Musings of a Middle-Aged Mom: Martyr's Cross, Oxford, Harry Potter, and More Oh My!

What day is it anyway?

The day dawned crisp and clear and chilly! (crisp and chilly are sort of the same thing!)

We headed to University of Oxford. There is evidence that teaching was happening there as far back as 1096. That is a loooong time!

Oh - What day is it? This was Sunday, October 18.

Below: This is from a history of Oxford website:

In the sixteenth century, St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church in Cornmarket was at the extreme northern boundary of the city of Oxford, and the south side of Broad Street was just a ditch outside the city wall.

It was on waste ground beyond that ditch (now the site of Broad Street) that the three Protestant Martyrs of Oxford (Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer) were famously burnt at the stake.

Who were the martyrs?

In 1553 when the Roman Catholic Queen Mary came to the throne, Thomas Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury), Nicholas Ridley (Archbishop of London), and Hugh Latimer (Bishop of Worcester) were summoned to appear before a commission in the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford to be examined for their alleged Protestant heresies. Unable to admit to a belief in transubstantiation, they were all found guilty. Ridley and Latimer were burnt at the stake on 16 October 1555. Archbishop Cranmer, who had been given longer to appeal, was forced to watch, and wrote a recantation. None the less he was taken from Bocardo on 21 March 1556 and also burnt to death.

The records of the City of Oxford show that the Bailiffs of the city petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury for the payment of the expenses incurred in dealing with the three martyrs. Oxford had looked after the former Archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, well: his expenses included the cost of wine, figs, oysters, veal, and almonds, as well as his barber and laundry charges; but the last items on this list were the hundred wood faggots and 50 furze faggots that formed his living pyre… (source: https://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/broad/buildings/martyrs.html)

I loved looking up at the chimneys and towers - especially against a bright blue sky.

We looked through these gates at something very important haha! What? I just googled and still am not totally sure. Guess what I did next? I showed ChatGPT the photo and here is the answer I received (which might be right!)

The gates are on Beaumont Street, and they're part of the original design of the museum, dating to approximately 1845.

What were you looking through them toward? The Ashmolean Museum, one of the world's oldest public museums, founded in 1683. It houses extraordinary collections of art, archaeology, and antiquities.

And here's an interesting connection to your Martyrs' Cross visit: the Ashmolean actually has artifacts associated with the Oxford Martyrs, including a key to Bocardo Prison, where Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley were imprisoned before their executions

I loved this red ivy/plant growing on the buildings - so beautiful.

Our friend, Randall, wore shorts almost every day . . .maybe every day . . . even when it was cold.

I love walking from place to place. I think that is why I want to live in a little English or Irish village - so I could walk everywhere.

Aha! Here are the famous Emperor Heads of Oxford, and the building behind them is the Sheldonian Theatre!

There are 17 stone heads along the railings surrounding the Sheldonian Theatre and neighboring History of Science Museum.
They're popularly called the Emperor Heads, but nobody knows exactly whom they represent. They may depict classical philosophers or wise men.
They were originally commissioned by architect Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the Sheldonian Theatre.
The original heads date to the 1660s. The ones you saw were carved by sculptor Michael Black and installed between 1970 and 1972, replacing deteriorated earlier versions.

And here's why the building is important: The Sheldonian Theatre was built between 1664 and 1669 for the University of Oxford. It is where the university holds major ceremonies, including degree ceremonies (graduations).

One more interesting thing: Wren designed the building with inspiration from an ancient Roman theatre.

Another view of the Sheldonian is below.

I think this connecting bridge is so cool.

The building below is really unique. It is called the Radcliffe Camera (there is no camera). It even has a secret underground tunnel connecting it to the library . . .supposedly.

When you travel, you use a lot of public toilets. In the US, the word "occupied" would show. At Oxford, it is "engaged."

Since it was Sunday, we visited with the kind congregation of University Church of St. Mary the Virgin usually shortened to University Church or St. Mary's. It is an Anglican church and I was pleasantly surprised at the similarities between worship there and our own United Methodist worship. There were two main differences - they burn incense. Y'all know I have horrible allergies, right? Oh my goodness. I don't think I could attend a church where incense is used. I will say that it was beautiful seeing the smoke rise because it made me think of the prayers of the people rising toward God (yes, I know he isn't sitting in the sky). The other main difference is they use a common cup. If we use a common cup, we use intinction. The bulletin stated, "no intinction." They also use real wine (which tasted very strong to me!). It was a beautiful service.

We also don't have a free-standing circular stair pulpit.

Once again, I love the ivy on the walls.

I was out voted and we headed to a great Indian restaurant. The name of the restaurant was The Permit Room. There were twelve of us so we sat outside. Even though it was cold, there were tower heaters which made it quite pleasant.

I ordered a mild shrimp dish that was delicious. Mark stated that this was the best Indian food he has ever eaten.

Nancy and Randall, Ian and Nathan, Terrie and Duane, Mark and me, Brian, Tempy, Hal and Anne - great food! I probably already said this on another day - we had heard that we could get the best Indian, Thai, and Chinese food EVER while in England. We weren't disappointed.

I love that building below - so cute!

Then we headed to the Dining Hall at Christ Church College at Oxford. I felt like we stepped right into a Harry Potter movie.

This is such a cool space! We were able to walk up and down between the tables. Wow! Once again, there were "influencers" trying to get just the right photo. The next few photos are mixed up and I am tired of trying to get them in the right order. Sometimes photos load in the exact order . . .other times they don't. Why is that??

John Wesley's painting hangs in the Great Hall. He was a student there from 1720-1724. Harry Potter and John Wesley collide.

Below is the First World War Memorial with a list of those who lost their lives. You have always heard of Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong . . .the list has Mr. Wright and then Mr. Wrong listed right below him. Our tour guide pointed that out to everyone.