.

So, back to our tale. We make the train ride from London and arrive at Canterbury about ninety minutes later. The town retains some of its medieval appearance, although there are now Starbucks and Gap stores in some of the 14th century storefronts. In the center of the old town is the gatehouse opening to the grounds of the Cathedral, and it retains all of its historical charm, including the coats of arms of various princes of England, and especially the Tudor monarchs, over the gate.

The chance to make this ancient pilgrimage was a once in a life time event. Canterbury Cathedral was one of the primary objectives of this trip. All that, plus it took about an hour and a half to ride the train from London to Canterbury, and about 75 bucks American . We were very excited to see the cathedral. We had a bunch of energy invested in this, our pilgrimage.

We did not get there on our knees, but it clearly required its sacrifices.

When we arrived at the gatehouse, where you pay the admission fee, we soon realized that the Episcopal HQ is Closed!

CANTERBURY

University of Kent, domiciled in Canterbury, was holding its commencement exercises for the year, and that the entire nave of the cathedral was closed to the public. CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC? It did not register at first. But it quickly did and I was about to go ape shit on the poor ticket girl. What the hell is that all about? I kept my cool, but inside I was boiling. It just didn’t seem fair, or even believable. The only sections of the cathedral which we could legitimately get into were the crypt and the Lady Chapel, known now as the Trinity Chapel, at the back of the cathedral. We were not sure it was worth the admission fee, which was not discounted.

Needless to say, this was very disappointing, and we stewed over it while we ate our lunch, neither of us saying a word. “The one freaking day we come to Canterbury, it’s closed!’

We commiserated silently over our pub lunch with the locals, them drinking beer and telling lies at the noon hour, and us the bitter, puritanical Americans, meditating on our misery over a The Ancient Cathedral

CANTERBURY

closed cathedral and a diet coke. We resolved to each other that no matter what, we would keep trying, probing for the weakest point of the barricades, and that sooner or later we would make our trip to Canterbury worthwhile, even if it be by stealth and deception. We had plenty of time. After all, this was the Myers Family they were screwing with. We are bred to infiltrate.

Somehow, someway, we were going to see the cathedral and turn this day around.

A Vow to Penetrate

CANTERBURY

Our first good omen: Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and Speak No Evil.

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

The Nave

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

W

e went back to the cathedral and paid the twenty bucks admission, without any guarantee of seeing the inside, and just started walking around the place, looking for all the doors and passageways, and identifying the weak points in security. We were casing Canterbury Cathedral, and there would be a way!

We had all the time in the world.

We started in the crypt, as everything else seemed quite secure. It contained various graves and small chapels. It is also quite musty. It is the oldest part of the structure, and goes back to Saxon times. I was silent and buried in history as I walked through that Saxon maze.

We came out of the crypt and into the Trinity Chapel, which is the back part of the cathedral. The stainedglass was magnificent. Sometime King Henry IV (Bolingbroke) and his queen are buried there, the first of the Lancaster kings, and the only monarch entombed in the ancient church. This is because when Royal Tombs at Canterbury

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

he died, there was a cult devoted to Beckett, and Henry wanted to be buried next to him. There too was King Henry IV’s uncle, Edward the Black Prince, who was the son of Edward III and heir to the throne. The sons of Edward III were some badass Plantagenets, who hated the French, and possibly each other. The Black Prince was the eldest, and heir to the crown. He died, however, shortly before his father, and so his son, Richard II, acceded to the throne. That did not sit well The Trinity Chapel

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

These pages: a side chapel dedicated tto war dead from with Richard’s cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, centuries ago; below, a view from the crossing up into who believed he was better suited to serve as the tower king, and usurped his cousin’s crown while he was away. To this day, the Black Prince’s 14th century armor and saddle hang above his ornate funeral effigy, which is found on few other tombs, the most notable being Henry V’s tomb at Westminster.

We then found a small opening in one of the barriers separating the Trinity Chapel from the rest of the cathedral, and made our way through it, acting naïve in case we were caught. We were almost immediately confronted by one of the clergy. It was another woman priest. Busted! She looked concerned.

“Can’t you see the barricade, Sir?” I immediSt. Margaret Appears

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The Side Door used by the King’s Men

The Site of the Martyrdom

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

The Site of St. Thomas Becket’s Martyrdom

The Site of the Martyrdom

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This page: funeral memorial to Archbishop Chichele top, the Black Prince below

ately, instinctively, started in with the hard luck tale…”all the way from America,” blah blah blah…”wife an English teacher”,…Blah blah…

“Need to see the Chaucer sites or perish”, blah, blah…all the obvious pleadings of locked out tourists.

Lucky for us, she had a secret halo. Her name was Margaret, whom we have since beautified and canonized in the Church of St. Beth and St. Jon, and renamed “St. Margaret of the Corridor.” St. Margaret said, “I really shouldn’t do this, but Follow Me.” And follow we did.

St. Margaret gave us a private tour, first to the spot where Thomas Becket had his head sliced apart with a heavy sword, a Christian martyr murdered by agents of Henry II Anjou, sometime King of the Realm. Oddly, the King and the Archbishop were childhood friends. But their A Private Tour

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

friendship died as each became the leaders of their respective realms. I was able to pry loose a small flake of rock used on the stairs for our “Rock Collection.” Think of it…that flake was probably a witness to the martyrdom of the first rock star of the English Church, standing firm against the wishes of a power hungry monarch. It would happen countless times thereafter, usually with the same result.

She then led us to the area where his shrine existed before it was demolished by agents of Henry VIII during the mid-16th century English Reformation. The spot where the shrine stood is now marked by a solitary candle. It was interesting to see all of the other hapless tourists banished from the nave due to the University of Kent’s commencement, watching us as we were led into this most sacred area, past the barriers, by our Episcopal shepherd, St. Maggie.

An Academic Procession Forms

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University of Kent faculty members preparing for commencement at the back of the cathedral

St. Maggie of the Corridor took the time to talk to us about the history of the chapel, and it was as if we had our own private tour guide into sections of the cathedral which the ordinary public was not able to see. Perfect. My kind of day. And it was about to get better.

I love a good academic possession, and the commencement exercises turned out to be a plus. A huge plus, actually. While the crowd of happy parents gathered in the giant nave, clutching their admission tickets and programs, the academics from the University were assembling back in the Trinity Chapel, next to the fifteenth century alabaster tomb of Cardinal Henry Chichele. (Chichele was in the very first class of students at the New College, Oxford when it opened its doors in 1379. He became great friends with Henry V and became Archbishop of Canterbury. He also founded All Souls College, Oxford, one of the finest institutions in the world.) We then sat in the Chapel and watched while the various big wigs at the University gathered for their procession into the Commencement ceremonies, all dressed in academic regalia. There were gowns and hoods from many different universities including Oxford and Cambridge, Edinburgh, and the University of London. There were also a few American style doctoral robes and hoods, which seem dark and somber when compared to its colorful English counterparts.

We took another small tour of the cathedral’s precincts, and made our way back at 5:30 for Chichele’s Tomb

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

Evensong, which was held in the quire, while in another portion of the cathedral, commencement exercises for a different department of the University were preparing to begin again.

We take these incredible structures for granted.

But think about it: They are made of solid stone, and were constructed without the first drop of fossil fuel or electricity. They were literally made by hand.

Really, cathedrals were the domed stadiums of medieval times. Under its roof, the community could gather, protected from the elements, and witness ritual and music. Imagine what the music sounded like to an audience unfamiliar with recorded music. It must have been magical. This has to be the closest medievals got to a Grateful Dead show! It was all very beautiful and one certainly felt a part of history in such an iconic venue.

After evensong, we went to a local restaurant

Evensong at Canterbury

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and had our first sampling of fish and chips. Sadly, the afternoon cook did not defrost the fish and the batter did not stick to the fish fillets. While they were certainly tasty, they were very heavy in the stomach for several hours afterward.

On the train ride back, we sat with a woman named Victoria from Lithuania who was in England working at a nursery school. She said she spoke 3 1/2 different languages. She had a perfect English accent. It was interesting to hear her impressions of both England as well as America.

On our way back to the hotel, Beth mumbled something about “damn infections. “ I tried to ignore it, hoping whatever it was would resolve overnight.

The First of Many Brass Eagle Lecterns

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This Page: Detail of the Entrance Gate to Canterbury Cathedral built in the mid-15th century, showing the arms of both Royal and ecclesiastical supporters.

Front door to the Rectory.

Canterbury Cathedral

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

This Page: detail of carved doorway in the front gate.

Beth in the cloisters

A

nd so ended our pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. It is a remarkable place, muddied with history. We had our ups and downs, but as it turns out, everything worked out just fine. We hope to visit again someday, and we owe it to ourselves to do that since we had never actually been in the nave of the Cathedral. It’s always nice to leave some stones unturned Canterbury Cathedral

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

Canterbury Cathedral

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

HOSPITAL

W

ednesday, July 11, 2007, Beth was not feeling well and realized that she was indeed suffering from a bladder infection. It was clear that things were going to get bad. The only question was “how bad?� How bad physically? How bad trip wise? And how bad on the pocketbook? The answer could easily have been BAD, all the way around.

She went to the pharmacy and was directed to the local Royal Brompton Hospital, where she was tested and the bladder infection was confirmed. She was given various antibiotics, and the entire affair cost us just under $12 for the medical care and the prescription. Elapsed time: about 3.5 hours. Effect on Trip? None. Thank you, St. Maggie of the Corridor, for your continued blessings. The United States could learn something about health care from the British.

Hospital

THE GLOBE THEATER

W

e dressed up and went to the Globe Theater, which sits on the southern bank of the Thames River across from St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we watched Othello, the Moor of Venice. Because the Globe is a recreation of Shakespeare’s original, the seats were very rustic, and hard, and the play lasted approximately 3 1/2 hours. Renaissance Englishmen clearly had asses which were far more calloused and resilient than the asses of modern men.

MEMO TO THE BARD: It could have been about 90 minutes shorter.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The National Liberal Club

W

e went to the National Liberal Club in Whitehall after the play, right on the Thames. The Liberal Party was a powerful force in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but hit the skids in the modern era (but arguably making a comeback.)The Club downsized in recent years, selling portions of its grand clubhouse to other concerns, but it still has a large library, a beautiful bar and dining room, a gargantuan oval marble staircase, guest rooms, and several committee meeting rooms. It has a long, tree-lined terrace overlooking the Embankment Park, where members are served food and drink in season.

It was the club of the Grand Old Man, William Gladstone, and the young English bulldog, Winston Churchill. We sat on the terrace overlooking the park and enjoyed light beverages.

The National Liberal Club is a fun place. Amd the same bartender as 2007! We will be back!

We made our way back to South Kensington and the Cranley, where we ate‌where else?‌ Garfunkel's!

Gladstone and Clegg

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The Library at NLC

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The Library at NLC

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The Library at NLC

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The Library at NLC

NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB

The NLC

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Arial and Blueprint views of the Abbey and its Precincts The Medieval Abbey

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

The Abbey Cloisters

F

riday, July 13, 2007 we awoke and had breakfast as usual at Garfunkel's. It seems to be a pattern. Or just convenient. After that we took the Tube to Westminster Station to hit Westminster Abbey. This church is perhaps the most famous in all of England. It is actually not a cathedral as that word is typically defined; it is instead a “Collegiate Church” It is filled to the brim with graves and memorials, to the great and worthy individuals in British history, including about 17 ruling kings and queens of the realm.

After paying the $30 admission, we entered the Abbey through the north porch entrance, where memorials to military and government hero sat. We then came to the North Ambulatory which worked around the top arch of the apse. In the middle of this semi-circular walk is St. Edward’s Chapel, named after the Saxon king, Edward the Confessor. This chapel is where many of the early Plantagenet kings of England are buried, circling St. Edwards shrine in the middle. This would include Henry III, Edward I, his grandson Edward III, Richard II, the great Lancastrian Henry V, as well as most of their Queens. Unfortunately, we were unable to get close to the shrine as that was apparently reserved for VIPs. I will make it there someday.

Immediately in front of the high altar was the exact location where all the kings and queens of England have been crowned at their coronations for nearly a thousand years. Beth and I stood The Lady Chapel

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

in this exact spot. Nothing happened. Clicked heels...nothing.

The Abbey holds approximately 2000 people in regular seats if all of the seats are set up. However, during the coronation of monarchs, bleachers are erected and up to 8000 people are jam packed into the Abbey to witness the event. After all, the chief purpose of the coronation was to make sure the true monarch was crowned, and that everyone there recognized and agreed that the right person was being crowned. Not a concern nowadays, but it was a huge concern in medieval times.

To the east of the apse is the Henry VII Lady Chapel. It was originally built by the great Tudor, Henry VII, to house the tomb of his pretended ancestor, Henry VI. As there was a cult calling for that dead king’s sainthood, it was easy for the parsimonious Tudor to highjack state funds for its construction. It has one of the finest fan vaults ceiling in all of England, and the world.

As fate would have it, and as Henry Tudor probably predicted, the cult of Henry VI died out.

Who then to entomb in this, the finest tomb in all of England? Why, Henry Tudor, of course!

And it is a beautiful tomb indeed. Within the protective brass grill work is a large chest made of black Purbeck marble. Atop it lie the recumbent gilded effigies of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and Elizabeth York. It was cast by an Italian artist named Torrigiano, and is probably pretty accurate in appearance, at least for the King’s effigy. Their marriage was the event which Nazi Damage

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

The Nave and North Transept

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Newton’s Tomb

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

This page: current and historical views of the tomb of King Edward the confessor, who was later canonized.

Opposite page: different views of the tomb of King Henry III, who in 1230 started the construction of the current Abbey and dedicated it to his hero, King/St. Edward the confessor.

In fact, Henry III named his son Edward in honor of his hero, who went on to become the great warrior king Edward I, who is known principally for sacking both the Welsh and Scots Dead Kings

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Tomb of Henry III

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Henry VII Chapel panorama; the carved effigy of Mary Queen of Scots who was brought (in two pieces!) to the Abbey for reburial by her son, King James I. One wonders if perhaps Prince William, upon being made Kingin the 20 or so years, would move his mother’s mortal remains to the Abbey for reburial with the Kings and Queens of England.

I would.

Royal Tombs

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Top: the fan vaulting in Henry VII Chapel, arguably the best in the world.

Various historical views of the Abbey, including a view into the burial crypt of Henry VII’s tomb, which is when they discovered that King James I was also buried with his grandfather Henry and his grandmother Elizabeth of York Below: an exterior view of King Henry VII’s Chapel which is located on the far East side of the Abbey

Royal Tombs

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

united the Lancaster and York claims to the throne of England, all stemming from Edward III’s youngest son, John of Gaunt, who sired families with two women, and descendents from both families have ruled as monarchs. A Brit version of the Hatfields and the McCoys, except they were royalty, not hillbillys. (little difference) It is there that we also saw the tomb of Elizabeth I and Mary I, the sisters, who are buried together, but who were separated by religion during their lifetimes in the aftermath of the Reformation, and the bloody legacy of their mutual father, Henry VIII. On the other side of Henry VII’s chapel are buried all the Stuart Kings of England, as well as their matriarchs, the beheaded Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Tudor’s mother, the incomparable Lady Margaret Beaufort. She engineered the Tudor usurpation of the throne, and was clearly a Survives the Blitz

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Different views of the southern transept, familiarly known as “Poets’ Corner.”

master manipulator. She is highly regarded even today.

After that, we proceeded around the South Ambulatory around the south side of the Confessor’s Tomb, to Poets’ Corner, where there are graves and memorials to some of the world's most famous authors and actors. Most notable was the grave of Geoffrey Chaucer, as well Poets Corner

WESTMINSTER ABBEY as the memorial to William Shakespeare. But there are also tributes to Sir Laurence Oliver, Mark Twain, and David Garrick, to name only a few.

We strolled through the cloisters which surrounded a fine garden, and walked through the Chapter House which was built by Henry III in medieval times as a meeting room for the clergy of Westminster, and at various times the room has served as the home of the English Parliament, as well as a storage room for documents up until late 19th century. Much of the stained glass was blown out during the Blitz, and the new stained glass is brightly colored and depicts the Arms of several loyal subjects. It looks old, but is relatively new.

Westminster Abbey is nature crystallized into a conventional form by man, with his sorrows, his joys, his failures, and his seeking for the Great Spirit. It is a frozen requiem, with a nation's prayer ever in dumb music ascending.

M. E. W. Sherwood

The Dark Cloister

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The Abbey suffered significant damage during World War II. One bomb hit the bulls eye and nailed the central crossing, the place where monarchs are crowned. It was no doubt targeted by the Germans due to its symbolism to the Brits. It is nothing short of amazing that it has been reconstructed in such a way that one would never recognize the sections destroyed during the Blitzkrieg.

We also visited St. Margret's, which is immediately next door to the Abbey. How fitting, they named it after St. Maggie of the Corridor! It is a fine old church dating from the 17th century and contains many graves and memorials. It, too, was damaged during the Blitz, but again, you would The Cloisters

WESTMINSTER ABBEY "And they shall then behold the scene around In wasted age, in antique beauty, faded; Our great Cathedral fane in silence bound."

Whitehead's "Legends of London."

never know it.

A panorama of the magnificent Henry VII Chapel. The colored

On Friday evening we purchased a stained glass in the rear window was put into place after World War II, when the original window was blown out by Nazi bombs roasted chicken and other deli foods from the Waitrose and took Originally, the entire Chapel was lighted by colored stained glass. the Tube to St. James Park. There However, these are found to be too showy for the Puritans, who replaced the original colored stained glass with simple clear glass. we had a small improvised picnic in the park, on a beautiful clear and The colored flags each represent a member of the Order of the Bath, cool evening. We could see Westwhich calls this Chapel its home. It is much like the Chapel at Windsor, which is used as the headquarters for the Order of the Garter. minster Palace (not Abbey) and While the Prince of Wales is responsible for running the Bath, it is the hear Big Ben chime the evening Queen who alone chooses members of the Order of the Garter. hours. We shopped around Piccadilly and returned to our hotel.

Tudor Fan Vaulting

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower from the air: One can see the various security rings which enclose the central area, and were added over the course of several hundred years. Before modern warfare, it had to be a pretty tough nut to crack.

T

hursday, July 12, 2007 we hit the Tower of London, which was the first official residence of the current line of British monarchs starting with William the Conqueror. It is much larger now, after several enlargements over the past thousand years. It has served more as a prison and armory in the last few centuries, and it is most famous for housing the monarch’s jewels and regalia, including the various crowns of state, the oldest dating back to the Restoration in 1661. The earlier bejeweled crowns were seized and destroyed by the Parliamentarians in the aftermath of the Civil War. Thank you, Oliver Cromwell… Dick. (But I understand your point!)

After a brief walk through the Tower’s precincts, we sat in the chapel of St. Peter, where they claim 1500 headless bodies are buried beneath its stone pavement, one’s remains being deposited there after being execution at the block. This number has to be a gross exaggeration, as there were only seven executions which actually took place in the Tower, and Headless Bodies in the Tower

THE TOWER OF LONDON

three of those were queens.

(Boleyn, Gray, Howard…see ya, girls!). There may be 1500 bodies, but they aren’t all headless.

It does make a good story, though. The Boleyn headstone is on the high alter, but it is covered by a communion table. They have to pull the table cover up to see the stone. It is hard to tell if they like her or not. She was the mother of Elizabeth I, arguably the best monarch the Brits ever produced, so cut old Bessie some slack, I say!

Outside of the chapel we saw the site where Boleyn and several others had their heads lopped off at the block. There is a beautiful monument, capped with a crystal pillow…the pillow they would let these soon-to-be headless queens to rest their shaking knees as the knelt and passed into the great unknown. We also saw one of the blocks used for the last beheading which occurred in the 18th Century. There were LOTS of axe marks on the ridge that one laid their head, each with The Bloody Tower

THE TOWER OF LONDON

its own story. It was rather gruesome.

.

We then hit the so-called “Bloody Tower,” which is where builders discovered the bodies of the young teen Edward V and his brother the Duke of York. They were killed in 1483, and their skeletons were found by workmen while doing renovations back in the 1600s. The two were allegedly killed by either Richard III, or Henry VII, or one of their cronies. It depends on who you talk to.

Historians seem to be unevenly divided on the issue, with the majority favoring the Richard III theory. But Henry Tudor knew a thing or two about usurping power, and had the motive as well. So, who knows?

We left the castle and visited Tower Hill which is the site of public executions for people who

Opposite: Traitors Gate, which opens up to the River and through which enemies of the state were transported to the Tower. Site of numerous beheadings.

Above: columns located in St. John’s Chapel.Royal Canons and one Beefeater

Tower Hill and More Dead Bodies

THE TOWER OF LONDON

did not have great favor with the king, which is located outside the Tower walls. We also viewed all of the crown jewels, including the Imperial Crown of State which contains the largest diamond in the world. The display also had various coronation accoutrements, such as punch bowls, chalices, and maces, all made of solid gold. Most only date back to the Restoration(1661), as the originals were destroyed by Cromwell and the Parliamentarians during the Civil War and the Interregnum.

Finally, we visited the dungeon in the bottom of the Bloody Tower, which was re-created with the various instruments used for the torture of enemies during the reign of the early kings of England. The Tower was also used as a prison for the Nazi, Rudolf Hess, before being transferred to Nuremburg Prison.

The Tower was pretty cool. It would have been nice for there to have been fewer people, but that’s the way it goes, I guess.

The Nazi Prison

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Opposite: the central aisle and high alter of St. Johns Chapel.

This page: stained-glass Located in the Chapel and a carving displayed in the general exhibits area

Too Many People at the Tower

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The White Palace

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

The front entrance of the Oxford and Cambridge Club, located on Pall Mall, London. The blue crest of Oxford and the Red Cross of Cambridge topped the entrance. The windows to the left Are in the Morning Room, and the window to the right is the formal dining room. The Windows above are parts of the library.

The Oxford Cambridge Club

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

S

aturday, July 14, 2007 In the morning we packed our bags and made our way from The Cranley to the Oxford Cambridge Club (O&C, or The Oxbridge) in St. James. O&C is reciprocal with the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, and thus we were able to use its facilities. After we checked in our luggage, we went off exploring the St. James area, and all the different clubs, including White's, Boodles, Brooks, and the Carlton.

This is not to say that we went inside. But it was fun viewing the exteriors. We Then

Clubland

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

returned to the club andexplored extensively the O&C, including its four fine libraries and ample supply of free stationery, just ripe for the picking. In the basement was a large billiards room, as well as private dining rooms. We had dinner in The formal dining room which dates from the early 19th century, and didn’t have electric lights until the mid Twentieth century. To this day, members may request candles on the tables, just as tradition would dictate. There were old paintings of ancient aristocrats and royals affiliated with the two universities, covering the walls. Luckily, there was a large group of An Expensive Room

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

people at the table next to us, and therefore the dining room seemed very lively, despite the fact that there were very few present, and those were mostly old men, scattered about the club either sleeping in leather chairs, or possibly dead. Although we had a nice time at the club, the truth of the matter is that the rooms at the O&C leave something to be desired. We slept in a very small room, no bigger than a couple of elevators, in a bed which must have dated from the early 19th century.

Not a very good bargain, and for a mere $500 per night! On the plus side, we can say that we stayed at one of the oldest, most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in London.

Quid Pro Quo. The Morning Room

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

The Parlor

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

The beautiful library of the Oxford Cambridge Club. I would like to die in this room, and not some nursing home. Not sure how the membership would take it, probably not well.

The Oxbridge Library

THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON

The Oxbridge Library

The Formal Dining Room of the Oxford Cambridge Club

Concluding thoughts about London

On to Oxford

OXFORD’S ORIGINS Oxford is located approximately 60 miles northwest of London, on the Thames River.

It is a town of ancient origins. It served as a major crossroad, and offered a fine ford of the River Cherwell, through which many a Saxon used to cross his cattle and oxen.

Over the years it has been attacked by Vikings, served as a major commercial center, and provided a royal enclave to a host of monarchs.

More importantly, though, is that Oxford was home to several significant religious institutions, including an abbey, a priory, several monastic houses of one order or the other, countless churches, some next door to one another, and ultimately a Cathedral.

These religious institutions trained its members in its particular brand of religious orthodoxy and dogma. Eventually, reputations developed with certain houses and certain teachers, and there came a point when parents began sending their sons to Oxford

not so they could be monks or priests, but so they would be able to read and write, and assist either the crown or church in the administration of the realm. Thus, students not entering the priesthood became known as the “secular clergy.”

Sometime in the 11th century a couple individuals became very well known and were sought out as “masters.” Soon, certain masters became associated with certain “halls, “ and the halls ultimately evolved into the Oxford college of today. ” It is about this time that the University recognizes its origin, in the late eleventh century.

THE COLLEGES What is different about Oxford from American colleges is that the so called “University of Oxford” is composed of about 40 different, independent colleges which are composed of anywhere from 200 to 1000 students apiece. Every single student and every single faculty member is a member of one of the 40 colleges. While the University does maintain certain academic buildings and the great Bodleian Library, the rest is maintained by the colleges. And they are protective of their treasures. Nearly all of the colleges are secured by former military personnel, and access

to and from the property is only to be found at certain gates, or gatehouses. With some exceptions, one does not just walk into an Oxford college to stroll its grounds or tour its buildings. But they can be penetrated if one is polite, knowledgeable, and patient.

Several were founded during medieval times, several more during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and several more in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some are quite famous, others you have never heard of. Some were founded by kings, queens, bishops, and wealthy benefactors who wished to create an eternal group of young men who would pray daily into perpetuity for the founders’ departed souls. Others were founded by religious houses or community organizations. Each has its own story, its own treasures, its own academic reputation.

And each of these colleges is independently owned, has its own property composed of several acres, and its own set of buildings, which are primarily composed of quadrangles. That means that each college has its own chapel, its own dining hall, its own library, student accommodations, and athletic amenities . Some of these buildings are

hundreds of years old, and some were built within the last 10 years. These buildings are usually one of two styles: either some form of gothic architecture, some form of classical architecture, and even a couple buildings are an unusual combination of both.

Also, some colleges have more money than other colleges. Sometimes, a lot more money. The wealthier colleges not only have ample reserves of cash, but they also own significant tracts of real estate all over England, which create a steady source of revenue for the college. Many of these properties were given to the college at its founding, and have been owned ever since and providing a steady source of money. Some have art treasures and historical artifacts comparable to any major museum. You can usually tell which colleges have a lot of money based upon the condition of their oldest buildings. If the oldest buildings are well maintained, you can bet that the college has a healthy endowment. Some are so famous that they charge an admission fee, for example Christ Church, which has been used in all the Harry Potter movies. Thousands of visitors a day pay the $8 charge to see the famous hall, the front quadrangle and the art museum.

Each college has a head, whom is known variously from college to college as either a warden, master, president, principal, dean, provost or rector —based upon the dictates of the individuals or organizations which founded that particular college. Many of these heads are at Oxford after long and productive careers in business or the church, and some work their ways through the faculty ranks. Also, educators are known as tutors, readers, lecturers, or professors based upon their merit and tenure. All are referred to generally as Fellowes.

GOTHIC VERSUS CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURAL STYLES To summarize, the college and university buildings at Oxford are probably the best collection of pre-industrial age buildings in the world. To understand them architecturally, one needs to understand the differences between gothic and classical architecture.

Gothic is a term used to describe a style originated in France but mastered by the English. It is what we Americans know as a traditional style of church, with pointy windows, bell towers and a lack of exact bilateral symmetry. In England, any building-

church, school, offices, palaces, government buildings-can be found it the gothic style.

The style hit England in about 1170, in the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral by a French bishop named Lanfranc, and continued as the primary style of a public building through 1600, and then was resurrected in the late 19th century which is known as Gothic revival. Parliament building in London is the prime example of Gothic architecture built during the revival of the 1800s. Other than churches, in America about the only place one will find Gothic buildings are on university campuses that can afford to build such highly ornamental buildings. Some American colleges with significant gothic buildings include Yale, Princeton, Duke, and the University of Chicago. Many state universities had large gothic libraries that were sadly raised in favor of more modern buildings in the late twentieth century. Our loss.

In about 1600 Gothic became a worn out style of architecture and the classical style of architecture from Rome and Greece was used by colleges in new buildings constructed between 1650 and 1850. The style of architecture is the type that most all American governmental buildings have used since time immemorial. The Capitol building , the White House, the Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial, and countless statehouses‌ are all of the so called “classicalâ€? style.

COMPARATIVE HALLS

E

THE MEDIEVAL HALL

ngland is a country with many halls, some centuries old, and all of them beautiful in their own way. The tradition was started by the Anglo Saxon invaders of the sixth century. Their origins on the continent are obscure, but it seems logical that they evolved from the Viking long houses. The oldest English hall still in existence is Westminster Hall, which was started by William II (Rufus) in about 1100.

Each of the Oxbridge colleges also contain a Hall in which the members eat daily. They too can be ancient or modern, big or small, extravagant or quaint. There are some that seat a relatively small number of people, while others can accommodate large crowds. Some are without a question the most beautiful rooms in all of England, and arguably the world.

COMPARATIVE HALLS

All Souls College, Oxford 1720

St. John’s College, Cambridge 1515

Magdalen College, Oxford 1460

New College, Oxford 1380

COMPARATIVE HALLS

Jesus College, Oxford 1600

Trinity College, Cambridge 1600

St. John’s College, Oxford 1430

Christ Church, Oxford 1525

Exeter College, Oxford 1620

COMPARATIVE CHAPELS

Christ Church

Magdalen College

Merton College

St. John’s College

All Souls College

New College

Jesus College

Exeter College

Trinity College, Oxon

COMPARATIVE CHAPELS Trinity College, Cantab

Sussex College

Kings College

St Johns, Cantab

Corpus Christi

THE OXBRIDGE COLLEGE CHAPEL

Clare College

E

ach of the many colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge have a chapel for the use of the faculty and student body. These chapels can be ancient, or relatively new. They can be quite large and magnificent, or small and quaint. Some are in the Gothic style of architecture, while others draw upon classical architecture. Most contain memorials to college worthies, and a few contain the silent tombs of men dedicated to their College. Many contain treasurers related to the history of the college. In any event, each chapel is an individual treasure. While they may appear similar upon a first inspection, further study will reveal the subtle differences among them.

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

Mansfield ColSt. John’s College Bodleian Library

Balliol College All Souls College

New College Radcliffe Camera

Oriel College Magdalen College Merton College Christ Church Pembroke Col-

S

unday, June 15, 2007 We repacked our bags, for the second time in as many days, and headed to the Piccadilly Tube, and from there to Paddington Station to catch the train to Oxford. As we walked to the station, we cut through St. James Square, which was very quiet at 8 on a Sunday morning. There were lots of expensive cars parked around the perimeter of the fenced in gardens, and wonderful old town houses surrounding the gardens. The homes originally belonged to the ultra-wealthy of London, and included its fair share of royals. Later the homes were converted into club houses and libraries.

Now they seem to be London HQ for large international companies that can afford the priciest real estate in the realm.

We were excited, and it seemed like the trip The Train to Oxford

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

took forever. We had a 300 pound American woman wedged into her seat in front of us, and she drove me crazy with her whiney complaints. But we finally arrived at Oxford right around noon. We grabbed a cab and started heading toward the university. We were somewhat disoriented and did not know exactly what side of town we were coming in on.

I now know that we were on the south side of Oxford. I soon saw some ancient buildings on my right hand side that I sort of recognized, especially the gatehouse tower known by the name of its bell, Tom. Then I realized that we were right in front of my destination, Christ Church. The gate house and Tom Tower are massive. The cab stopped, I kissed my wife, got out with my baggage, and walked through Arrival at Christ Church

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

the magnificent front gate built by Wolsey almost 500 years ago. There were tourists everywhere, who were not allowed to pass through the front gate. They were all gawking at the quadrangle, probably because of its association to the Harry Potter movies. It was a lot of fun walking between them, telling the porter I was there for the program, and being ushered into the college, straightaway. So long, Oxford tourists barricades!

As I walked into the great quadrangle of Christ Church I could not help but to be stunned into awe by its immense size and scale, and its age. After all, it was built, for the most part, in the early 1500’s. I was very happy to be there. I was told at registration The Old Library

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

"The wind had dropped. There was even a glimpse of the moon riding behind the clouds. And now, a solemn and plangent token of Oxford's perpetuity, the first stroke of Great Tom sounded." — Max Beerbohm, Chapter 21, Zuleika Dobson (1922)

The Cathedral

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

that my room was in “Old Library.” I had done enough reading to have a pretty good idea where it was. A student helped me take my bags to my room which is a very large room, number 11, located on the third floor.

The old library is actually the original hall, or “Refectory,” of the old priory church which stood here and was in existence long before Christ Church was founded in 1525.

Parts of the ancient Church are said to have existed since Saxon times, probably around the year 900. The Vikings attacked it once, and a few of their number where locked into the church they were sacking, and BURNED IT DOWN!. It originally consisted of a very small church, which is still attached to the cathedral and is called the Latin Chapel.

There they have a shrine to St. Frideswide.

My room has two very large windows with gothic points at the top and which are approximately 6 feet tall and overlook the masMy Room

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

sive Meadows Building. I found out later that the building was converted to rooms for aristocratic students from Westminster The East Range of Tom Quad; School in London, in about 1771. My room had two single beds, a study table, refrigerator, sink and closed up fireplace. The large windows were excellent, and contained the ubiquitous window seat and cushion. These are found in most of the pre-electricity rooms at Oxford, as an aid to reading.

Christ Church, Oxford

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

Christ Church, Oxford

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD

"Those twins / Of learning that he [Wolsey] raised in you, Ipswich and Oxford! one of which fell with him, Unwilling to outlive the good that did it; The other, though unfinish'd, yet so famous, So excellent in art, and still so rising, That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue." — William Shakespeare, Henry VIII Direct reference to Christ Church

MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH

I

n the middle of the front quadrangle is a fountain known as Mercury. It stands about 10 feet tall and has a pond around it probably 15 feet in diameter. It is actually the second statue of Mercury to occupy the spot, as the first one long since disintegrated and was replaced. However, the head of the old statue still resides in the Upper Library of the col-

lege.

Probably thousands of undergraduates have been involuntarily thrown into the fountain and its pool, either for good reason or no reason. However, when I was there no one was thrown Mercury

MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH

into the pool.

There are thousands of photographs of Mercury. These are a few of mine.

I found that the fountain changed in a way that it appeared based upon the position of the sun and shadows.

It was always a temptation to take a photograph of the fountain whenever I walk by it.

Mercury

MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH

Mercury

MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH

"By way of light entertainment, I should tell the Committee that it is well known that a match between an archer and a golfer can be fairly close. I spent many a happy evening in the centre of Peckwater Quadrangle at Christ Church, with a bow and arrow, trying to put an arrow over the Kilcannon building into the Mercury Pond in Tom Quad. On occasion, the golfer would win and, on occasion, I would win. Unfortunately, that had to stop when I put an arrow through the bowler hat of the head porter. Luckily, he was unhurt and bore me no ill will. From that time on he always sent me a Christmas card which was signed 'To Robin Hood from the Ancient Briton'" — Lord Crawshaw, House of Lords Hansard, Tuesday 8 Jul 1997 Mercury

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

T

he crown jewel of Christ Church is its early 16th century hall, which sits in the southeast corner of the front quad. It was built by Cardinal Wolsey in about 1525 and was the first building started and completed for his new college, which was to be known as Cardinal College.

Unfortunately, the good Cardinal did not last long enough to finish it, once he was proved unable to obtain a divorce between King Henry VIII and his Queen, Catherine of Aragon. The college consequently remained only partially completed, with the Hall, the west and south ranges of the front quad, and the humongous kitchen which adjoins hall being the remnants of the Cardinal’s great endeavor. After Wolsey fell, these buildings were taken over by King Henry VIII and incorporated into his new college, Christ Church, in about 1546.

Wolsey’s Project

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

The Hall will look familiar to most people as it is the original inspiration for the hall depicted in the Harry Potter movies. Further, it has been duplicated at American institutions, like Cornell and the University of Chicago.

The Hall contains dozens of oil portraits of its more famous members painted by very famous painters, including several Gainsboroughs. The most famous portraits are at the front of the Hall, and include the famous Holbein portrait of Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, Queen Elizabeth I, and several others. In the rear are notable portraits of Lewis Dodgson, (Lewis Carroll) who spent his adult life at Christ Church, as scholar then fellow. There is also a portrait of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who was a Paintings in Hall

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

High Table at Christ Church

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

scholar here in the 18th century.

Joining the Hall are several private dining rooms which are used by various clubs and individuals throughout the year. Also, at the top of the stairway, is the college buttery,

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

which is to say that it is the college bar. It is decorated with several rowing oars which have been used by the championship rowing teams fielded by the House.

CHRIST CHURCH HALL

Ancient student graffiti at tha base of the stairway to hall, from the early 1700’s, done in nail heads and protesting the prime ministership of Robert Peel, himself a former scholar from the college during his Osford days.

PECKWATER QUAD, CHRIST CHURCH

M

y classes were held in a room located in Peckwater Quadrangle. The room itself was on the ground floor, and was composed of a large room with walnut paneling (real walnut paneling) and a small bedroom off one side and a smaller bedroom on the other side. Initially, the small bedrooms for the student and the smaller bedroom was for his servant.

This quadrangle was built in the very early 1700s, And that was a far different time than we find ourselves in today

The walk from Tom Quad to Peckwater.

The Walk to Peckwater Quad

PECKWATER QUAD, CHRIST CHURCH

Sundial; Staircase 3, site of my class: Boat Club triumphs Wrought Iron light fixtures

Peckwater

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

E

ven though Christ Church is one of the largest colleges at either Oxford or Cambridge, the odd thing is that it never has had a purpose built chapel. At first, this was unnecessary, as the land which was dedicated to the college was the site of a medieval priory, including a large priory church. In 1546 King Henry VIII restructured the church and made Oxford and the former priory at Christ Church the new Oxford Cathedral, complete with a bishop and a Dean. To this day, the Chapel at Christ Church is still a Cathedral in the Anglican Church and has several services each and Tha Cathedral

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

every day. It is also the smallest Cathedral in all of England.

Portions of the Cathedral date back to the 10th century, and maybe earlier. On the Northeast side of the Cathedral is a small chapel known as the Latin Chapel. This is what remains of the original structure. Contained in this area are relics belonging to a St.Frideswide who allegedly lived during the ninth century and was responsible for several miracles. Whatever.

Beth and I attended a couple of services in the Cathedral. Although it is the smallest Cathedral in all of England, it is a medieval gem and is one of my favorites.

Creation of the Cathedral

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

A Side Chapel

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

Views in the Oxford Cathedral

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

Stained glass in the Cathedral