The World of C.S. Lewis and Narnia
We are pleased to offer a guided tour of ‘The Kilns’, the home of C.S. Lewis the author of the Chronicles of Narnia. Our tour guide will show us most of the rooms in ‘The Kilns’ including the Common Rooms, Library and Lewis’s Rooms.The Kilns is next to the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve which is said by many to have inspired Lewis’s imaginary world of Narnia and we can visit this before or after our tour. Depending on time and numbers we may also be able to visit Holy Trinity Church which is Lewis’s former parish.
We are fortunate to be able to visit The Kilns but must remember that it is not a museum and remains a centre for scholarship with scholars in residence. The study centre is organised by the C.S. Lewis Foundation honouring the memory of C.S. Lewis and they run events throughout the year.
Review
A unique tour with an expert guide
'One of the many good things about OWF is that it’s able to arrange tours of places you would never ordinarily get to see. If you’re a fan of C.S. Lewis and the Narnia books and especially if you’ve ever seen Shadowlands, the chance to see the house where C.S. Lewis lived, ‘The Kilns’ is one not be missed. The house was fascinating: it is now used as a centre for scholarship, so it’s very much a working place, but you can still see the rooms where Lewis lived, with his furniture and books in place. Our tour was given by one of the students who works at the centre. She obviously felt a great connection to the house, and her knowledge of things C.S. Lewis was encyclopaedic, so she was the perfect guide. There was also the the chance to look at the nature reserve next to the house which many say inspired Lewis’s imaginary world of Narnia. It was a great opportunity, and a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday morning.’