Wednesday, July 29, 2009

This is for Patrick

The weather has been uncertain all week, but today it just teemed and poured. Emma has told us that today's presentation can count as our final piece of work and after dithering around the secularization of society for a couple days, I give in. If I had world enough and time, I might be able to make a stab at it, but I won't.

Instead I went out hoping to tour the Bodleian, but they were booked. So I went to the Sheldonian Theater, famous for being designed by Christopher Wren, who managed to build a huge open space with no columns. Here is an informational placard about how he did it, and a model of the ceiling supports.
 

 
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More interesting to me was the climb up to the cupola. It really felt like climbing up into the attic of every old house you've ever lived in. Here's a view.
 

Once at the top, the cupola afforded views in every direction. I could see the Chiltern Hills for the first time (look closely). Broad Street, Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian in the rain.
 

 

 
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The interior is famous for its painted ceiling showing Arts and Sciences expelling Ignorance from the University, "a task successfully accomplished." Here's a view of the organ with a snippet of ceiling.
 
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After this, visited the Museum of the History of Science, which had an exhibit on early architecture. Astrolabes, clocks, compasses, microscopes and other scientific instruments, along with Wren's plans for St. Paul's Cathedral. Somewhat wasted on me, but I thought of Patrick and persevered.
 
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