Saint Æbbe and the Normans

This is the fine Norman West Door of St Ebbe's Church in Oxford.
The gem is just next to a rather uninspiring shopping centre and an in-town Sainsbury's.

And what might we find inside the church at about 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon? Perhaps a few tourists and some interesting architecture? No! The place was teaming with young people, chatting and eating lunch. It was really encouraging to see a church like this being used so enthusiastically.

There is a lane that used to lead from near the church and whose name seems appropriate to the supermarket I mentioned. The lane is now cut off by college buildings, and the end in the picture is at Pembroke College, where I photographed this nice bit of architecture. The window is above the gateway and Porters' Lodge of the college. Samuel Johnson ("Dr Johnson") lived in the rooms behind the window, or on the floor above, when he was an undergraduate at Pembroke from 1728.

Continuing our walk, we came upon a view of my own college, which looked so striking in the sun that I could not resist taking a photograph, despite my reluctance to compete with the postcard industry by making pictures of one of the places where I worked for 41 years! You are looking at Tom Tower, designed by Christopher Wren. It is the main entrance to the college.