Oxford in Wonderland

This is an excerpt from the tour Oxford’s Noble and Great Ones - Part 1  which explores around the southern part of Oxford.  The full tour is found on   www.obelisktours.co.uk

A famous literary connection with Christ Church is with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898) more commonly known as Lewis Carroll the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  Some of his characters have been put in the Great Hall’s stained glass windows.  If you look carefully you can see characters like Alice, the Dodo, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Knave, the Turtle, Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Charles Dodgson began his residence here in 1851 and stayed until his death in 1898.  His subject was maths and he delighted in creating mathematical and word puzzles.  He lived to the side of Tom Tower where he also developed his interest in photography.

He compiled the Alice stories while entertaining the three daughters of the College Dean Henry George Liddell – Lorina (6) Alice (4) and Edith (2).   Over the years their friendship grew and the stories began to form. The girls’ names appear a number of times in the story.  At the Mad Hatter’s tea party the dormouse tells a story:

`Once upon a time there were three little sisters and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--'  

Elsie is Lorina Charlotte or LC, Lacie is an anagram of Alice and Tillie was Edith’s nickname. 

The story of Alice came to life on a boating trip with the three girls – an event which is included in the tale and featured everyone present:

“the pool was getting quite crowded with the birds and animals that had fallen into it: there was a Duck and a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures.”

Alice was Alice, The Duck was Reverend Robinson Duckworth, The Dodo was Charles Dodgson, Lory (a type of parrot) was Lorrie  and Eaglet was Edith. 

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

Other actual & possible Inspirations for his stories and characters abound including the elongated fire dogs in the Dining Hall for when Alice grew and grew; the hidden Dining Hall door for the White Rabbit’s escape hole; Dean Henry Liddell as the “I’m late, I’m late” white rabbit,  Theophilus Carter - an Oxford cabinetmaker - as the Mad Hatter, opposite Christ Church is a shop on Aldate street which was used for the knitting ‘sheep’ shopkeeper, the Binsey Treacle (healing) Well features in the Dormouse’s story, and Henry VIII’s portrait in the dining hall probably inspired the Queen of Hearts favourite words “Off with their heads”. 

More details about the people, places and events associated with these sites can be found on the tour Oxford’s Noble and Great Ones - Part 1 available on   www.obelisktours.co.uk