The Trout Inn

On the grand suggestion of our dear friend and former professor Hal Poe, Nick, Liam and I took a country stroll last weekend to the little village of Godstow to visit the Trout Inn.
This historic place was built in 1620--the newest addition in the 1860s! The area around the inn inspired parts of Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (if we can believe the fabulous little old man we met at the inn who told us a tale or two).
We enjoyed tea and cozy respite from the chilly afternoon, then--armed with a sturdy umbrella and a bit of curiosity--we went on to explore the ruins of the Godstow Nunnery.
The forested area and the open green with wood lounge chairs just across the bridge from the inn brought to mind images of Brits of yesteryear on holiday wearing straw hats and playing croquet. The stone lion statue on that side is a likely inspiration for Lewis's Aslan (we might be a bit skeptical, but it felt quite magical to imagine him opening his writer's notebook and jotting away as he sat at the edge of the river in view of the big stone cat).