Hogwarts

Sunday, we went to Hogwarts Dining Hall . . . immortalized in the Harry Potter movies. It wasn't a movie set, but instead was inside this building . . .

Christ Church College in Oxford . . .

The Hall as it is used for students -- set up for the next meal! Three rows of tables run the length of the room.

And at each place a student sits . . .

All properly set in English tradition with bread plate, two forks and two knives and the dessert fork and spoon at the top. A glass for beverage and as a concession to modern day -- a paper napkin!

Entrance into the Hall is limited because it is a used dining room. So viewing hours are between meals -- the clean up is done and the places are set once again!

And in the hall before the Hall . . .

A menu for the week.

Hogwarts isn't the Hall's only claim to fame. Think Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll (also known as Charles Dodgson) held the Christ Church Mathematician Lectureship and while there met the Liddell family whose daughter was Alice. Weaving magical stories to keep Alice entertained, Charles eventually put them in written form and the stories became known as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Christ Church was a big inspiration for Dodgson . Alice's father sat at the High Table in the Hall and each night after dinner he would disappear down some stairs in the back of the hall (thus the rabbit hole) and

The expanding neck of one of the characters were inspired by these fire dogs with extra long necks!

Alice and Dodgson are immortalized in one of the windows in the Hall -- Charles is on the left and Alice on the right.

And of course, Christ Church is the only college with a cathedral on campus.

Before we headed to Hogwarts (because we knew we would be too late for lunch) we decided to have lunch at another literary icon in Oxford.

The Eagle and Child Pub (or as locals call it "The Bird and the Baby".

It was where the "Inklings" met regularly.

Inklings included J R R Tolkein and C. S. Lewis among others.

And since it was Sunday . . . we had a Sunday pub lunch

Roast beef for me

Lamb shank pie for Husband Jim

There is a lot of walking from The Bird and the Baby to Christ Church and around the campus and before we left town, we stopped at a tea room for

A cream tea. Which will surely fortify you after long long walks!!!

It's Thursday and I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. I can't think of a better tablescape than Hogwarts!!!!