Day 5 – Oxford Through the Looking Glass

“I wonder anybody does anything at Oxford but dream and remember, the place is so beautiful. One almost expects the people to sing instead of speaking. It is all like an opera.” William Butler Yeats

Bodleian Library – https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

Christ Church Library and Archive – https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/library

A rainy day at Oxford is the best way to spend a Friday.  During the morning we toured the Bodleian Library, the Divinity School, the Convocation House, and the Courthouse.  The history of the libraries at Oxford begins with what is now called the Duke Humfrey’s Library which was built in 1320.  It only contained about 20 handwritten books.  However, Duke Humfrey donated 281 books and built a new library named for himself which opened c.1480.  It now serves as the oldest reading room in the library.  A diplomat to Queen Elizabeth I named Sir Thomas Bodley saved the library.  He spoke 8 language and his wife’s wealth allowed him to restore the library over 4 years.  He added 2 and a half thousand books.  Originally the Bodleian functioned as a chained library before the noise from the chains proved to be too noisy for a library.

The Divinity School was the first purpose-built classroom for the university.  It took over 40 years to complete and was finished in 1488.  The room was used for lectures and teaching.  The decorations are elaborate despite the fact that funds did not allow them to be completed.  These decorations include religious imagery, some of which was later defaced to make it less Catholic.  Today the room is used for events such as graduation and weddings and is often used as a set for films.

The Convocation House was a meeting space for the university.  Time pieces were inserted around the room.  Two window panes are colored and functioned like a sundial.  The amount of time that the sunlight shone through the colored panes would restrict the speaking time of individuals.  Today it is used for admissions ceremonies.

The Courthouse was used to resolve on-campus issues.  Students would be tried here for drunkenness or breaking curfew.  Percy Shelley was tried here after he wrote a pamphlet on atheism.  Oscar Wilde was another student who was tried in this courtroom for buying clothing on credit and not paying for it later.  It was closed in 1968.  Today it is occasionally used for catering the events next door.

All of these locations were wonderful.  It is always special to walk amongst history instead of just reading about it in books.  My favorite part was the Duke Humfrey’s Library.  Being around so many archival books never gets old.  The deep brown shelving, high decorated ceilings, and earth-toned book covers always makes for an inviting space.  This first half of the day was fantastic.

“And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversation?” Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Next, we toured the Christ Church Library.  Stephen Archer gave us what was the best tour of our trip so far.  In the archive, he showed us several incredible books.  Two of my favorites were music scores.  One of these included all 4 voices parts printed in different directions.  This allowed the singers to all stand around one book and still be able to read their respective voice part.  One of the most important books we were shown was a Bible printed in Latin.  This was the official Bible of Queen Elizabeth I.  Next, he showed us some of the areas around the library used in films like Harry Potter.  He continued the tour by showing us his office and 5 original illustrations from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.  It wasn’t until the end of the tour that he told us his current office was once the office of Lewis Carroll. 

Next, we toured the Christ Church Library.  Stephen Archer gave us what was the best tour of our trip so far.  In the archive, he showed us several incredible books.  Two of my favorites were music scores.  One of these included all 4 voices parts printed in different directions.  This allowed the singers to all stand around one book and still be able to read their respective voice part.  One of the most important books we were shown was a Bible printed in Latin.  This was the official Bible of Queen Elizabeth I.  Next, he showed us some of the areas around the library used in films like Harry Potter.  He continued the tour by showing us his office and 5 original illustrations from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.  It wasn’t until the end of the tour that he told us his current office was once the office of Lewis Carroll.