Christ Church

Toward the end of Sandra's stay in Oxford, we ventured over to Christ Church, which is both a college and a cathedral.  It's famous nowadays as being the site for some of the Harry Potter scenes.  Its Great Hall was replicated for the Harry Potter movies.

Of course, even before Harry Potter, Christ Church was well known.  It is one of the most beautiful colleges in Oxford.  Its history goes back to pre-1500; it was taken over by Henry VIII in 1548 and made the head of his Church of England operations in Oxford.  It was still a college.  Because of this duel nature, the dean of Christ Church is always a clergyman.

During the English Civil War, Charles I lived at Christ Church.  He held Parliament in the Great Hall and worshipped at the Cathedral.  BTW, Charles tried to borrow a book from the Bodleian Library, which did not (and does not) circulate its materials.  He was refused!

The current Dean of House and Dean of the Cathedral of Christ Church is the Very Reverend Christopher Lewis.  I met him back in March when I attended a matins service with Kitty Fouche, a former CSU faculty member who was visiting for the weekend.  Kitty and I went to coffee after the service, and one of the people we spoke to was Rev. Lewis.  He was dressed in priest garb (long, fitted black cassock), but he never introduced himself.  When I asked what his discipline was, he said "theology."  I should have guessed!

Sandra and I entered Christ Church through the passage in Big Tom.  Big Tom is the name of the bell tower that Christopher Wren designed for Christ Church in 1682.  Most visitors must enter the college via a side gate, but I got us in on my Bodleian card -- just flashed it at the porter, and he said, "Please come right in."

Like all Oxford colleges, Christ Church is in the shape of a rectangle surrounding a large grassy quad.  There is the Great Hall for dining and the Cathedral for worship, along with the library.  The remaining rooms are for students and tutors.

Christ Church has had a lot of famous students:  John Locke, John Wesley, William Penn, W.H. Auden, Lewis Carroll and William Gladstone, to name some of the most famous.



16th Century staircase leading to the Great Hall