poet Matthew Arnold.
Victorian poet Matthew Arnold, in his poem ‘Thyrsis’ described Oxford as ‘the city of dreaming spires’. Christ Church Cathedral, with its distinctive tower, exemplifies this idea. The spire has a pyramidal shape accented by four gabled, lucarne (dormer) windows and pinnacles at each corner of the square base.
Who coined the phrase dreaming Spires?
poet Matthew Arnold
The phrase Dreaming Spires was coined by the English poet Matthew Arnold (1822-88) who used it in a poem written to commemorate his friend.
Who said dreaming Spires of Oxford?
Matthew Arnold
1. “That sweet city with her dreaming spires/ She needs not June for beauty’s heightening.” – Matthew Arnold. If you’ve never heard any other quote about Oxford, you’ve probably heard a reference to Matthew Arnold’s description of “her dreaming spires”.
What does dreaming Spires mean?
The term dreaming spires is used allusively to refer to the city or university of Oxford.
Which city is nicknamed the city of dreaming Spires?
Your Guide to Oxford: The City of Dreaming Spires.
Where did spires originate?
Early Origins of the Spires family
The surname Spires was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland.
What does spires stand for?
SPIRE
| Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|
| SPIRE | Special Programs in Religious Education |
| SPIRE | Shared Primary Information Resource Environment (UK licensing system) |
| SPIRE | Spider Reconstruction Engine |
| SPIRE | Southern Paranormal Investigations Research & Education |
Why does Oxford have so many Spires?
Oxford’s spires reflect the Gothic style of architecture, which was popular in England from the late 12th to the early 16th century – a period in which no fewer than 14 of Oxford’s 38 colleges were founded.
What was Oxford originally called?
Oxnaford
Oxford was first settled by the Anglo-Saxons and was initially known in Old English as Oxnaford and in Old Norse as Öxnafurða. The name is a portmanteau of “oxen’s ford”, which literally meant oxen’s shallow river crossing.
Is Oxford Anglo-Saxon?
Anglo-Saxon Oxford
Oxford is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in 911 when King Edward the Elder took possession of the town. It is thought Oxford was founded just before this date as a fortified town known as a burh.
Why is it called a spire?
A tapering structure on top of a church tower, usually conical or pyramidal in shape. The word comes from the old Saxon word for spear, and certainly a very slender spire might be tought to resemble a spear.
Why is Oxford called Oxford?
The name Oxford comes from the old term ‘Oxanforda’ which literally meant a ford (shallow crossing) in the river where the cattle (Oxen) could cross safely.
What are the Spires called?
A flèche (French: flèche, lit. ‘arrow’) is the name given to spires in Gothic architecture. In French the word is applied to any spire, but in English it has the technical meaning of a spirelet or spike on the rooftop of a building.
Why is Oxford called Dreaming Spires?
Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire and famous worldwide for its prestigious university, the oldest in the English-speaking world. In his poem ‘Thyrsis’ the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold called Oxford ‘the city of dreaming spires’ after the stunning architecture of these university buildings.
What is a nickname for London?
the Big Smoke
The Smoke, the Old Smoke or the Big Smoke
The story behind the origin of the Big Smoke and the Old Smoke nicknames for London is quite sad. These nicknames date back to that period when the industrial revolution was at a peak in London.
What is a nickname for England?
Old Blighty is an affectionate nickname for England that has its origins in the Boer War in Africa. The moniker became popular in Western Europe after World War I.
What are Russian spires called?
Perovskia atriplicifolia Blue Spires (Blue Spires Russian Sage) is the best large growing Russian Sage selection blooming with dark blue flower spikes appearing in mid-summer.
Why is the spire famous?
The Spire of Notre-Dame de Paris designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was a famous flèche that crowned the crossing ridge of Notre-Dame de Paris between 1859 and 2019.
Why don t all churches have spires?
Question: Why do fewer churches in the countryside have spires compared to churches near cities? Answer: Square church towers used to have wooden spires on top of them. In rural areas these would become damaged or fall down and they were never repaired whereas a stone or a flint tower would survive for longer.
What part of speech is spires?
verb
verb (used without object), spired, spir·ing. to shoot or rise into spirelike form; rise or extend to a height in the manner of a spire.
What is the difference between a tower and a spire?
By spire, is understood, a steeple, rising taper to the top. By tower, is implied, a square steeple.