IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Lewis Close, OXFORD, OX3 8JD

The former home of C.S. Lewis ("Jack"); his brother Warren ("Warnie") and Mrs Janie Moore. When they made the joint purchase of this house in 1930 the suburb of Risinghurst did not exist and this now-asphalted cul-de-sac was nothing more than a rough track leading to the site of a former brickworks (hence its name, "The Kilns"), plus several flooded clay pits. They also bought the surrounding 8 acres of untended woodland (now the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve) to ensure their privacy. "Warnie", the last surviving member of the trio, lived here until his death in 1973. The house then became the property of various owners until it was purchased for £130,000 by the California-based C.S. Lewis Foundation in the 1980s. This charity restored it to its near original 1930s appearance and it now serves as a study centre and a visitor centre. A bid to gain listed status for the house was rejected in February 2002. Behind the photographer, nature-lovers can access the extensive - and partially hilly - nature reserve via a short footpath.

The view of C.S. Lewis former house in Headington, Oxford.

The Kilns is the former home of C.S. Lewis.

The Kilns is the former home of C.S. Lewis.

One of several footpaths leading into the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve. "The Kilns", the former home of the Lewis brothers and their dependent, Mrs Janie Moore, lies immediately behind the photographer's right shoulder. When this trio jointly purchased their new home in 1930 the suburb of Risinghurst did not exist and this now-asphalted cul-de-sac was a rough track leading to the site of a former brickworks and several flooded former clay pits. In purchasing their 'new' home they also bought the surrounding 8 acres of untended woodland to ensure their privacy. This boundary fence did not exist in the pre-1940s and C.S. Lewis is said to have enjoyed the freedom to walk, think and swim on his 'estate' over the years, as presumably did some of the evacuees that this trio of adults hosted during WWII?

A former farmhouse situated opposite Grovelands Road. This is a view of Kiln Lane looking towards where Kiln Lane joins the A4142, i.e. the Eastern By-Pass (2 minutes walk to the right). The parked car on the farmhouse side of the road marks the junction of Lewis Close, where C.S. Lewis' former home, The Kilns, is situated. Lewis' house was built in 1922 - by someone else - and therefore this property presumably pre-dates The Kilns? In the 1920-30s this area was entirely rural save for one or two isolated properties and the brick and tile works. Three of the latter were located off what is now known as Kiln Lane and they remained in operation until the early C20th.

Lewis Close (a cul-de-sac) is seen here, off Kiln Lane. Two minutes away behind the photographer is the A4142, i.e. the Eastern By-Pass, whereas directly ahead Kiln Lane peters out and becomes a track that passes through Monk's Wood and ultimately leads to Monk's Farm and another dead end known as Bayswater Road. As well as Lewis Close being the location of the home of the former Lewis brothers and their dependent, Mrs Moore, the road-name sign also flags up the fact this cul-de-sac leads to the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve.

The view at C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve in Headington, Oxford.

A former air-raid shelter in the C.S.Lewis Nature Reserve - adjacent to the author's former home - near to one of the flooded claypits in the vicinity. The Lewis brothers and their dependent, Mrs Janie Moore, owned this 8 acre area of woodland a stones throw from their home, "The Kilns", and they had this shelter built as a safety measure for themselves and the various child-evacuees from London who they hosted during 1939.