THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE Narnia/England Chronology

It's the start of Christmas holidays, and Lucy and Peter are heading back to their family home in London. She's been at boarding school, Peter at university, and they plan to meet up in the Spare Room at Uncle Digory's place to spend a little time together before catching the London train. As they remember their astonishing Narnia adventures, something magical starts to take place, and they are swept up in those events as if they were happening for the first time.

Our staging of C.S. Lewis's novel takes place sometime between the events of The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader and The Last Battle - and, perhaps, sometime altogether different, in Narnian time.

So when exactly is that, in the chronology of the Narnia tales?

In one of the novels we learn that, sometime between Prince Caspian and The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Digory Kirke lost his country place, and by the time of The Last Battle we find out that it has been destroyed (perhaps by fire?). So this Christmas reunion of Peter and Lucy's happens one Christmas, between 1942 and 1948.

Here's Ron Reed's version of the "England Chronology" of the Chronicles of Narnia, developed when our unique staging of the story was first devised back in 1998.

CHRONOLOGY

1888 Digory Kirke born
1889 Polly born
1927 Peter born
1928 Susan born
1930 Edmund born
1931 Lucy born
1933 Eustace and Jill born

1940 Summer: Peter (13), Susan (12), Edmund (10) & Lucy (9) at Digory's (52) to escape London bombing: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE novel

1941 End of summer holiday, Peter (14), Susan (13) & Edmund (11) return to school by train, Lucy (10) off to boarding school for the first time - PRINCE CASPIAN novel

Uncle Digory (53) loses the country place

1942 Summer holiday: Peter (15) at Digory's new place ("in whose house these four children had had wonderful adventures long ago in the war years... but he had somehow become poor since the old days and was living in a small cottage with only one bed-room to spare"), Susan (14) in America, Edmund (12) & Lucy (11) visit Scrubbs - DAWN TREADER novel

1942 Fall term, Eustace (12) back at school 2 weeks with Jill (12) - SILVER CHAIR novel

Some Christmas between 1942 and 1948: While traveling home for Christmas holidays, Peter & Lucy stop off to tour Digory's old place, now administered by the National Trust - our stage adaptation of THE LION, THE WITCH AND WARDROBE

by 1949 Uncle Digory's old place destroyed (by fire?)

1949 Jill (16) & Eustace (16) "the only ones still at school." Susan (21) no longer a friend of Narnia: "Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children." Digory (61) and Polly (60) gather together all except Susan for a supper: Rillian appears. Peter (22) & Edmund (19) travel to London, dig up the magic rings. Digory, Polly, Lucy (18), Jill & Eustace board train to meet up with Peter & Edmund. - LAST BATTLE novel