Professor Digory Kirke's House is a location featured in the 2005 Disney/Walden Media adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Background[]
This mansion was located ten miles in the Coombe Halt area from the train station where the Pevensies arrived via train due to the dangers of World War II in London. It was the home where Professor Kirke lived all alone, except for Mrs. Macready who served as the housekeeper. This mansion had several long passageways and several empty rooms where one of them had a unique room (dubbed "The Spare Room") containing a mysterious wardrobe inside, which serves as a portal to Narnia. According to Macready herself, the Professor is not accustomed of having children in his house, giving anyone who visits it a few rules to follow such as refraining from shouting or running, avoiding improper use of the dumbwaiter or touching any historical artifacts, and above them all, no one must disturb the Professor.
Appearances[]
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe[]
As the Pevensies arrive at the Coombe Halt area, the four approach Mrs. Macready who escorts them to Kirke's house, explaining to the children that the Professor is not accustomed to having children in this house just as Macready gives the Pevensies a few rules they need to follow. The Pevensies must refrain from shouting or running, any improper use of the dumbwaiter, or touching any historical artefacts inside and above all else, the Pevensies cannot disturb the Professor, as they begin to explore the inside of the Professor's mansion. As they adapt their lives in the mansion, Peter tells his sister Lucy that tomorrow will be a better day just as the Pevensies have fun inside the house playing hide and seek altogether. As they play hide and seek together, Lucy enters a spare room with a wardrobe draped in large white clothing. She later unveils the Wardrobe and interacts with it, opening the door to see what is inside - only to find the world of Narnia behind her where she encounters Tumnus inside.
After Lucy returns to the spare room, she approaches the Pevensies whom they believe that she doesn't want to play with them anymore. Lucy then tells the Pevensies that she saw the magical world of Narnia in the Wardrobe, only for the three to find at the back of the Wardrobe (which Lucy is unaware that she could only enter Narnia if she weren't looking for it), which they think it is part of her imagination and don't believe, much to Lucy's frustration as she throws a tantrum. Later that night, Lucy enters the Wardrobe without looking for Narnia just as Edmund follows and tries to make sure she is safe and that he believes in her.
The next day, Lucy and Edmund approach Peter and Susan who tell them about the existence of Narnia, which the two still don't believe what they saw. After Edmund inadvertently hurt Lucy's feeling, she approaches the Professor who noticed Lucy sad about this, just before Peter and Susan approach him and engage in a private conversation with him about Edmund and Lucy's experience in Narnia. Later during a game of cricket outside the house, Edmund hits the ball which crashes into the mansion to knock down a suit of armor inside, which they fear that Macready is coming. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy run across the mansion to look for somewhere to hide to avoid getting caught by Macready by hiding into the Wardrobe at the spare room.
As the Pevensies leave Narnia at the end of the film during their failed attempt to capture the White Stag, they find themselves back at the Professor's house. The Professor, hearing their commotion, curiously asks the four of what they were doing in the Wardrobe Peter replies to the Professor that he wouldn't believe upon sharing his experience in Narnia with the Pevensies, just as the Professor throws the ball that Peter used during a game of cricket, reminding him of the moment before he and the other Pevensies entered Narnia. During the mid-credits scene, the Professor approaches Lucy who tells her that he wouldn't enter if he were Lucy, to which the Professor tells Lucy to keep her eyes open the next time she looks into the Wardrobe.
By the events of Prince Caspian, the fate of Digory Kirke's house remains unknown after the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as it does not appear at all in the sequel.
Video game appearances[]
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe[]
The Professor's house serves as one of the levels in the console versions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as the third level in the game titled "The Spare Room" where Peter and Susan must find Lucy and Edmund before Mrs. Macready notices them. Throughout the level, boxes are placed in certain parts as an obstruction that block the player's path. Once the player hits a box, a warning displays on the bottom of the screen, telling them to find somewhere to hide at a certain place where Macready wouldn't notice them within a time limit; otherwise, the level would need to be restarted if Macready finds out.
In addition to the boxes seen throughout the mansion, the player can also interact with objects to earn coins which they can use to purchase new skills as well as shields which are required for a full game completion. Additionally within this level, the Professor appears in one part of the level where the player must avoid approaching him just as a warning on the bottom of the screen tells the players to avoid disturbing the Professor; otherwise, the player will need to restart the level if they approach him.
Just as Peter and Susan find Lucy within the mansion, they find her humiliated by a flock of bats which the player must throw a tennis ball onto a window to drive the bats out of the house. After distracting the bats and then the Pevensies continue their plan to find Edmund, the game gives out an advise to use tennis balls to shut the grates where the bats come from at certain areas - although this is not required to complete the level. The player can throw tennis balls at the bats (which are treated as standard enemies) which defeat them in one hit; however, any bats that are defeated will be replaced if the player does not shut the grates. Additionally, closing each grate will result in the player earning a shield required for a full game completion.
After finding Edmund outside, the player must use him to climb a pole to help him go through the window. Upon doing so, Edmund opens the gate for the Pevensies to enter, which they hear Macready hearing the commotion across the mansion, fearing that the Professor would be unhappy about this, planning to scold them for their actions. During the last part of the level, the player must run into the wardrobe area to finish the mission to avoid being put into punishment by Macready.
Trivia[]
- The song that plays in the radio within the mansion itself is the 1939 song "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" sung by the Andrews Sisters, which was not included in the film's soundtrack.
- In the console versions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe video game, the enemies found in this level are bats, which are the only enemies not encountered in Narnia in the entire game.
- Additionally, the part where the bats appear within this area appear only in the video game adaptation and not in the film itself nor in the original book.
External links[]
