The British Library

Robin and I spent Friday in London. She had research to do at the British Library so, as usual, I tagged along to take photos. 

Also, Mark Rylance invited Robin, an honorary associate of the Shakespeare Authorship Trust, to a SAT board meeting, held at the Duke of York's Theatre. Being in the neighborhood, we also put the new David Hockney exhibit at the Royal Academy of Art on the day's agenda (more about all that in the next post).

The British Library's book stacks serve as an architectural focal point. If you want a book from the stacks, you put in a request, then a BL librarian (never a mere mortal) goes into the stacks to retrieve the book. Expect a 70-minute wait when you request something. The stacks are so crowded and close to the glass, you won't see any overweight librarians in there.

A model of the library shows how the book stacks continue underground.

A restaurant and coffee shop surround the book stacks. And, of course, there are lots of other exhibit rooms and reading rooms. Including a conference center, locker rooms to store your stuff while you're there, permanent collections of fabulous manuscripts. 

And not just old manuscripts. I enjoyed the collection of Beatles hand-written lyrics to some of their hit songs. During the filming of a Beatles movie, Ringo made a comment about everyone being tired and mentioned it was a hard day's night. The director told John Lennon that he was going to use that for the title of the movie. Lennon went home that night and wrote the lyrics for A Hard Day's Night on the back of a birthday card that his son had just gotten for his 1st Birthday. The birthday card was in the exhibit. I wanted to take a photo, but there are security cameras everywhere and I didn't want to risk getting kicked out.

Also, in the same room, is an original hand-written version of Arcadia, by Philip Sidney, Mary Sidney's brother. It's behind glass, open to a certain page spread. The quill writing and the layout of the pages is incredibly beautiful, and the writing is incredibly small. Amazing stuff. 

A nice book-chair. The ball and chain is a nice touch, I think. 

The courtyard. The part of the building on the right is the conference center. The area to the left is the main library area. The statue is Newton, based on a drawing or painting by William Blake.

Newton, after William Blake.

The entrance to the courtyard from the sidewalk.

The current exhibit.

Great art.

The newly renovated St. Pancras Hotel, on the other side of the BL conference center (foreground).

Drawings

Istanbul flashback (just kidding).

Looking for something to draw while my MacBook updates my iPad and iPhone operating systems.

Drawing in class again.

Live The Dream & Back To Reality

Just a few more Oxford photos before we move on to other adventures.

In the middle of downtown Oxford is the Covered Market which officially opened November 1, 1774. There have been changes over the years, but still a popular place for eating and shopping.

A butcher shop in the Covered Market. 

As you enter, a poster advertises some of the shops inside. My favorites are Nothing and Next to Nothing.

One of the Covered Market entrances retains an original wall and window. 

Merton College, Robin's old stomping grounds where she studied a couple of summer semesters in recent years. 

Merton College tower. Merton is one of the three oldest colleges in Oxford.

Walking past Merton College.

Across the street from Merton College, this frieze represents an ancient symbol of maternal love and sacrifice that appears several times in Shakespeare plays and in many other works of literature. The mother pelican pricks her breast to give moisture to her young. 

Merton College campus. 

A cobblestone street outside the Merton College walls.

A game store on the edge of downtown. The sign on the entrance says "Live the dream." The exit door, as you leave, says "Back to reality." Those signs would also work well posted at the Oxford city limits. 

I Am In The Oxford Vein Today

When you can't think of a good blog title, just paraphrase a line from Shakespeare. It makes you feel so much smarter. 

Speaking of the man from Stratford (William Shakespeare), I didn't see a single pub sign claiming that he had caroused there, or written a play there (like the one I saw in Windsor). That confirms my impression that Oxford is too cool for that kind of misinformation. In fact, I thought I saw an old sign on the original Town Wall that had a picture of Shakespeare on it and said "Call security if you see this man." It was dark, so maybe I'm wrong. I wouldn't want to spread any misinformation.

Even though we're back in Uxbridge, I've been gathering up some of the Oxford photos that I haven't posted yet.

Maybe "left here" means "overnight" or "more than 8 hours."

These statues are of various emperors. They surround a building that's used for a ceremony to matriculate new Oxford students.

If you study hard, you too can apply for those vacant emperor jobs.

The Ivory Towers of Academia. They're actually here.

Maria and Robin ponder the academia of the ivory towers. 

An old house on Cornmarket Street.

Lots of reminders in town that Oxford has been around for a while.

Cornmarket street again.

Not your average small town.

Entering the Bodleian Library courtyard.

In the Bodleian courtyard.

Also in the Bodleian courtyard is a bronze statue of William Herbert, oldest son of Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. He and his brother Philip were two of the wealthiest and most powerful men in England, after the king (King James). He might not have gone in The Turf or The Bear where the lower class types were drinking, but I'm guessing he knew where they were.

The Carfax Tower

The Carfax Tower is the center of Oxford. It's name is somehow derived from a French word for "crossroads" (quatre-face). You'll have to take my word for it - doesn't make much sense to me either.  The tower was originally part of a 13th century church. Today it provides a nice 360° view of Oxford.

To be an Oxford student, you must live on the campus of your college, or within six miles of this tower.

 

Maria and Robin climb the tower. This is the middle section of three flights of spiral stairs, some of them stone.

Looking towards Christ Church from the tower. From here you can often see Hogwarts students engaged in games of quidditch.

Maria looks over Oxford. The square tower in the background is Merton College, one of the three oldest colleges here. Robin studied there during two different summer semesters. Or at least that's what she said. After being here myself, I'm wondering why all the pub bartenders know her. Just kidding. 

Gotta have at least one photo like this. At least we're not planking or Tebowing.

The round dome in the background is The Camera, a former library that now serves as reading rooms for the Bodleian Library.

Looking down on the High. The street in the foreground is Cornmarket, a popular pedestrian street. Most English towns have a High Street, similar to Main Street in America. But only in Oxford is High Street called "the High." 

Providing information you never knew you needed. That's my mission statement.

The Bear

If you happened to be in Oxford anytime between 1242 and today, you could have stopped by this place for some ale or a meal. It's at the corner of Alfred and Blue Boar Street. It was originally a coaching inn, a place for coach travelers, named Parne Hall, then Le Tabard, then changed to The Bear in the 15th century. The present building was built in the early 1600s as a residence for the inn's ostler (the guy who took care of the horses). At some point it became the Jolly Trooper and in 1774 became The Bear. 

Robin and Maria approach The Bear.

Two American women at The Bear. This is obviously where the action is. And I'm willing to bet Bill Clinton stopped by here at least once. 

Ordering pub food and cider.

Heather served up cider, food, and local information. Including directions to The Turf Tavern.

The walls and even one of the ceilings of The Bear are covered with snipped-off neckties. In 1952 the landlord started a popular custom. For half of your necktie you could get a half-pint of beer. There are over 4,000 neckties here. Each one is identified with a note. Most of them are associated with a club, sports team, or school.

Our table has a nice view of Blue Boar Street.

I prefer real fireplaces in my drinking establishments. 

Another pub crossed off the list and we head towards High Street. Or, as they say here, the High.