Oxford – the 'Narnia Door' – St Mary's Passage
A curious thing about Oxford is that you may never know what it is that you are walking past or through, as so much history sleeps here.
One example is the widely held belief that this door, facing the western side of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, was CS Lewis' inspiration for 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', completed in 1949 as the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe
There is a single lamp post just beyond this door (to the right of the photo) where St Mary's Passage leads into Radcliffe Square, which adds weight to the idea, along with the two golden fauns on either side of the door, and the lion's face carved into the centre of the door itself.
Whatever the case, to stand here and contemplate this is to depart one's own sense of reality and enter a magical world that sleeps deep within the heart of Oxford ... as long as – unlike the characters in the Chronicles – you do not move!
In reality, the door opens into the offices of Brasenose College.
thirdeyetraveller.com/narnia-door-oxford/
oxfordsummercourses.com/articles/c-s-lewis-narnia-oxford/
This short YouTube video from "Rob's Oxford" (Rob Walters) shares some insights into this location and the door into Narnia, and where the wardrobe might be:
Oxford – the 'Narnia Door' – St Mary's Passage
A curious thing about Oxford is that you may never know what it is that you are walking past or through, as so much history sleeps here.
One example is the widely held belief that this door, facing the western side of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, was CS Lewis' inspiration for 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', completed in 1949 as the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe
There is a single lamp post just beyond this door (to the right of the photo) where St Mary's Passage leads into Radcliffe Square, which adds weight to the idea, along with the two golden fauns on either side of the door, and the lion's face carved into the centre of the door itself.
Whatever the case, to stand here and contemplate this is to depart one's own sense of reality and enter a magical world that sleeps deep within the heart of Oxford ... as long as – unlike the characters in the Chronicles – you do not move!
In reality, the door opens into the offices of Brasenose College.
thirdeyetraveller.com/narnia-door-oxford/
oxfordsummercourses.com/articles/c-s-lewis-narnia-oxford/
This short YouTube video from "Rob's Oxford" (Rob Walters) shares some insights into this location and the door into Narnia, and where the wardrobe might be: