On Authors and Pubs

No matter where you go in London, or England really, you will find crazy amounts of history.  Every street corner has some secret history if you look close enough.  I knew that the pubs in London had a long and storied history, but I never realized the role the literary crowd played in that history.  Remember when I posted about Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the literary crowd that used to hang out there?  Well, that was nothing!  

Today I visited the Eagle & Child, known as the Baby and Bird by a group called The Inklings who used to hang out there.  

History of the pub name

Oxford, England

                                                  Who were The Inklings you ask?

Sign above the booth they sat in

How amazing is that? There is actually a sign where they sat that says, "The conversations that have taken place here have profoundly influenced the development of 20th century English literature." You can visit pubs around England and put your bottom where some seriously talented author bottoms have been! The only thing I can think to compare it to is when I went to Pete's Tavern in NYC. Pete's Tavern is the oldest continuously operating restaurant & bar in NYC (which means by London standards it's a baby). Pete's Tavern is where O. Henry sat in a restaurant booth and wrote The Gift of the Magi. But that was one author writing one thing. So far on my trip here, the pub has been the scene of conversations between many literary geniuses.

If visiting the pub for lunch wasn't enough, we started the day at the Bodleian Library.  The Bodleian Library was founded by Sir Thomas Bodley and opened in 1602. I couldn't take pictures inside, so check out this site for more information.

The day ended at Christchurch College.  Commonly referred to as Christchurch or "The House," Christchurch is where Charles Dodgson taught math.  Name not ringing a bell?  How about Lewis Carroll?  Well Charles Dodgson used the pen-name Lewis Carroll to write his Alice stories.  

There was so much to take in while at Oxford, I could write all night.  However, my bed is calling, as tomorrow is another long day of learning.  I apologize for the lack of pictures today, but my camera battery died before I could take too many.  Here is my favorite picture of the day.  It is part of the Bodleian Library.  I admit I did enhance it a bit using Picasa, but it is too pretty not to share.