C S Lewis

BELFAST, 12 SEPTEMBER 2009

C. S. Lewis was born on 29 November 1899 in Belfast at the Ballyhackamore House, No 47 Dundela Avenue (now a block of flats), to Albert & Flora Lewis

A plague marks the site but we are not able to show any photo as we did not visit the place (we walked so much the whole day that we were too tired to locate the site)

Little Lea on the Circular Road was the Lewis’ family home from 1905 until 1930; today it is a private residence & it is not “little”

It was here that C. S.

Lewis started

writing as a hobby

This was due to a

disability in his

thumbs which

meant he could not

make things with

his hands

C. S. Lewis & his

older brother

Warren used to play

for hours in the

attic—writing

stories & drawing

picturesPhoto courtesy of the Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton, Illinois

As C. S. Lewis

was educated at

English public

schools as a

teenager, he did

not stay here for

a prolonged

period of time

To the young

Lewis, the big

house “seemed

less like a house

than a city”

St. Mark’s Church was

the Lewis family

church

The church was

designed by William

Butterfield in 1876-

1878

The naves, aisles, &

the tower were

completed in 1878 at

the cost of £10,000

Primrose

Henderson’s great-

grandfather, Sir

William Ewart,

spearheaded the

building of this

church

After his death, the

family paid for the

cost of building on

the chancel &

transepts

This was completed

in 1891

C. S. Lewis

was baptized

by his

maternal

grandfather,

Rev. Thomas

Hamilton

(the first

rector of this

church) on 29

January 1899

This memorial

stained-glass

window was

presented by C.

S. Lewis & his

brother to the

church in 1933 in

memory of their

father & mother

It depicts (from

right to left) St.

Mark, St. James,

& St. Luke

St. Mark is believed to

be the first bishop of

Alexandria & died

there

It is claimed his body

was brought to Venice

& was buried in San

Marco

St. Mark’s symbol, a

winged lion, is the

symbol of Venice

Can you see the

winged lion behind

the apostle?

St. James’ shrine is at

Compostela in Spain, a

medieval place of

pilgrimage

Hence, he is seen with the

pilgrim’s bag & staff, &

the pilgrim’s badge, the

scallop shell

He holds a silver chalice,

probably similar to the

one which Arthur Lewis

& his family presented to

the church in 1908 in

memory of their father,

Richard Lewis

St. Luke is

depicted with as a

writer with an ox

behind him

The lectern was

presented to the

church by the

cousins of C. S. Lewis

The eagle is the

symbol of St. John &

represents the Word

of God (the open

Bible behind it)

being carried on

eagle’s wings across

the world

In William

Butterfield’s

design, the

Communion

Table is the most

important object

in the church &

stands higher

than the pulpit &

the lectern

As a young boy,

C. S. Lewis

would have

visited his

maternal

grandfather who

lived in the Old

Rectory

Standing before

the door as he

waits of it be

opened, what

would he be

looking at?

The “lion”

door handle

Could this

have inspired

the character

of Aslan in

the Narnia

books?

C.S. Lewis was a

pupil here for a

short period

He was there for

the autumn term

in 1910 as a

boarder

He had to

withdraw due to

respiratory

problems

Outside the

Holywood Arches

Library is a sculpture

of the character of

Digory Kirke in The

Magician’s Nephew

(the sixth book of

Lewis’ Chronicles of

Narna)

It is through Digory

Kirke’s wardrobe,

built from the wood

of a magic apple tree,

that the Pevensie

children first enter

Narnia

The Linen

Hall Library,

founded in

1788, is the

oldest library

in Belfast

It houses

books by and

about C. S.

Lewis