The former home of C S Lewis - the Kilns, in Oxford, England.

Regarding my previous post, I unburied my copy of the movie Shadowlands and I believe that if the house shown there is not the real one of Lewis', they were very lucky to find one that looks exactly the same. But I think that Ron has the final word in this, since he knows the house better than anyone, so watch the movie again when you have time and let us know.

But I am particularly curious about some scene in which Anthony Hopkins (Lewis) and Debra Winger (Joy) go outside the house and get to a pond (a beautiful scene in the middle of the afternoon mist), and Hopkins says that the "lake" was a place where "the poet Shelley used to play with paper ships". Well, usually movies tend to romanticize things but I was wandering if that was true, I mean: is there a pond/lake in the house garden? Was Shelley playing there sometime? Again, Ron must have the answer.

Finally, I agree that houses like this should not only be preserved but kept open to visitors, specially when the original furniture and memorabilia is still inside. One of my sure destinations in my future trip to England is to visit Jane Austen's house.

Ricardo, I will let you know about the house as soon as I can find our copy of Shadowlands and find time to watch it through again. As for the pond, or as we refer to it the 'lake' yes it does exist. The area was in fact where the clay was dug out in the late nineteenth century by members of my own family and others, to produce hand made bricks with wooden paddles, which were then fired in the brick kilns on site and finally stored in the brick drying barn that was once opposite the former Lewis home as it is today. Hence from the once thriving brick industry came the name the kilns. The whole site was eight or nine acres in extent, very different to the small area that the house occupies today. 

Apparently, poet Shelley did sail paper boats on the lake, a beautiful area it once was but sadly in my opinion today a festering cess pit full of weed, red and white algae at different times of the year, more dog crap than you can imagine on the paths created by the Wildlife Trust because 'responsible owners' don't clear up after them, enough mosquito's to eat you alive, horse flies during June/July and a distinct possibility that you could even collect a tick from the undergrowth. On top of all that the lake is dead! Trust me, I could go on and on...

Reference the former Lewis home, I am pleased to announce that after years of pushing for a plaque to be erected on the home (via my book in particular) in recognition of this great man, they have finally requested permission for exactly that.....a Blue Plaque! Yippeeee!

Ron, I can't believe that it took you so long to get permission for the plaque. I constantly see examples of places beautifully preserved all across England, as it is your excellent tradition. That's why it is difficult to understand why a place like The Kilns so dear to the British culture was kept closed to visitors. How did it happen that an American person is the owner of Lewis's house? Did Douglas have any children that inherited the house?

Congratulations for all the trouble you take to do things right!

By the way, I am absolutely horrified to read what they are doing to "the land of Narnia",  cutting down trees in the woodland that inspired the story. I hope this will stop soon.

Death to Harry Potter!!!!!

Ricardo, I refer to the absence of an appropriate plaque at the 'Kilns' in my guidebook along with in my opinion, the need to have something in Westminster Abbey! The owners of the 'Kilns' finally got around to requesting the plaque rather than me personally, but I honestly believe it was because of the amount of pressure applied.

The 'Kilns' dear to British culture? I think not Ricardo, sadly people here in Oxford barely recognise the name C S Lewis!

Douglas does have children but they did not inherit the house. The daughter of Mrs Janie King-Moore (Maureen - Lady Dunbar) was the one who inherited and I believe responsible for the demise of the 'Kilns' (the plot of land in total that is) by offering some eight plots for sale within the eight acres that was Lewis' home.

My understanding is that Douglas Gresham did once own (in partnership with others) the 'Kilns' which was offered to the American organization back in 1982. I feel that he should have restored it for the sake of all those visitors who wish to see inside and Britains Christian Heritage!

I am also pleased to confirm that the cutting down of the tree's has stopped, but who knows for how long? The lake at the back of the house is pretty well dead with no obvious signs of fish, and the locals take their dogs up into the so-called Reserve for excercise, and then leave the dog 'deposits' behind for everybody else to tread in! The pathways are often a disgrace and the Horse flies and Mosquito's will eat you alive during the summer months!

Death to Harry Potter! So funny Ricardo but again my understanding is that J K Rowling was infuenced by C S Lewis. If so she had a good teacher didn't she?