Littlemore: In John Henry Newman's Footsteps

Having caught a National Express coach from Canterbury to London Victoria station, and another one from just outside the station to Oxford, we booked into a Travel Lodge on the outskirts of the great university city (again, my friend's wife played a blinder in arranging this).

Up early the next morning, our plan was to visit Cardinal Newman, CS Lewis, and Tolkien sites both in and around Oxford.

First up, we travelled on a bus from the city centre to the village of Littlemore, where John Henry Newman (1801-1890) did much of the musing that led him to cross over from (High Church) Anglicanism to (Roman) Catholicism.

A short time after stepping off the bus, we found ourselves taking pictures of the Anglican church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas:

Which, at times, quite naturally, necessitated standing on the grass:

Inside the church, we were approached by a female vicar who greeted us diplomatically and had no problem with us taking pictures inside and outside the church (including while standing on the grass). She must've been well used to visitors paying their respects to Newman, of course.

Inside, it was great to see where Newman had once served as an Anglican clergyman, while edging ever closer towards (Roman) Catholicism.

Have just read that Newman had the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas built between 1835 and 1836.

In Apologia Pro Vita Sua, which I've been reading bit by bit for two years or so, Newman repeatedly emphasises how he felt more comfortable in his musings at Littlemore than in the heart of Oxford where he also served as an Anglican clergyman.

Thus far, the visit to the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas had been rather pleasant, but this was soon to change outside where, after having taken more pictures:

I was 'greeted' by a fiery old woman bounding up the path. 

I smiled but before I was able to say "Good morning", the old woman wailed out: "We don't want your type here, treading on the grass, you have no respect for anything!!!". 

This episode, of course, was absurd, but I couldn't help but think that it was this kind of nonsense that put people off Christianity.

As astonished as myself, my friend had noticed that the church seemed to be in some way reaching out to alcoholics, drug addicts, and socially deprived people, so the warring old woman may've interpreted me as such. 

On the other hand, she may've just abhorred Newman people visiting the church. 

Or maybe she just had deep-rooted problems herself, it was difficult to say.

When the nonsense was out of the system, my friend and I laughed about things, with my friend being much relieved that he hadn't crossed the aggressive old woman.