The visitors were allowed to climb up the stairs 5 to 6 people at a time and every 5 to 6 minutes in the way that about the same number of people as that of coming down were sent to a dark small room which was the starting point of 127 steps of winding stairs. I understood immediately that such a strict control of visitors was due to the narrowness of the stairs. The staircase and observation deck were really narrow so that even passing each other was difficult. I admired the masonry work and the earthquake-free country at the same time. If even a middle-class earthquake jolted this church, it would be reduced to ashes.
I'll upload pictures taken from the lookout. Enjoy them. There were no high mountains around and we were able to get an unobstructed view of the U.K.'s peaceful terrain. This landscape reminded me of a scene in Shakespeare's "Macbeth", though the play was based on a king in Scotland. Shakespeare wrote the expression, "if the wood moved", in that play. This description would have come to him seeing this characteristic scenery. His birthplace was Stratford-upon-Avon, which wasn't far from Oxford. I became eager to visit his hometown. Take a look at the last picture. I didn't know if it's ok to park bicycles like that, but bicycles suit this old city.
(Vocabulary)
masonry (建築物の) 石造［れんが］部分、石工（術）
塔へ登るのは５人ずつくらい、５分くらいの間隔で許可された。下りてきた人数分だけ登るという具合に。理由はすぐにわかった。階段も通路も実に狭い。すれ違うのが困難なほど。階段は明かり取りの小さな隙間がなければ真っ暗だろう。そして石積みでよく造ったなあと感嘆。そして地震が無いというのは良いなあとも思った。もし地震が来たらこのような構造物はすぐに灰燼に帰すだろう。
人一人すれ違うのも大変な通路から撮影した写真をＵＰする。周辺に高い山はなく、遠くまで見通せる。のどかな町である。遠くの山並みを見ていてふとシェイクスピアのマクベスを思いだした。劇中、「森が動く」という表現がある。このような地形だからこそ生まれた表現に違いない。そういえばシェイクスピアの生誕地、ストラットフォードアポンエイボンはここから近い。最後の写真、自転車をこのように停めてよいのかどうかわからないが、この町には自転車がよく似合う。
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