In my last post I noted that Wheaton College in Illinois has the wardrobe that belonged to C.S. Lewis. And they do. Here’s a picture:
But I just read that another Christian college, Westmont, in Santa Barbara, CA also has a wardrobe that belonged to the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. The one at Wheaton College was made by C.S.Lewis’s grandfather and is the wardrobe that he and his brother played in as boys. Naturally, there’s a bit of controversy you can read about here and elsewhere http://blog.syracuse.com/shelflife/2007/03/the_real_wardrobe.html
Update. I just got this information from a kind person: “Westmont’s wardrobe is not on campus as it is touring with the Narnia Exhibition (http://www.narniaexhibition.com/) which is leaving Arizona and will be in Philadelphia in November. Here are some pictures of the exhibit: http://www.westmont.edu/_public_affairs/press_kit/wardrobe_exhibit.html”
Philadelphia in November! Anyone want to meet me? Here’s the picture of the wardrobe from Westmont.
I think it’s cool that apparently both colleges display them with fur coats stuffed inside.
The one at Wheaton does look a lot like the one I always imagined. The OTHER one though, is 1.5 hours south of my parents’ house!! (And on your way to visit your daughter in LA). Possibilities…
By: beckylevine on October 30, 2008
at 2:33 am
I really like the last few lines in that blog entry: “They are what Lewis would call shadows of the wardrobe. What really matters is the wardrobe in the story, because that is the doorway into the land beyond our own — the true land of Aslan.”
By: purple_nym on October 30, 2008
at 2:33 am
Yes, that is what immediately came to my mind, too! It’s kind of near Becky’s house! This one seems a bit more “ordinary” with mirrors on the door, and it sounds like they just keep it outside the English Dept. office, but that’s kind of cool, too. And I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Santa Barbara!
By: jeannineatkins on October 30, 2008
at 11:38 am
Magic… imagination… shadows… all kinds of doors… and of course, Aslan. We had some arguments about the natures of Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and poor Susan, but I think everyone loved Aslan.
By: jeannineatkins on October 30, 2008
at 11:39 am
Oh! How cool!
Thanks for sharing!
By: tamra_wight on October 30, 2008
at 2:36 pm
Westmont’s Wardrobe
Westmont’s wardrobe is not on campus as it is touring with the Narnia Exhibition (http://www.narniaexhibition.com/) which is leaving Arizona and will be in Philadelphia in November. Here are some pictures of the exhibit: http://www.westmont.edu/_public_affairs/press_kit/wardrobe_exhibit.html
Thanks for your interest!
By: Anonymous on October 30, 2008
at 6:01 pm
Re: Westmont’s Wardrobe
That is good to know! Thank you!
By: jeannineatkins on October 30, 2008
at 9:07 pm
Yeah, I love the wardrobe in my mind, but there’s something about a real one touched by C.S. Lewis. It has to have some kind of power!
By: jeannineatkins on October 30, 2008
at 9:08 pm