C S Lewis Centenary Group

The C S Lewis Trail in Belfast and North Down

The C S Lewis Trail now leads us to the nearby countryside of North Down, which Lewis loved so well, 'Heaven', he declared, 'is Oxford lifted and placed in the middle of County Down'. [We thank Rt Hon David Bleakley for permission to use this quotation, taken from his autobiography 'Peace in Ireland' (1995)]

In 1949, ARTHUR GREEVES moved to SILVER HILL, in CRAWFORDSBURN, County Down. From 1951 onwards, C S Lewis would normally spend the first week of his summer holidays with Arthur at Crawfordsburn.

Silver Hill
[Photo courtesy of Charles Bateman Photography]

Lewis would stay at the OLD INN, CRAWFORDSBURN, 6 minutes walk from SILVER HILL. Arthur would then drive Lewis around by motor-car, often to Donegal and other places in the North of Ireland.

Arthur Greeves [Photo courtesy of C S Lewis Centenary Group]

The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn [Photo courtesy of Charles Bateman Photography]

Lewis's love for the American writer, JOY DAVIDMAN, is well known through the feature film 'SHADOWLANDS'.

Jack and Joy Lewis
[Photo courtesy of Mr Douglas Gresham]

In 1958 Jack brought Joy, his new bride, to spend a "belated honeymoon" at the Old Inn. They returned from the holiday

drunk with blue mountains, yellow beaches, dark fuchsia, breaking waves, braying donkeys, peat smell and the heather just beginning to bloom.

The couple returned to Crawfordsburn in 1959.

While in Crawfordsburn, C S Lewis would worship at ST JOHN'S, HELEN'S BAY. On another occasion, he attended worship at GLENCRAIG PARISH CHURCH (not shown).

St John's, Helens Bay
[Photo courtesy of Charles Bateman Photography]

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