Since the beginning of this blog I always intended to write one post centered on the spires for which Oxford is so famous. I have been collecting an assortment of pictures to illustrate the beautiful architecture of this university town, and I began realizing the more we traveled that I wanted to include spires from everywhere we have visited along the way. So, not only is this a collection of spires but also a road map of our journeys through England and France.
Spires are the identity of the city and the University of Oxford. Each spire is usually a College building or chapel, and with 38 Colleges comprising the University, it is no wonder that this city is famous for its multitude of spires. These are a few of my favorites.
This is entrance to my college at Oxford- Christchurch. The Christchurch spire is very distinctive, which I found very helpful in my first few days...I could locate Christchurch from blocks away! The tower itself is called the Tom Tower and houses the Tom Gate, which is the main entrance way to the college. It is actually quite famous on the Oxford skyline, and was designed by Christopher Wren.
It may not, by technical definition, be a spire. But you can see the
top before you can see the rest of the building, and it is fast becoming
one of my favorite museums. It is the Ashmolean Museum, named in honor
of Elias Ashmole who collected a great deal of the original artifacts in
the 1600s and stipulated that the collection must be displayed in a
custom-built museum. It was renovated in 2009, and appears fresh and
modern. I love it because it is a free museum very close to home to
which I can easily walk. Mummies, greek statues, anglo-saxon relics,
chinese porclain, and modern art all call the Ashmolean home. Its an
amazing place.
This little spire is located in Stratford, the home of William Shakespeare. With all its little towers fitted into the main spire, it seemed more like something out of a fairytale or disney than anything one might see in real life. It stood all by itself in the middle of the road, and we had a pretty view of it from the pub where we stayed for a bit to dodge the rain.
This is the spire of the church of St. John the Baptist, which serves as the parish church for the town of Windsor. It is hardly a block away from Windsor Castle. The pastor is the Rev. Ainsley Laird Swift, whose name I find so interesting I had to include it. The original building was presumed to be built in the 11th century - was referenced as an older church in 1184 - but repair cost so much by the 18th century that a total rebuild began to be considered. By 1822, the structure we see today was complete. It's strange to think that these spires (nearly 200 years old!) are actually startlingly new compared with what they replaced.
These two images are of spires in London! You probably don't need a second glance to realize that the second picture is Big Ben. But can you guess the first?
Big Ben, the famous clocktower synonymous with London itself, is the third-tallest standing clocktower in the world. It was built in 1858. Officially the tower that houses the clock is known as "Elizabeth Tower" in honor of Queen Elizabeth's 2012 Diamond Jubilee. But how did this bell (and purists insist the nickname is for the bell only)--which is attached to the Palace of Westminster--get the name Big Ben? It will probably be debated until the end of time. However, two hypotheses are that it may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who supervised the installation of the bell, or the popular figure Benjamin Caunt, the English Heavyweight Champion of boxing.
The first picture (have you guessed it?) is of Westminster Abbey. I am just going to quote Westminster on this one, there are just too many absolutely awesome things about this place.
"Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of
history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the
tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which
continues to this day. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most
important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of
an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart."
Lets think about how every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned in the Abbey
. Or that people have been worshipping there for a thousand years. A THOUSAND. And then, of course, let's think about how just two years ago, Kate Middleton wed Prince William in this very church. Its enough to send chills down your spine.
These spires comprise the beautiful church
Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) in the Montmarte area of Paris. It sits on the highest part of Paris and can be seen from every angle of the city. Below this church there are a series of look-out areas over all of Paris. Here we spent the first hours of our time in Paris this past weekend. (Another blog post to come about that fun weekend!)
and then, one of the most splendid spires of all...
These are the things I have had over my head this past month. A collection and a road map rolled into one!
So, why are spires so important all over the world, but to Oxford especially? I think that there is a common thread that ties them all together. It doesn't matter when or where they were built. In each case, they were constructed to point to something higher than ourselves. For the Eiffel Tower, it was the national pride. For Christchurch, it is the call to grow in wisdom and knowledge. And for the beautiful churches - Westminster, Sacred Heart, and St. John's - it was to a relationship with our Savior and Lord. They all point to something we cannot achieve on our own.
And yet it demonstrates that we are yearning for that goal.
Perhaps that is the true beauty in a spire.
