INFORMATION SESSIONS
OVERVIEW
A wonderful tour of England discovering the life and works of theologian and author C.S. Lewis as well as other well-known Christian authors including JRR Tolkien, GK Chesterton, John Bunyan and preacher Charles Spurgeon.
The tour commences in London where we will visit significant Christian sites including Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral. We continue to Oxford where Lewis, Tolkien and others worked and live. We will see Lewis’s home, local church and of course Oxford University where he taught. Lewis, Tolkien and others known as The Inklings met in Oxford pubs to critique each other’s work and enjoy fellowship together.
C.S. Lewis loved spending time in the Cotswolds and Selah is thrilled to include a 2 day Christian retreat in this tour at a beautiful centre for Christian healing. This will give you time to enjoy the English countryside and have ”Selah time” with God and your travelling companions as you go deeper in your faith.
Following on from our retreat in the Cotswolds we continue to Cambridge where Lewis was (finally) made a professor. This stunning university town is also considered the “seat of the English Reformation” and enjoys a rich Christian history.
Selah is thrilled to have Rev Dr Gordon Preece lead this tour.
Gordon has ministered at several Anglican churches in Sydney and at Yarraville Anglican Church in Melbourne. He has been Director of three tertiary ethics centres: the Centre for Applied Christian Ethics (CACE) at Ridley College, Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (MCSI) and Director of the University of Divinity Centre for Research in Religion & Social Policy (RASP). He is currently Director of the Ethos Centre for Christianity & Society and Chair & Executive of the Melbourne Anglican Social Responsibilities Committee.
Gordon has worked ecumenically at Morling Baptist College (Sydney), as Director at Urban Seed at Collins St. Baptist, and as Senior Policy Officer for Catholic Social Services Victoria.
Gordon is an international leader in workplace theology. He is a prolific writer, as author/editor of 12 books. He has run conferences and written articles on C.S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Spurgeon among the subjects of this tour. He is commissioning editor of award-winning Zadok Perspectives. Gordon is married to Susan, a mental health educator, and has three children in their 30s and 40s and six grandchildren (five being boys). He loves playing and following the world game, supporting Spurs, and the Cats in Australian Rules
ITINERARY
Hotel: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London
Included Meals:
HOTEL: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London
Included Meals:
On arrival in Oxford, we visit the Kilns the home of C.S. Lewis on the outskirts of Oxford at Headington Quarry (subject to permission). The Kilns has been lovingly restored and is now home to the C.S. Lewis Foundation.
HOTEL: Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, Oxford
Included Meals:
HOTEL: Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, Oxford
Included Meals:
Sites to see today on our walking tour include the Oxford University where Lewis & Tolkien were both students and academics. We will visit the famous Bodleian Library with a local guide, Magdalen College and the beautiful Addison’s Walk where Lewis and Tolkien spent hours walking and talking.
A visit to Oxford is not complete without a pub meal at the Eagle and Child, but alas it has been closed since 2020. This pub was where the writers group The Inklings met regularly to discuss and critique one another’s work. So instead we will enjoy a pub meal at the King’s Arms hotel – the oldest pub in Oxford and frequented by many an Oxford scholar!
HOTEL: Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, or similar
Included Meals:
The remainder of the day is free for you to enjoy Oxford at your own pace. Perhaps a punt on the Cherwell River, or some time in the library? This evening we have been invited to a meeting of the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society at Pusey House.
HOTEL: Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, or similar
Included Meals:
Both Lewis and Tolkien enjoyed regular getaways to the Cotswolds. We will check out of our Oxford hotel and travel to the Cotswolds for a 2-day retreat at the Harnhill Centre of Christian Healing.
HOTEL: Harnhill Centre, Cotswolds
Included Meals:
HOTEL: Harnhill Centre, Cotswolds
Included Meals:
Along the way we will stop at the town of Bedford, the hometown of John Bunyan who authored The Pilgrim’s Progress in 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious, theological fiction in English literature. It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print. We enjoy a 2 hour guided tour of Bedford and all things Bunyan including the John Bunyan Museum, Moot Hall and Elstow church including a talk about the life of John Bunyan. Continue to Cambridge.
HOTEL: Hilton Hotel, Cambridge
Included Meals:
Possible visit and lecture at the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide (TBC)
Free time before Evensong at Kings College, then a farewell dinner.
HOTEL: Hilton Hotel, Cambridge
Included Meals:
Included Meals:
Highlights
- ”Christian London”: St Paul’s Cathedral, British Library, Westminster Abbey, Metropolitan Tabernacle
- Beaconsfield: hometown of GK Chesterton
- Oxford: the Kilns, Trinity Church. Oxford university, pubs and hangouts
- Guest lectures in Oxford & Cambridge (TBC)
- 2 day retreat in the Cotswolds
- Tour commences directly after the Alpha Leadership Conference at Royal Albert Hall
TOUR INCLUDES
Travel with
like-minded people
Christian
Tour Leaders
Option of land
only package
Option of upgrading
to single room
Meals
Sights and entry
fees listed
OUR PRICING
Category | Description | Twin PP | Single |
---|---|---|---|
Tour cost per person | $7,249.00 | $9,875.00 |
Only 1 room left (plus needing a female to share)