C.S. Lewis Christian Writers Tour

London, Oxford, Cambridge

Duration
11
Departure
09 May 2024
Price from
7,249

INFORMATION SESSIONS

Sorry you missed it! If you would like a copy of the recording please email [email protected]
City Location Date Time Booking Link
Online Zoom July 4, 2023 7:30 pm RSVP

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

On arrival in London, check in to the hotel. Meet for a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers.

Hotel: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London

Included Meals:

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We will start the day with a tour of “Christian London”. Enjoy a guided visit of Westminster Abbey. We will then visit the British Library where we can see letters from JR Tolkien to his grandson Michael, letters from CS Lewis as well as other Christian and biblical texts. After lunch enjoy a guided visit of St Paul’s Cathedral. Finish the day at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, the church pastored by Charles Spurgeon for 38 years. Explore the bookshop before returning to Westminster Abbey for 5pm evensong. Return to the hotel for dinner.

HOTEL: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London

Included Meals:

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We farewell London this morning and travel to Beaconsfield, the hometown of GK Chesterton. GK Chesterton wrote a book called Everlasting Man which led the young atheist C.S. Lewis to becoming a Christian. Pass by Chesterton’s homes and grave site at the Shepherd’s Lane Cemetery, as well as St Teresa’s church where Chesterton worshipped. Enjoy lunch before continuing to Oxford.
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:

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After breakfast, we will visit the nearby Trinity Church, to attend a Sunday church service, where Lewis worshipped for over 30 years and is also his final resting place. Jack (as C.S. Lewis was known) and his brother Warnie, often frequented The Masons Arms after church, so we will pop in for a drink or lunch, time permitting. Return to Oxford with the remainder of the afternoon free to explore. There is Evensong at Christchurch Cathedral at 6pm. Dinner will be at the hotel at 7.00pm.

HOTEL: Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, Oxford

Included Meals:

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Today we will have the entire day to explore Oxford as C.S. Lewis, Tolkien and friends knew it.
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:

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Today we enjoy a guest lecture at the university with Dr Michael Ward from the Faculty of Theology & Religion at Oxford University. Dr Ward is a PhD in CS Lewis.
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:

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London is magnificent, but it can also be big, noisy and crowded with swarms of international tourists following guides holding up umbrellas. If you want to see the real England - or at least, the Harry Potter fantasy version of what Shakespeare called "this green and pleasant land," you need to get to the Cotswolds.

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:

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A full day on retreat (program to be finalised).

HOTEL: Harnhill Centre, Cotswolds

Included Meals:

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After breakfast at the hotel, we will farewell our country retreat and travel towards Cambridge.
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:

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Today we will enjoy a guided Cambridge walking tour starting at the Round Church. Our walking tour will include how C.S. Lewis came to be in Cambridge, as well an insight into how Cambridge came to be known as the “seat of the English Reformation”.

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:

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After breakfast, check out of our hotel. We will attend a Sunday service before we transfer back to London where the tour ends. If you are booking flights please don't book anything before 4pm. Selah can assist with booking you accommodation for the night in London.

Included Meals:

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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

Map

Destinations

TOUR INCLUDES

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Travel with
like-minded people

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Christian
Tour Leaders

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Option of land
only package

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Option of upgrading
to single room

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Meals

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Sights and entry
fees listed

OUR PRICING

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)

Inclusions
Exclusions
Departure Date Booking
09 May 2024 BOOK NOW

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