C. S. Lewis

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For more than two years I have intended to publish some photos of sites in and around Oxford, England, associated with the life of C. S. Lewis. Since this is the opening day for the new movie, The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I thought this would be a good time to post the photos.

Lewis is known as a writer of literature for children. My main interest through the years has been in his works devoted to Christian apologetics. Having taught Introduction to Christian Evidences for many years at Florida College, I introduced many students to the apologetic writings of C. S. Lewis. One such student was Bruce Edwards, who has since become a Lewis scholar and author. Even today he was featured in an article in The Tampa Tribune and on one of the local TV stations. Take a look at his website, C. S. Lewis & The Inklings Resource Site. He has already published a review of the movie. He has links to many other good resources. I have other links to sites devoted to C. S. Lewis at the Biblical Studies Info Page under Scholarly/Apologetics.

Books of special interest for apologetics include Miracles: A Preliminary Study, God in the Dock (Edited by Walter Hooper), The Problem of Pain. You might also enjoy The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy, and The Four Loves.

Elizabeth and I took a private tour of the Lewis sites with Ron Brind, operator of C. S. Lewis Tours. We greatly enjoyed the tour. As a child, Ron lived a short distance from the Lewis house and was a friend with the Gresham boys. If you plan to be in Oxford we suggest you allow a few hours to take this tour. Details are available at C. S. Lewis Tours. While you are in Oxford be sure to visit the Ashmolean Museum.

Hopefully within a few days I will give you a few of my favorite and most useful quotations from the apologetic works of C. S. Lewis. Meanwhile, enjoy the photos. (Ferrell Jenkins, Dec. 9, 2005).

 

The response to this page has been interesting. I have received several requests from around the world for permission to use some of the C. S. Lewis photos, indicating a great interest in his life and writing. One request came from a Trustee of Friends of Holy Trinity Church inquiring about one of the photos.

Recently Dr. Bruce Edwards sent me an Email in which he called attention to a blog by Will Vaus. He said, "It happens to contain a photo of you and Elizabeth in C S Lewis's parish, if I am not mistaken! That was a serendipity i did not expect!"

When I took a look at the blog I noticed that at least three of the photographs on the site were taken from here without any notice of their source. I left a comment for Will and he quickly, and kindly, credited my page. Along with the photo of Elizabeth and I, Will said:

While visiting Holy Trinity you won't want to miss seeing the Narnia window: [photo] Or the place where Lewis sat behind the pillar (so that the vicar could not see the expression on his face during the sermon!): Unfortunately this couple, and many others, have sat in this pew thinking it was where Lewis sat. Actually he sat BEHIND the pillar! How do I know? I was told so by Douglas Gresham, Lewis's step-son, who sat next to him in church. And I just had this fact confirmed for me in an e-mail from Doug. He provided a simple exercise to follow in order for future visitors to the church to determine where C. S. Lewis sat:

"Simple, sit in the pew, with the pillar directly between yourself and the pulpit so that the priest preaching would be unable to see you and you would be unable to see that priest, and then you would be in the place where Jack sat. These folks are not only in the wrong place, but are also in the wrong pew."

People in the United States used to joke about the many signs up and down the original thirteen colonies claiming: "George Washington slept here." Maybe this is the beginning of a similar joke: "C. S. Lewis sat here."

It matters little to me whether I sat in the exact seat where C. S. Lewis sat, but Elizabeth and I were sitting where the plaque in the church indicates he sat (photo below). This has an amusing touch for me. When I was teaching at Florida College it became a joke, especially among the students, that guest speakers would say, "I once sat where you sit" (with apologies to Ezekiel 3:15).

Last Monday (Aug. 27, 2007) a surprise Email came from Ron Brind who runs the C. S. Lewis Tours Oxford that we took. Ron said,

Hello Ferrell

Having just seen this, I wanted to assure you that you were sat in the pew that Jack and Warnie most frequented whilst worshipping at Holy Trinity Church. The little brass plaque confirming same, being absolutely in the correct pew!

It is also a fact that Jack and Warnie sat in several other areas within the Church if 'their seat' was already taken. Therefore, I can only assume that this was the case on the occasion that Douglas attended. I also attended the Church with my family as a ten year old, before Douglas had arrived at the Kilns in 1957. Believe me, the locals who met the Lewis brothers are very well informed indeed.

I can imagine that from a distance it might be hard to remember what the seating arrangements are actually like, so Douglas has not been very helpful on this occasion.

I suspect this is just an attempt to bring attention to a particular website, that perhaps isn't doing quite as well as some others.

Regards to you both
Ron Brind
C S Lewis Tours Oxford

It doesn't matter much, but I was pleased to hear from these old friends, Bruce Edwards and Ron Brind. If you visit Oxford please make time for the tour with Ron. Here is the link to C. S. Lewis Tours Oxford.

Dr. Edwards has a new blog called Further Up and Further In, named after one of his books. He is a capable scholar and one of the most prolific writers on C.S. Lewis.

I was saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Dr. Edwards on Wednesday, October 28, 2015.

Dr. Bruce L. Edwards, Jr. - September 5, 1952 - October 28, 2015

Further Up And Further in: Understanding C. S. Lewis's the Lion, the Witch, And the Wardrobe

A Guide to the C. S. Lewis Tour in Oxford

Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C.S. Lewis