Duke Humphries Library

I thought it would be appropriate to end my Oxford blog with something more serious -- something I am very passionate about:  libraries!  One of the major perks for serving as the Columbus State Oxford site coordinator was that I got a Bodleian Library card.  This is a big deal, as it gets me into Oxford libraries and into special places like Magdalen College Garden and Christ Church "Big Tom" entrance without a fee.  It also allows me to access all of the University of Oxford's fabulous electronic resources -- from the privacy of my room at Spencer House.

Needless to say, during my six-month sojourn in Oxford I have been very distracted with a bit of sight-seeing, visits from U.S. friends, trips to London to see Tiff, Midsomer Murders on TV (ha!), etc.  I have not done as much library research as I thought I would do.

There are 3 major things I am researching:  the Wren family (mine), the Spencer family (not mine) and Basil Hall, the Scottish travel writer who came to Columbus before the lots were sold in 1828 (for a Muscogiana article).  The two genealogical projects have waned a bit because I still don't know were the English Wrens and Spencers were from inside the country.

However, a week or so ago, I did wander over to the Bodleian's Special Collections Room (temporarily housed in the Radcliffe Science Library) and managed to look at a 1685 manuscript about the Spencers of Yarnton that was compiled by a man named Anthony a Wood.  Apparently he was a seventeenth century genealogist/antiquarian.  It was a big deal for me to see this manuscript because my Bodleian card wasn't coded for manuscript access, but the nice people at the desk got permission for me to view it.

They also helped me order 3 Basil Hall items that were in storage.  It took about 24 hours to get them retrieved, and they were delivered to the Duke Humphries Library inside the old Bodleian Library for me to use.  Basically, this is the oldest part of the Bodleian -- dating back to the 15th century.
When I went to Duke Humphries the first time, I had a problem getting in.  They wouldn't let me bring my purse in, but they didn't provide lockers so that I could lock it up.  Dumb.  So, I had to wait till the next day.  On that day, I stopped by the Radcliffe Science Library, put my purse in a locked locker, and strolled down to the Bodleian with just a few pieces of paper and a pencil.

Reading in Duke Humphries was quite an experience.  The library is a long hall, with short book stacks jutting out from each side of the the windows that line the side walls of the hall.  This arrangement creates little alcoves.  In each alcove there are desks and above them are shelves of old books.  In the early days, these books were chained to the shelves.  Lighting is not the best; in the old days, the windows provided the only light.  You better not light a candle in the library!

Unfortunately, since cameras aren't allowed in Duke Humprhies, I couldn't take any photos.  However, if you'd like to see one and read a bit more, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Humfrey%E2%80%99s_Library

I looked at 3 items.  One was a review of Basil Hall's Travels in North America, 1827-1828, which contains a brief description of Columbus on April 1, 1828, as it was being surveyed in preparation for the sale of lots.  According to Hall, there were about 900 people on the site, building make-shift houses that they could roll on logs to the lot that they finally purchased, and milling about trying to earn a buck (the carpenters and blacksmiths).  There were also a number of lawyers on the scene -- ready to help folks with their land transactions.  Anyhoo, the review (written in 1829) was by an American who accused Hall of feeding the ill-will that had brewed between the Americans and the English since the end of the Revolution.  Interesting, but...

A second item was a pamphlet on the Camera Lucida, a devise that aided in drawing.  Hall used a Camera Lucida to sketch pictures of Columbus and the other places he visited on his 1827-1828 journey.  In fact, Hall became a major spokesperson for the device.  The pamphlet contains a letter written by Hall explaining how to use the Camera Lucida.

The final item is a book of 40 of the sketches that Hall made on his trip.  These are etchings that were made from the sketches. In all, Hall made about 169 sketches, which are now owned by the Lily Library at the University of Indiana.  The famous sketch of "Columbus, an embryo town" is in the book, which was published in 1829, and is now out of copyright.  I looked into having the Bodleian make a scan of the sketch so that we could use it in Muscogiana.  It was going to be around $50.  However, when I was searching the web later that day, I discovered that the Alabama Department of Archives and History has the same book, and they can make a scan for $15.  Much better deal!

So, I know this is more than you ever wanted to know about Duke Humphries or my research projects, but these are some of the things that make me happy -- nerd that I am!

That's probably it for the Oxford Omnibus.  I'm headed home soon and will probably not have time to do additional postings.  I've enjoyed sharing my Oxford experience with you all -- thanks for reading!  I hope you've found it entertaining and enlightening! 

Cheers, Callie

Dalston Market

Whilst (to use a British term!) visiting Tiff in London, we made a few trips to Dalston Market, which is just up the street from Tiff's flat.  Unlike Oxford's basic "white bread" Glouster Green, this market features a lot more diverse vendors and customers.  It's mainly a food market, with the food taste catering to people from all over the globe.

Thought you might enjoy a few pictures:



Cow's stomach -- yum!



The blue fish (natural color) is a Parrot Fish.



Cow's feet -- 2 for 2.50 GBP



The Brits don't refigerate their eggs in the stores; most are free-range



Whole chickens -- with heads!

  



Glouster Green Market

Every Thursday in Oxford there's a market in Glouster Green.  It's at the market square located off George Street near the bus station and runs from about 8am to 3 or 4pm, with vendors selling antiques/junque. rugs, books, food, clothes -- a little of everything.  In all there are probably about 50 stalls, most crowded with stuff to look through.  The prices are good too!  Today I bought another Inspector Morse paperback for a pound.  Also enjoyed a lamb wrap for a mere 2.69!

Scenes from Glouster Green Market --

Abney Park Cemetery

Back in April, on a visit with Tiff in London, we ventured up Kingsland Road to Stoke Newington.  It’s much more artsy and Bohemian than Tiff’s Dalston neighborhood.  What I recently discovered is that beginning in the eighteenth-century, it was a haven for non-conformists (i.e., people whose religion was NOT Church of England – Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, and the like).  There was even a college there called the Dissenting Academy for young men who were denied entrance to Oxford and Cambridge because they were not members of the Church of England.  English novelist Daniel Defoe, also a dissenter, was born and lived in Stoke Newington.  BTW, Edgar Allan Poe, though not a dissenter, also lived in Stoke Newington; he attended Manor House school there from age 8 to 11 -- 1817-1820 ( I was totally unaware of Poe's British connections).

Walking down one of Stoke Newington’s crowded streets, I noticed an interesting-looking cemetery.  Actually, I couldn’t see much of the cemetery – just a sign and the huge Egyptian revival entrance gates.  Tiff’s friend Tony, who was with us that day, affirmed that it was an old cemetery and that we should check it out after we got a bit to eat and checked out the farmers’ market.  Nowadays, Stoke Newington is also a haven for organic foodies!

So, that’s what we did:  we entered the gates of Abney Park Cemetery.  It was founded in 1840 as a privately-owned garden-style cemetery, based on the Mount Auburn model in Massachusetts.   Being in Stoke Newington, it was also a cemetery for non-conformists.  It was very well-planned by landscape designers, and initially it contained a rose garden and an arboretum, with trees in A to Z order surrounding the edge of the 32-acre cemetery.

Among the people buried there are William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army (sorry, no picture of his grave).  Another non-conformist interred at Abney Park was Henry Richard, a Welshman, known as “The Apostle of Peace,” an anti-war protestor and promoter of religious freedom.

Isaac Watt, “The Father of English Hymnody,” while not buried in the cemetery, did live at Abney House, the estate upon which the cemetery was built.  There is a large statue of him in the cemetery.  Two of Watts’s best-known hymns are “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

Nearby Watts’s statue is the cemetery’s Gothic church, which was built specifically for non-denominational services.  Unfortunately it was pretty much destroyed by fire in the 1970s, but you can still peek in the ruins.

Today, the Abney Park Cemetery is owned by a trust that is maintaining it as a cemetery and a park.  The graves are in major disrepair, but it is a wonderful green space in the heart of a well-populated London suburb.  The day we visited there were a lot of people, walking their dogs, taking photos, admiring the gravestones, reading the newspaper...



The Bostock family was into wild animals -- they apparently brought African and Asian live specimens to London for people to see. 



It is charming and magical; many videos are shot there – including Amy Winehouse’s  “Back to Black” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1evzhSast8), in which you get a few glimpses of some graves and the Gothic chapel.   It is also a venue for cultural, artistic and musical events.  Next month, on July 2, there’s a Blues/Folk Festival in the cemetery.  Cool! 

For more information about Abney Park Cemetery see
http://www.abney-park.org.uk/Abney_Park_Trust_website/Welcome.html

Photos by Tiff -- taken on her Iphone.

The Front Garden

Morton Road is just a block long, running between Woodstock and Banbury Roads in North Oxford.  The side gate of Spencer House opens onto it. 

It's lined with very large houses that were built in the 1920s and perhaps a little later.  They’re craftsman-style, but they’re not cozy little cottages.  These houses more like the “cottages” in the Millionaires' Village on Jekyll Island -- though, actually, not that grand.  
http://www.jekyll-island-family-adventures.com/historic-jekyll-island.html

The Morton Road houses are huge, single-family, double-storied (minimum) dwellings with high-pitched gables and multiple chimneys; most are brick or stucco. They sit close together on relatively small lots.  They also sit close to the street.  Consequently their front gardens are quite small.   

Let me say a few words here about the British use of the word “garden.”  In the States, most folks refer to the area in front of the house as the “front yard” and the area in back as the “back yard.”  In England, they seem to prefer “garden” to describe those same spaces.  To me, a “garden" is a “yard” with a lot of flowers or maybe vegetables, but when the Brits say “yard,” they’re frequently referring to a parking lot! 

So, if you don’t have even one puny little petunia growing outside your back door, you can call your "yard" a "garden."  Next time your friends come over, you can invite them out into the back “garden” for a drink!  (Although you probably won’t because it’s hot as hell out there, and you’ll be melted in no time!).

So, as I was saying, on Morton Road, the front gardens that line the street are small, but very charming.  Some are just a jumble of flowers – typical English cottage gardens.

Many have fences that offer a bit of privacy -- some with roses growing behind them.

To me, the most charming are the ones that have no grass at all, but instead utilize bricks, stones, gravel, etc., and have various shrubs and flowers planted in between.

So I’m wondering if, when I get home from my Oxford trip, I should rip up all the St. Augustine in my small front yard – oops, I mean “garden” – and try to recreate one of these more charming English front gardens…

The Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean Museum is one of Oxford’s best known tourist attractions. Its collections run the gamut from fine art to decorative arts to archeology.  The museum was founded by a seventeenth century antiquarian named Elias Ashmole, who donated his “cabinet of curiosities,” including books, coins, weapons, costumes, taxidermy, and other specimens.  The Ashmolean first opened its doors in 1683 in the building known today as the Museum of Science (next to the Sheldonian Theatre).

In 1845 it opened at its new location on Beaumont, across from the Randolph Hotel.  There are about 5 stories crammed full of artistic/historic items.  Signage is excellent; blurbs are very detailed.  For exhibits containing lots of small individual pieces, there are usually notebooks nearby that list and describe each piece separately.

Last week I decided to take myself down to the Ashmolean.  It was a dreary, rainy day – a bank holiday on top of that.  I figured not many people would want to get out in the rain.  WRONG!  The museum was packed – with too many kids running around.  I dawdled and got there too late to take the lunchtime gallery tour (of Japanese ceramics), so I decided to take my own ceramics tour.

I started in the Chinese section and moved on to the Japanese ceramics (there were Korean ceramics too).  

  

Funerary Jars (Chinese).  Top comes off and you add the ashes of the deceased.  The spouts around the jar are for sticks of incense.  11th century A.D.

   

Modern Cloisonne Vase (Japan)



From the Orient, I wandered into the European china collection.  Such beautiful plates, bowls, pitchers…

 



So many dishes!!!




A gravy boat?  No!  A French lady's chamber pot!



After that I headed for the Majolica collection.



Spanish Majolica Sauce Pitcher
(sauce coming out of the mouth of a fish -- not very appetizing!)





Majolica Pine Cone Jar

I took a peek at the Delftware and then browsed the silver (not ceramics, I know, but it was right there).

 



Early English Spoons



On the way out I stopped to admire the statues in the Greek and Roman hall.

Then it was up to the 3^rd floor of Debenham’s for a cup of strong black coffee (no tea for me!) and a look out the rain-spotted window at the spires of Oxford.

 

I'll be going back, of course.  There's so much more to see!

Making a Battenburg Cake

Ingredients for Battenburg cake; cookbook at bottom left, with a picture of the cake, sliced.

Battenburg cake is a very British dessert, a favorite at tea time.  It has a distinctive appearance – it’s an oblong loaf-type cake, covered in white marzipan; when sliced, each piece is a pink and yellow checkerboard!  According to Wikipedia (dare we trust that source?), the cake was created about 1884 when Queen Victoria’s granddaughter married the Prince of Battenberg.  The four checkerboard squares of the cake are supposed to represent the four princes of Battenberg.


Note in the paragraph above, the variant spelling of Battenburg.  Sometimes the cake name is spelled with an “e;” sometimes, with a “u.”  The place in Germany is with an “e.”

I first saw Battenburg cake on one of my favorite British TV food shows – The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best.  It features two hairy biker guys who ride around the English (and Welsh) countryside looking for fabulous food created by local housewives.  The bikers are Simon King and Dave Myers.  Neither one is a professional chef – they’re both just cute, avid foodies with lots of personality.  Their shows are informative and hilarious!

Anyway, the first time I ever heard of Battenburg cake was on one of the Hairy Bikers shows.  The guys actually made one.  It appealed to me because it involves not just mixing things together, but assembling various bits of the dish.  I love putting edible things together.  One of my favorite appetizers is asparagus and ham roll-ups, where you have to cut slices of bread, flatten them with a rolling pin and roll up asparagus/ham bundles in them.  This Battenburg cake was a bit more complicated – it intrigued me.  So, I decided to give it a go!

The recipe I used is in The Sainsbury Book of Teatime Favourites by Brian Binns (shown in first photo).  Sainsbury's is a major supermarket chain in the U.K., so I figured the recipe should work.  It does seem to skimp a bit on the amount of flour and sugar -- but it is a teacake, not a big monster 3-layered baby!

After you mix up the batter, you divide it in half and add a little red food coloring to one half (to make it pink).  Then you divide a loaf pan using aluminum foil, so you'll have 2 separate skinny loaves.

Then you bake it for about 30 minutes.

Let the loaves cool completely, then take them out of the foil.  Arrange them in checkerboard fashion -- using apricot jam to make them stick together.  Then, and here's the tricky part, roll out some marzipan (almond paste) and wrap the cake up in it.  Then use a fork to make lines in the marzipan.  Here's what I ended up with:

Admittedly, it's a bit misshapen!  My loaf pans were too long.  I could have tried to cut off the tops of the cake to make them lay better on top of each other.  I had a sliver, and the cake's pretty good; just sorry it looks so "rustic."  I left it on the table with a note.  Hopefully it'll get eaten by tonight!