Oxford’s Christ Church Cathedral dates from the 12th century and sits in the centre of St Aldgate’s, soaring imperiously above manicured lawns, ponds and a stunning wildflower meadow. It was in these grounds in 1856 that Lewis Carroll (at that time Charles Dodgson) in his capacity as scholar and teacher at Christ Church made the acquaintance of the new incumbent to the Deanery of the Cathedral, Henry Liddell, and his young family.
It is said that Carroll’s most famous creation, Alice in Wonderland, was a tribute to Alice Liddell, the Dean’s youngest daughter, who on hearing the outline for his mercurial newspaper reported the following strange manifestation, caused ostensibly by an unevenly drying patch of concrete over the memorial stone: “The patch has now assumed the exact face and features of the famous Dean. The face appears in profile. The chin, nose and head of the dean, with the bald crown of the head and the curly white hair below it, are clearly formed on the wall.”
