Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Monday, 14 September 2015

Open Doors at the Oxford Oratory



Yesterday afternoon I spent as one of the team of parishioners stewarding the display in the Oxford Oratory library which had been put on for the Open Doors weekend. Here is the post about it from the Oratory website, with some additional labelling by myself:

Fr Jerome has been busy last week preparing an exhibition in the library for the Oxford Open Doors weekend. Visitors had a chance to see some of our more interesting books — fine bindings, early printings and detailed calligraphy, as well as items from the Chesterton library and brass rubbings. The library building was completed when we opened our new building two years ago. The inside will continue to have temporary metal shelving until we raise the money for the permanent wooden shelving.

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Brass rubbings by Fr Jerome, G.K.Chesterton's hat and stick, as well as one of his schoolbooks and leaves from the ditchling Press edition of The Turk and the Turkey. To the right are a burial register written up by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and a marriage register from 1908 signed by Winston Churchill at his brother's wedding in the church

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A table for calculating the date of Easter, from a German book printed in 1490

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A sixteenth century book binding, and the modern green binding to the right is from the bequest of Mgr Graham Leonard

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A late fifteenth century printed book

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A nineteenth century music manuscript in traditional form
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A seventeenth century devotional manuscript

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An illuminated manuscript of circa 1860 of the Mass for the Feast of St Aloysius

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A seventeenth century Greek manuscript of St Theodoret

Images:Oxford Oratory website

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