If ever in Wheaton....

Stop by the Wade Center. I stopped in after a performance my children attended at the Wheaton College.  I cannot say enough about how lovely the Wade center is. First of all it is a center dedicated to the study of Chesterton, Sayers, Tolkein, Lewis, Barfield, Williams and MacDonald. That alone is enough, but it is so much more than that. There is a library with an enormous collection of the author's books. But far from being a library, it is a charming English style cottage with plush furniture and artifacts from the the authors. 

My children were charmed with the wardrobe that belonged to CS Lewis that is housed in the main room, complete with furs, of course. The wardrobe is carved exactly in the same way as the one in the Narnia books. And speaking of those books, there is a collection of the Art of Narnia, although much of it is out on loan right now. 

In the middle of the main room there is a case dedicated to the centennial Chesterton works, Orthodoxy and The Man Who was Thursday. My kid loved the Chesterton Ornament, that they had admired in Gilbert. I loved reading the beautifully handwritten letter from Chesterton to Frances Blogg, his future wife. The handwriting alone struck me as loving and beautiful. 

I cannot wait to visit again, and maybe visit the research/reading room for some quiet mom time. Will you join me?