Wandering Camera – Quad And Divinity School, Oxford

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

Welcome to this month’s Wandering Camera!  For my new readers, Wandering Camera is a linky party hosted here on the last Thursday of every month.  I usually share my photos, and occasionally artwork too, and I welcome you to share any photos or creative posts here.   I have been sharing a few photos from the Oxford university area, along with a bit of related architectural history.

 

 

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

On the last post, I wrote about the Catte Street area.  I would like to continue the journey from there.  Right across the Sheldonian theatre is the Divinity School.  The door in the middle of the large windows was inserted by Christopher Wren in the 1600s for easy access between the two buildings.

 

 

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

The Divinity School was built over multiple decades as a lecture hall in the 1400s .  I really fell in love with the large windows in this room. 

 

 

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

The gorgeous vaulted ceiling was designed by Willam Orchard, an English Gothic architect.   The building is attached to the Bodleian Library.  The beautiful ceiling  supports the old library upstairs.

 

I won’t bore you with the architectural details, but simply let you enjoy the photos.   The entirety of the ceiling is carved with images.   Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

 

 

 

The entry to this beautiful hall is through the Old Schools Quad on Catte Street.

 

 

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

The tower of the Quad is the main entrance to the Bodleian Library and is known as the Tower Of The Five Orders. 

 

 

Divinity School, Oxford, England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

The ornamentation of the tower is based on the five orders of the classical architecture, hence the name.

 

 

Here are a couple of detail sketches from my travel journal. 

 

 

Divinity School Oxford Englad watercolour painting @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

The Window of the Divinity School

 

 

 

Schola Astronomiae et Rhetoricae Bodlein Library Old School Quad Oxford England watercolour painting @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

 

 

One of the many faces in the Old School Quad.  This one was at the doorway of Schola Astronomiae et Rhetoricae, also the library gift shop.  The names later appeared in one my paintings – The Magician’s Bookshelf.

 

 

I really wish I had a lot more time to take in all the details.  However, as is the case with international travel, one is always pressed for time.  A four-hour drive to the City Of York was ahead of us, and I still wanted to stop by Exeter College.  So I tore myself away from here and started to walk toward Turl Street.

 

I am a little behind with replying to emails and visiting you back, but I am hoping to catch up within the next few days.  If you have not heard back from me, my sincere apologies.

 

Here are my previous posts and photos from Oxford, England, 2016 –

 

Christ Church, Oxford Part I

Christ Church, Oxford Part II

Magdalen College, Oxford

Catte Street, Oxford

 

 

Wandering Camera art and photo linky party @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Wandering Camera is a monthly event that runs on the last Thursday of every month.  If you follow me via email, you will get a reminder.

All photo and art/creative-themed posts are welcome.  You can continue to link up multiple posts.

Please add the badge or a text link back to this site on your blog, or on each post that you link up.  I look forward to seeing your photos.

Have fun!!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them.

 

 

Leave a comment

 

Radcliffe Camera Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Wandering Camera – Catte Street, Oxford

 

Hi Everyone!  Welcome back to Wandering Camera, a monthly photo and art link-up.  I am looking forward to sharing my travel and wandering photos with you, as well as seeing a bit of your world too.   When I was hosting it before,  I started sharing photos and an account of my visit to England in 2016.   I love old architecture.  Naturally, my travel started with exploring Oxford University and some of its architecture.

 

 

University Church St. Mary Tower and Spire Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

After visiting the Christ Church and Magdalen colleges, my husband and I walked up to Catte Street.   At the very beginning of the street is the university church of St. Mary.  The 90ft thirteenth century tower is the oldest part of the church, topped with a 101ft spire which was added in the early fourteenth century.

It was the end of the day, and we had just enough time to climb the 127 steps to the top of the tower, where you see the clock in the photo above. We were rewarded with a magnificent bird’s eye view of the city and the nearby colleges. 

 

 

 

View from university church St. Mary Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

High Street down below, with the countryside in the distance

 

 

 

All Souls College view from university church St. Mary Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

All Souls College along Catte Street

 

 

 

Radcliffe Camera Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

The Radcliffe Camera is in front of  the church of St. Mary, with Catte Street on the right.  It was designed by James Gibbs as a circular library, the very first of its kind in Britain. Now it is used as reading rooms of the Bodleian library.

 

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

 

 

I had to use my long lens to get a few close-up photos of the beautiful dome.

 

 

 

Radcliffe Camera Dome Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

From my travel sketchbook – The Radcliffe Camera dome and the Sheldonian dome in the distance.

 

 

 

Hertford Bridge Sheldonian Theatre Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

After enjoying the wonderful view, tea and cakes were in order at the cafe downstairs, with the beautiful Radcliffe Camera as our view.  Afterwards, we walked up Catte Street toward the Sheldonian theatre.  Once we reached there, I walked past Hertford Bridge on New College Lane to take a picture of the theatre dome framed by the curvature of the bridge.

 

 

 

Sheldonian Theatre Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

The Sheldonian theatre was built between 1664 and 1669.  It is not a theatre in the conventional sense but the principal assembly room of the university.

The reason it is called a theatre is because Christopher Wren was inspired by Roman theatres, and designed this D-shaped building so.  However, load bearing columns in the centre space to support the ceiling would not be aesthetically pleasing.  He avoided adding the columns by designing a roof truss that spanned the required 70ft, a great technical achievement in roof construction.

 

 

 

Sheldonian Theatre Oxford England @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

I have long been fascinated by Sir Christopher Wren’s work.  A visit to the theatre was therefore a must for me and I had the most amazing time walking around and taking it all in in person.

 

I hope you enjoyed this very concise walk along the historic Catte Street in Oxford.

 

Here are my previous posts and photos from England, 2016 –

 

Christ Church, Oxford Part I

Christ Church, Oxford Part II

Magdalen College, Oxford

 

 

Wandering Camera art and photo linky party @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Wandering Camera is a monthly event that runs on the last Thursday of every month.  If you follow me via email, you will get a reminder.

All photo and art/creative-themed posts are welcome.  Per previous requests, the link-up is open for a month, so you can continue to link up multiple posts.

Please add the badge or a text link back to this site on your blog, or on each post that you link up.  I look forward to seeing your photos.

Have fun!!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them.  

 

 

 

Leave a comment

 

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