Thursday, September 22, 2016
OxfordDiscovering the Glory of the Radcliffe Camera and An Afternoon with Visiting Friends
Today was going to be a break from routine
as I had my dear friend Raquel arriving in Oxford with her mother Renee who was
visiting the UK from New York. They intended to take advantage of my stay in
Oxford to come and visit and get an insider’s view of the town, as it were.
Morning Chores and Departure for
Bodleian Library:
I, therefore, hurried through my morning
routine—blogging, breakfast, shower, a review of the article I wish to submit
for publication to a scholarly journal—and then I was off. It was about 10.00
am when I left the house to walk along the Thames Path, which is just gorgeous
at this time of year, to get to the Bodleian Library. I paused to take pictures
of swans, ducks and other mallard life and I frequently stained my finger and mouth
with the ripest blackberries that are growing wild all over the place right
now. They are sweet and delicious and although very tiny, they are just lovely.
At the Bodleian, I finished the book I was
ploughing through and then because the next book I wanted to look at was in the
Upper Gallery of the Radcliffe Camera, I wound my way up a glorious staircase
with its wrought iron banister and its ornamental ceiling to get to the upper
portion into which I had not ventured yet.
Discovering the Glory of the
Radcliffe Camera:
And what a joy and delight awaited me at the
top! The Radcliffe Camera, named after John Radcliffe, whose oil portrait
greets readers at the entrance and whose sculpture finds a place on a niche
high on the walls of the rotunda, is a simply magnificent space. It is
ornamental in the extreme, in high Baroque style with Neo-Classical pillars
topped by Corinthian details, a burst of pale blue painted highlights on the plasterwork
of the grand ceiling that is reminiscent of the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral,
heavy balustrades, more ornate winding spiral staircases that lead to an even
higher floor where the History books are stored (and where the particular book
I wanted was to be found). At the heavy dark wood furniture (tables, desks,
chairs) scholars sat silently at work, either reading or typing on their
laptops.
I was completely entranced with it all and
simply could not stop taking pictures of the interior and the outside. In fact,
since it was so far up in the building, I had some stirring views of the
neighboring Gothic structures from angles that I had never seen before. It was
with difficulty that I was able to focus on my reading and I could not stop
congratulating myself that I had found this space. During the past two weeks, I
have stayed in the Lower Gallery of the Radcliffe Camera and been quite
delighted with that ancient space—so you can quite imagine how thrilled I was
to be in these confines and how privileged I felt to have a Reader’s Card that
allowed me entry into these as-yet-undiscovered parts of the university.
Meeting Raquel and Renee:
I was upstairs in the library for three
hours when I received a text message from Raquel informing me that they would
be arriving in Oxford in a few minutes. I left my seat with the intention of
getting back to the library in the evening after their departure.
Ten minutes later, we had a lovely hearty
reunion on the High Street and I met Renee for the first time. She turned out
to be an absolutely delightful 83-year old lady with a thirst for all the
things about which I am passionate—Gothic architecture, antiques, art, museums,
libraries. Although they were hungry and it was close to 1.00 pm, we started
our walking tour on our way to the Café at the new Weston Library, part of the
Bodleian Library.
A Walking Tour of Oxford:
So through Radcliffe Square we went. We
thought initially we would have lunch at the Vaults and Garden café in the base of the Church of St. Mary the
Virgin. But, on surveying the place, they decided to go for something lighter.
I, therefore, suggested the Café at the Weston.
Meanwhile, we detoured into The Church of
St. Mary where we admired the beautifully carved chancel with its panoply of
marble saints, the altarpiece of Madonna and Child by the French artist Simon
Vouet, the Pillar at which Archbishop Cranmer was tried during the
counter-Reformation and the lovely West Window in superb stained glass. Renee
exclaimed over everything she saw as she was struck by the city as soon as she
arrived in it.
From the Church, we entered the main
courtyard of the Bodleian Library where I pointed out the sculpture of Sir
Thomas Bodley after whom it is named and the various disciplines that were added
to the curriculum as the centuries passed. We crossed into Clarendon Square to
see the Clarendon Building by Nicholas Hawksmoor and the Sheldonian Theater by
his guru Christopher Wren. We also admired the lovely Bridge of Sighs that
connects the two parts of Hereford College.
Once we reached Broad Street, we made
straight for the café where we had a lovely lunch of Singaporean Laksa Soup
with hunks of buttered bread and sandwiches with salad—all of which we shared—at
the Café of the Weston Library. The food was delicious and in the catering
provided by Benugo, I have to say we were very satisfied. Raquel and Renee were
very pleased to be seated inside as they were cold—London, it appears, was much
warmer than Oxford when they left in the morning.
Back on Broad Street, we stepped into
Blackwell and Co. bookstore so that they could see the underground Norrington
Room before we crossed the street to go into Oxfam—it turns out that Renee also
shares my love for thrift stores! She was as happy as a kid in a candy store as
she looked through the racks, but pretty soon, we entered Exeter College where
I gave them a very detailed tour of a typical Oxford College—from the Porter’s
Lodge, to the dorm rooms, from the Chapel by Sir George Gilbert Scott (which
they adored) to the Margery Quadrangle, from the Junior Common Room that leads
into the Fellows’ Garden to the library tucked away at the back. We climbed up
the steps that led to the ramparts of the college from where we had fantastic
views of Radcliffe Square and where we took a few pictures.
As we made our way downstairs, we left
Exeter College and walked deeper into Turl Street so that Renee could poke her
head into some of the antique jewelry stores that she also loves. From there,
we walked across Broad Street to take a look at Balliol College and to see the
spot at which the martyrs were burned at the stake before we actually got to
the Martyrs Memorial at St. Giles. This afforded us nice views of S. John’s
College as well as the War Memorial on the far side.
Our tour of Oxford ended with our entry
into the Ashmolean Museum as Renee also has a passion for museums. We took a
look at some of the highlights as that was all for which we had the time. They
saw Rembrandt’s interpretations of the senses or ‘Sensations’ which I had seen
a few days ago with Rose and Carol and the two most famous paintings in its
collection—The Hunt by Paolo Uccello
and The Forest Fire by Pietro de
Cosimo before I led them to the Alfred Jewel. Renee wanted to wander freely
into every room as she was absolutely taken by the period paintings but Raquel
had her eye on the time.
Close to 5.00 pm, we left the museum,
passed the Randolph Hotel and arrived at George Street where we stepped into
Debenhams as Raquel needed to buy something. Just a few minutes later, I was
bidding them goodbye after what had been a really terrific afternoon and they
were on their way. They decided to take the train back to London as that would
probably be faster.
Back to the Upper Gallery of the
Radcliffe Camera Library:
It had been grand to spend time with my
friends and I enjoyed every moment; but it was time for me to get back to work
at the library and since it stayed open till 7.00 pm, that was where I spent
the next two hours. I am sorry that my time in the Oxford libraries is coming
to an end, but at the same time, I know that I will find these books at the libraries
in London as well—where I will continue with my research. For the moment, I
savored the thrill of sitting and reading in the Radcliffe Camera—a memory that
will stay with me forever, I am sure.
Errands and Dinner and Bed:
I bought a couple of things I
needed-chocolate eclairs for dessert, for instance, from Marks and Spencer—before I walked back home. Twilight was falling
swiftly over the city and at Folly Bridge, I saw the salmon pink and navy blue
streaks that sunset left in the Western sky. It was so beautiful.
Ten minutes later, I was back home, having
a very early dinner—my Lamb Jalfrezi with bread, eclairs and ice-cream for
dessert. As I munched, I watched Jamie Oliver on the Food Network on TV and
suddenly felt as if I were home again in Southport.
My entire stay in Oxford has been so
fabulous because it has made me feel fully at home, deeply cozy and cossetted
and entirely pleased at the time that has been placed at my disposal and the
great use I have made of it.
I fell into bed early (by 9.00 pm) after
brushing and flossing my teeth. With just another two days left ahead of me in
Oxford, I have a lot of chores to do (laundry, cleaning, tidying, repacking)
before I leave this lovely university city, I have a couple of people to see as
well. The next two days will be quite busy—so I have made another To-Do List to
make sure I leave nothing out.
Until tomorrow…cheerio.
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