Thoughts on Visiting the Home of C.S. Lewis

My visit to the home of C.S. Lewis

On our way to Israel, Cathe and I are celebrating our 40th year of marriage. So we have taken some time to be together (a very good thing to do to keep your marriage strong). Cathe is still my best friend on this earth as well as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

On our way to the Holy Land to see the most amazing biblical sites, we decided to visit another site. Though not biblical, it’s a site connected to one of the greatest Christians of all time. I am speaking of C.S. Lewis, better known by his close friends by his nickname, Jack.

Many know Lewis today because of the films based on his Narnia books. Other generations have known him through his writings, including the Narnia series as well as many others, like The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain. Lewis is also widely known for his classic Mere Christianity, which has been used by the Lord to bring many to faith in Jesus Christ.

The Kilns

C.S. Lewis’ day-to-day job was that of a professor at Oxford University in England. He found a home not far from his work that was like being in the country, but was only a few miles away. It was called The Kilns. The property once housed a placed where bricks were hardened in kilns (a type of oven) but when Lewis purchased it, that part was history.

Nestled in the woods is a cozy, quaint, and completely charming home. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers in the C.S. Lewis Society, over many years this historic home has been restored. I commend them for all they have done to restore this treasure. It’s an amazing thing to go from room to room of The Kilns, and think of Lewis occupying this place.

Here’s a little painting Cathe made of the Kilns:

During Word War 2, Lewis took in some children for safety as London was being bombed. One curious child wanted to know about a wardrobe in the house, and if there was anything behind it or if it led anywhere. This conversation prompted Lewis to have a seed thought that would later bloom into his classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Behind the home is a manmade lake, surrounded by trees that Lewis and his brother, Warren (nicknamed Warnie), planted years ago.

The Inklings

We also visited a little pub that Lewis and other authors used to frequent, called The Eagle and the Child. Lewis and his friends nicknamed it The Bird and the Baby. It was there that C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and other members of a group called The Inklings shared early drafts of books that would later become literary classics. For Tolkien, that would include The Lord of the Rings and for Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia.

Interestingly, Tolkien was not a fan of Lewis’ Narnia series and thought they should not be published. It’s a good thing Jack did not listen, as those writings have touched so many over the years, young and old alike.

You may be surprised to know that Tolkien played a key role in Lewis’ conversion to Christianity. At that time, Lewis admitted that he had no more been searching for God than a mouse would search for a cat. Lewis wrote, “That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me…I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed; perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” This Oxford professor dedicated his life and his considerable gifts to God, and he was used to touch so many.

I have quoted C.S. Lewis so many times in my messages, I have lost count. It seems almost every evangelistic message I have given has contained at least on Lewis quote. That’s because Lewis, with the mind of a scholar, could communicate in such a way that a child could understand. His legacy continues on to this day.

When I get to heaven, I look forward to sitting down with Lewis over a cup of proper British tea and getting to know him better.