One of the first things I did on visiting this city was step into Narnia. Officially known as CS Lewis Square, it's the starting point of a trail tracing the author's early life. Mr Tumnus, Aslan the lion and the White Witch are among those resident in the form of sculptures dotted around this surreal public space. Maugrim the wolf lurked menacingly amid some shrubs. Even Jack - as Lewis was known - is frozen in time, about to step into his magical wardrobe.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first of his Chronicles of Narnia (published in 1950) is a favourite book from my youth. The author's childhood was spent here. "Here" is east Belfast. A less visited part of the city, despite also being the cradle of footballing legend George Best and "Van the Man" Morrison. They, too, have their walking trails but I only had time to follow my favourite. To get there from the city centre was an interesting walk, past dramatic wall murals that have been a Belfast trademark ever since the Troubles. Now, they're not all sectarian. The giant shipyard cranes of Harland & Wolff - dubbed Samson and Goliath provided a stunning backdrop, - seemingly whenever I turned a new corner. This is the area that provided the workforce that built the RMS Titanic and other great vessels. I found the site of Clive Staples Lewis's 1898 birthplace, now a modern apartment block but at least marked with a blue plaque. St Mark's Church, where his grandfather was rector, was more interesting. Known as the "lion on the hill", its rectory has a doorhandle little Jack would lion-shaped have used.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Best of British.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Best of British.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE FEW ON SCREEN
Steven Taylor looks at the Battle of Britain across film and TV
Table Service
Rachel Toy looks at the history of Ridgway Homemaker tableware
Hever Forever
Claire Saul studies the newly refurbished Boleyn Apartment at Hever Castle & Gardens - a castle fit for a queen
Shining a Light
Tony O’Neil tunes into the history of the last manned lightvessel
The Man With the Goldeneye
Film stills photographer Keith Hamshere describes how he came to enter the world of James Bond
THE ORIGINAL GOLDEN BALLS
lan Wheeler looks back on 70 years of Tiger comic and Roy of the Rovers, and chats to the man who edited and oversaw both titles
To Play the Queen
Chris Hallam looks back on the life of one of the UK’s best known lookalikes
POOLING RESOURCES
Martin Handley looks at what life was like after the Vernons Girls
POSTCARD FROM= SUSSEX
Bob Barton indulges in pleasure piers and fairground delights, as well as fulfilling a long-held ambition to visit the home of Rudyard Kipling
Oh, Miss Jones
Chris Hallam looks back at the origins and legacy of Rising Damp, ITV's most successful sitcom