After an exhausting trip the previous day, this Friday
began in the classroom. We discussed our previous day's trip, and
gathered our thoughts for an essay we were to write later that morning.
However, our thinking was interrupted by an impromptu tour of
the Brasenose Chapel, given to us by the college's Head Porter, Andy. The
Head Porter is actually in charge of the Brasenose security team who are stationed
in the “Lodge” at the main gate door, similar to the gate house at Woodberry
Forest. The chapel, a mix
of Gothic and Baroque styles, featured a hanging fan vault
ceiling of wood and plaster, and was constructed in 1666. The
internal fittings are largely 18th and 19th century, and include chandeliers
presented to the college in 1749. Inside, we even saw the closet that led
out into the to a lamp post in the quad - a strangely familiar scene for
any C.S. Lewis fans. Andy confirmed our suspicions by verifying that this
is considered the inspiration for the wardrobe that led to Narnia in C.S.
Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. After a quick break
and a trip for a snack at the covered market, we returned to the classroom to
write our essays on Darwin. More specifically, what people/places
influenced Darwin in his forming the theory of evolution, and what impact his
book, On the Origin of Species, had on science and society. It was
a fun paper to write on a topic that we all certainly knew plenty about,
especially given this past week’s trips and discussions! It did, however,
serve as a conclusion to our unit on Darwin and evolution, and we now have
an interesting unit about code-breaking during World War II to look
forward to. After a quick lunch, we were ready to break off into groups
and continue our scavenger hunts through Oxford. Today my group went to
the Ashmolean Museum, a museum of art and archeology, as well as Balliol
and Merton Colleges. Among the highlights at the museum were the Alfred
Jewel, Uccello's painting The Hunt in the Forest, and a collection
of Stradivarius Violins. Afterword, we located Balliol college, which was
personal highlight of mine. In addition
to being one of the nicest colleges I have seen, it is where one of my literary
idols, Aldous Huxley attended. That consumed most of our afternoon and
left tired and hungry, and we returned to another good dinner at the Brasenose
dining hall. Most people have retired early for tonight in preparation for a
long day of London sightseeing tomorrow. Cheers.
Submitted by Kiefer McDowell
Another sunny morning in Oxford; view of the Radcliffe Camera from our dorm rooms on Stairwell 11.
Hot air balloon over All Souls College
Tour of Brasenose Chapel.
Inspiration for the wardrobe that led to Narnia in C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?.
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