That's a Wrap -- Last day of filming Downton Abbey in Bampton

The Bampton church square that has served as the location for the fictional town of Downton was all wrapped up yesterday for the last filming of town scenes for season six of Downton Abbey.  The production company screened off the church yard, Mrs. Crawley's home, and the square so they could film unimpeded by onlookers, dog walkers, and paparazzi .   

There was a big scene going on in the church yard that seemed to contain most of the cast plus a large number of extras.   Spoiler alert: it looked like a happy occasion.   Could it be another wedding?  Mrs. Crawley's?  Edith's? Mary's?  It was kept well under wraps. And I'm glad for it. Part of the fun of following  a story is enjoying the surprises. 

I'll miss seeing Bampton turn into Downton each summer.  It's been a fun run. Watching these film shoots has given me a much greater appreciation for all that goes into the making of what might be just a few seconds of a scene.   What we see on the screen is just the tiniest tip of the iceberg.  There are thousands and thousands of hours that went into the making of the final product.  I've now become a fan of the credits at the end of a production.  All the production teams like costuming; sound; lighting; makeup; set design; logistics; editing; props; catering; etc.  -- that is the rest of the iceberg and what made the tip all possible.  

Bletchley Park

 My daughter and son-in-law were visiting us recently and we planned a day trip to Cambridge.  We thought we would stop at Bletchley Park for a quick visit on the way -- it's only about an hour north of Oxford.  Long story short, we never made it to Cambridge -- we found Bletchley Park to be so interesting we stayed all afternoon.  

Bletchley Park was the site of the U.K.'s Government Code and Cypher School, which during the Second World War regularly intercepting and decoding the secret communications of the Germans.  Historian of World War II  have written that the intelligence produced at Bletchley shortened the war by two to four years, and that without it the outcome of the war would have been uncertain. The park is now an educational and historical center that honors and celebrates the accomplishments of the Code Breakers.

We had a wonderful guide take us around the park and tell us what Bletchley was like during the war.  It's well worth joining up with a group and a guide -- we heard all kinds of fascinating stories that brought the whole place to life for us. 

At the center of the park is an eclectic mansion built by Sir Herbert Leon starting in 1882.  The mansion and grounds were acquired for wartime headquarters for the Government Code and Cypher School in 1938.

These are the main gates to the complex.  They don't look anything like the main gate in the movie The Imitation Game.  That's because they used Joyce Grove at Nettlebed for the some of the scenes, such as the gates and the exterior shots of the mansion. 

There are several Huts on site.  Hut 3, 6 and 8  have been restored to what they were like during the war and in Hut 8 is where you'll find Alan Turing's Office.

There are four Enigma machines on display -- a German made code scrambling device and used by Britain’s code breakers as a way of deciphering German signals during the war. With the advent of the war, the enigma machine's settings were changed once a day, giving 159 million million million possible setting to choose from. Finding a way to break that each day, without the Germans knowing, was the herculean task the British Code Breakers were up against.

The process of breaking Enigma was made possible by the invention of a complex electro-mechanical device, designed by Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman.  The Bombe, as it was called, ran through all the possible Enigma wheel configurations in order to reduce the possible number of settings in use to a manageable number for further hand testing.

This Bombe has been restored to working order and a guide did a demonstration of how it works. It's absolutely fascinating.

 There is also an exhibit of costumes, props and sets on display that were used in the movie The Imitation Game.  

Inside the Manor House there is a large hall with a pub and a meeting hall that were used as a set in the movie. In fact it was no set -- it was the real hang-out place for the Code Breakers.

At the end of the war, Alan Turing is awarded the OBE for his wartime services. He was never allowed to tell his family what he did during the war and they didn't find out until 1975 -- 30 years later.  All Bletchey personel took an oath that they would not talk to anyone about what they did at Bletchley for 30 years.  In some cases, the oath was for life.  That is why they story of the Code Breakers was one of the best kept secrets of the war.     

In 1952, seven years after Alan Turing was declared a war hero, he was found guilty of gross indecency (homosexual acts) when such behavior was against the law in the UK.  He had a choice to serve time in jail or accept treatment with estrogen injections.  He choice the injections.   Turing died in 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning (most likely be suicide).  

In 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British Government  for "the appalling way he was treated".  Queen Elizabeth II granted him a posthumous pardon in 2013.  

"WE ALSO SERVED"

A monument to the 9000+ women and men who served at Bletchey park and could never speak of what they did during the war for 30+ years or a whole generation.  

For more information about Bletchley  Park and Alan Turing:

 http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

http://historysheroes.e2bn.org/hero/timeline/91

Encaenia Procession 2015

From the Oxford English Dictionary....

EncaeniaLine breaks: En|cae¦nia

Pronunciation: /ɛnˈsiːnɪə/

Definition of Encaenia in English:

noun

An annual celebration at Oxford University in memory of founders and benefactors.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

Origin

Late 17th century: via Latin from Greek enkainia 'dedication festival' (based on kainos 'new').

2015 Encaenia

For everything you want to know about the Encaenia, go to: 

www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/The-University-Year/Encaenia

 It is held annually on the Wednesday of ninth week during Trinity Term. The ceremony starts at 11:30 am at the Sheldonian.  The procession passes through Radcliffe Square at 11:20 am.  

Even the police are a bit star struck with the distinguished recipients

On the morning of the ceremony, the Heads of Colleges, university dignitaries and the honorands assemble, in full academic dress, in one of the colleges near the Radcliffe Camera.  There they  enjoy Lord Crewe's benefaction of peaches, strawberries and champagne. They then walk in procession down Brasenose Lane through Radcliffe Square to the Sheldonian Theatre on Broad Street.

This year's honorands were: 

 1. Professor Sir Richard Evans, Regius Professor of History emeritus and President of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on the modern history of Germany. 

 2. Dame Hilary Mantel, novelist, the author of fourteen books, including Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. 

3. Professor Ruth Simmons, former President of Brown University from 2001 to 2012, and continues there as Professor of Comparative Literature and Africana Studies. 

4. Professor Dame Ann Dowling, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

5. Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, OM, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. 

6. Jessye Norman, operatic soprano and recitalist who has performed around the world.  She was not able to attend this year.

Professor Wallace Broecker was also be awarded an honorary degree. Professor Broecker was due to receive the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, last year, but was unable to attend the ceremony.

The post ceremony luncheon was held in the library at All Soul's College

The Garden Party was held at Wadham College in the fellow's garden and hosted by Vice Chancellor Andrew Hamilton and his wonderful wife Jenny.

Recipe for Strawberry and Cream: 

Ingredients: 

Strawberries
sugar
Cream

Wash and remove the top of strawberries.  Serve strawberries in bowls at room temperature.  Sprinkle some sugar  on top and cover with fresh cream. Enjoy!

Filming Endeavour in University Park

I saw this film shoot for Endeavour yesterday while walking through University Park. I'm looking forward to Season 3 and especially want to know what happens to Inspector Thursday.

People sometimes ask me how I know about where the photo shoots are in and around Oxford.  The answer is:  I don't!  I've just learned to recognize and then follow the signs.  Yesterday I saw this pink arrow with NDVR LOC  which translates as "Endeavour Location" and I just followed the sign.  I'm guessing they will be filming in various locations all over Oxford this week.  Watch for the signs. 

 

Big trucks that say "Movie Makers" are another great give-away.  Follow the trucks.