Wondering and Wandering with Artifact and Site

Our train arrived in Oxford with just enough time to find our hotel, throw our bags down, and dash back into town for me to make my first museum appointment at the Ashmolean.

The Ashmolean, Oxford University's amazing museum of art and archeology.

During my meeting with Clare Coleman, the Education Officer at the Ashmolean, we shared our common beliefs about the power of objects and the critical importance of encouraging children to think. We use similar techniques when working with objects unfamiliar to children, asking them questions about what they see, think, and wonder, without giving away too much information up front. As they share their thoughts, we ask questions which lead them either further down the correct path or encouragingly redirecting them, if necessary. I enjoyed hearing about the inspiring learning opportunities provided for students during their visits to the museum and having hands-on time with some of the objects (real artifacts!) she uses during her sessions on ancient Egypt and Roman Britain. It was thrilling to touch an Egyptian mirror and makeup kit (after being forced to guess what they were, of course), Roman pottery, and many other objects. Before making our way out to the museum floor, I got to see some preschool-aged children excitedly digging for hidden "treasure" with spoons in kiddie pools filled with sand! They begin training their archeologists at an early age! All of this left me inspired to expand my work with objects further upon my return.

While at the museum, Jennie and I took in the wonderful touring "Capture of the Westmorland" exhibit. The "Westmorland," an armed British merchant sailing ship was captured on its way back to London from Europe in 1779. Filled with the many antiques, works of art, books, and even 32 wheels of treasured Parmesan cheese, purchased by the wealthy experiencing "the Grand Tour," the ship's contents were declared a prize of war and were then scattered all over Europe, finding homes in museums as far away as St. Petersburg. It wasn't until 1990 when researchers began to discover clues about the missing objects and their whereabouts. 120 of the objects have now been assembled, along with the stories of their British owners, in this fascinating exhibit.

After our time at the museum, we made our way to Oxford Town Hall, a gorgeous Gothic Revival building dating to 1893, which is a meeting place for local government and houses the Museum of Oxford. Here we were to meet a friend of some dear English family friends of mine. Helen, who serves as Reminiscence Officer for the museum's Reminiscence project, uses objects in her work, but in a very different way and with an older population. She shares familiar objects from the museum with older citizens to encourage their remembrances of times past and inspire communication and story-telling. Inspiring and heartwarming work, I believe. After chatting about her work, she took us on a tour of several special areas in this vast building.

Helen ordered us to climb onstage before telling us why. David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, in addition to others, have performed on this stage! She insisted we have our picture taken onstage. No argument from us!

After sharing with Helen that I was a diehard Inspector Morse and Lewis fan, which everyone knows is still filmed in Oxford, she knew just the place to take us. This courtroom has been used in the series over the years. Again, she insisted we pose, and we happily complied! (We later learned an episode of Lewis was being filmed while we were in town and a fellow hotel guest's daughter, a student at Exeter College, was an extra.)

After our tour of the building, we made the requisite visit to The Bear, the oldest pub in Oxford, dating to 1242. It's covered with a collection of ties, snipped from the neck's of visitors.

In our last few moments together, before Helen had to catch her train home, we looked around Christ Church, one of Oxford's largest college, which was founded in 1546. In the summer most colleges keep revenue flowing in by hosting programs for high school students.

The grounds of Christ Church are spectacular.

We had a wonderful visit with new friend, Helen.

Visiting Oxford was the most bittersweet and difficult time of the trip for me. My husband had so been looking forward to visiting his beloved St Peter's College, where he spent 6 wonderful years doing his graduate work. It was devastating when we learned in the spring he would be sidelined from the trip because of his delayed recovery from his hip replacement in April. A second blow was dealt when I learned, shortly after arriving in Oxford, that he would need follow-up surgery immediately upon my return to the US. It would have been easy to hop on the next plane, but both my husband and father told me to...

So I did.

After a delicious meal sitting at High Table in the college dining hall (Internet picture. Not cool to snap a photo while eating!), we toured the chapel, library, and gorgeous grounds.

The college's chapel.

The library at St Peter's, where my husband spent many hours with his nose in a book or two while working on his MPhil and DPhil.

The Master's house, on the grounds of St Peter's.

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Brideshead Revisited fans, this one's for you! When I discovered Castle Howard, the location used for both the original 1980s Granada TV series (the best) and the recent film version (why mess with perfection?) was just over an hour by bus from York, wild horses (and a very rickety bus) weren't going to keep me away. It was everything I dreamt it would be, and more.

Castle Howard has been occupied by Howards since it was built over 300 years ago by Sir John Vanbrugh. It took nearly 100 years to be completed. The current occupant, the Hon. Simon Howard, lives here with his family.

Now this is a china cabinet!

Not sure how comfortable this bed is.

One of my favorite rooms, Lady Georgiana's dressing room, complete with...

... a self-contained flushing chamber pot hidden in a mahogany chest!

The sculpture gallery where...

...Hadrian and I meet again.

One of the most dramatic episodes in the history of the home was when a fire swept through the house into the great hall in 1940. Brave young girls from a school evacuated to Castle Howard during the war formed a human chain and rescued many treasures throughout the night and into the morning, passing them out of the house and to safety on the lawn. The blaze destroyed the signature dome and 20 rooms. For two years Castle Howard was exposed to the elements. Thankfully it was eventually secured and restored.