Windsor Castle

What a great excursion we had today…..Windsor Castle – This tour was very interesting to several of our groups including those studying the Normans and of course my group studying the Tudors. The area covered by the castle is approximately 13 acres and it was founded by William the Conqueror, first Norman King, at the end of the 11th century. Since then until this time, it continues to be the home of the British royalty; 39 monarchs have called Windsor Castle home. This is one of the official residences of Queen Elizabeth II.

Four monarchs have left their mark in Windsor Castle. The first was William I who built this as a Norman fortress to secure the western approach to London. When first built, the castle was walled in timber but in the late 12th century, Henry II began to replace the outer fortifications in stone.

The Medieval expansion was carried out by Edward III (1327-77) who transformed Windsor from a military fortification to a Gothic palace.

Bath

Sunday, August 31 was spent in Bath. The hallmark of our visit was to walk through the remains of the Roman baths which were constructed around the 1st and 2nd centuries AD around a natural hot spring. The remains are remarkable, considering they were buried for at least 1400-1500 years until the 1800s when a homeowner noticed his basement was filling with “hot” water. Excavations began to determine the source of the problem and discovered the first steps of the “tepiderium” room (warm pool - the large pool you see in most of the photos included). The city purchased all houses in the vicinity and began a serious, archeological dig. Can you believe the Romans used lead pipe to transport some of the water to special rooms? They built the sheet metal, rolled it around a wooden piece, then set the wood on fire and they had their pipe! The welding job is rustic but incredibly effective as they are still in use. This is truly an amazing site; they had steam rooms, cold rooms and warm pools, food stands around the main pool and dramatic arches surrounding the main building. One of the photos shows the remains of one arch and the hollow brick construction used for the roof.

An Abbey was constructed next to the roman baths and you can see what its dramatic architecture in the photos.

Stonehenge

Our group visited Stonehenge on August 28 and as you can imagine, we were all in awe to see what is probably the most important prehistoric monument in Britain. The word “henge” comes from an old English word meaning “hanging” but the word has been adopted by archeologists to describe a group of Late Neolithic circular monuments. The earliest stage dates back to around 3100 or 3000 BC which includes the Aubrey holes (round pits about 1 meter wide with steep sides and flat bottoms) in the outer perimeter. In about 2150 BC the bluestones, some weighing about 4 tons, were brought from mountains that are about 240 miles from the site. It is believed these were dragged on rollers and sledges and then put into rafts to transport them on rivers. They are located within in the inner circle of the monument and form an incomplete double circle. In about 2000 BC the giant Sarsen stones (these weigh up to 50 tons) were brought from a possible site about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. As we visited the site at dusk, the dramatic view allowed for introspection and a lot of imagination.

The most highly regarded archeologists of the country are currently working on an excavation between the Aubrey holes and the stone circle. A special photography crew was also in the site when we were there and you can probably see their equipment in the background of some photos.

Cathedral at Christ Church

Cathedral At Christ Church
A most prized possession of this cathedral - the Thomas Beckett stained glass. Apparently Henry VIII wanted the Beckett "cult" to disappear and ordered anything with his face to be destroyed. To preserve this beautiful work of art and religious devotion, they removed Beckett's face - you may be able to see this in the middle of the 3 panels.

Christ Church

Christ Church College
Christ Church is a very beautiful college. It is one of the most visited. Among the famous attendees they have John Locke, philosopher, Charles Dodgson a.k.a Lewis Carroll, author; W.H.Auden, poet, Albert Einstein, physicist; William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania; Sir Christopher Wren, architect.

Settling In

SUNDAY
Sunday was hectic day with an early morning arrival, a mishap with luggage at the airport, the drive to Oxford through the beautiful countryside, a nice brunch while our rooms were ready, check-up and unpacking, an orientation session, and a very nice reception also attended by our Tutors for the next 2 weeks. I think we all “crashed” that night!

MONDAY
On Monday we had sessions in the morning and afternoon and at around 4:30 we gathered in 2 groups and went for a walking tour of the downtown area with 2 local guides. That night we had a wonderful dinner hosted by the Director of Continuing Education - International Programs.

TUESDAY
Today we had a half day of classes and a free afternoon. A group of colleagues and I went to Jesus College to see a magnificent portrait of Elizabeth I and then to Christ Church College, originally named Cardinal College when it was founded 1525 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsley (archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor during Henry VIII’s reign). This is a beautiful place with a grand Hall (used as the focal point in the Harry Potter’s stories), and a magnificent Cathedral which also serves as the official cathedral for the diocese of Oxfordshire. Henry took over this college in the 1540s and this has been an Anglican cathedral since that time. When we were visiting, the choir was practicing for the evening services and it was a beautiful experience.