We left Bath this morning for Oxford feeling positive about our presentations at the Abbey. Warren’s postlude, using the glockenspiel (a recent addition to their magnificent Klais organ) was a huge hit. No one left the church until he had finished playing!
The drive from Bath to Oxford took us through beautiful English countryside with its patchwork fields divided by dark green hedges. England is experiencing a drought this summer and all the rivers are quite low and the crops not doing as well as expected.
We arrived in Oxford with our courier quoting from Matthew Arnold’s poetry “that sweet City with her dreaming spires”. How right he was! There are forty colleges within Oxford University. Exploring the founding of many of the well known colleges such as Balliol (founded in 1263), Christ Church (1546), Magdalen (1458), Trinity (1554), Lincoln (1427) and Merton (1264) is fascinating. Each takes great pride in listing their famous graduates. For example: John Wesley – Lincoln; Lewis Carroll - Christ Church; T.S Eliot – Merton; Harold Macmillan – Balliol. We have particularly been interested in their chapels and the location of the choir stalls and the organs!
After David took us on a walking tour of the highlights of the city, considerately finding spots of shade for us to listen on a very hot day, we were able to explore further at our leisure. Of interest to me was the number of young people on the streets. The colleges are on summer break so obviously there are summer courses available as well as the opportunity for visiting choirs to provide glorious music in any of the numerous chapels in the city. One choir observed in rehearsal was being pulled up for incorrect pronunciation. It sounded very familiar!!
I was quite taken that most of the girls on the street were in lovely summer dresses and the boys in longer pants. I have not seen one young person in jeans!
We reconvened late afternoon to be transported about thirty minutes outside the city to the Oxford Belfry Hotel and our evening meal as a group.
In general we are exhilarated, but tired. Tomorrow is a free day with the coach taking folk to London. At least half of the group has elected to stay in Oxford, explore the city further while having the time to attend to housekeeping details.
Marg McKenzie
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