THE magic of Narnia was re-lived all over again at an anniversary celebration at the Story Museum this week.

To celebrate 65 years since the publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, academics gathered at the museum in Pembroke Street to discuss the life and legacy of novelist and Oxford resident CS Lewis.

Among them was Judith Wolfe, a former Oxford University student and lecturer in theology and the arts at the University of St Andrews specialising in CS Lewis’s novels. She was joined by Brendan Wolfe, editor of the Journal of Inklings Studies, an academic journal on the Oxford literary circle known as the Inklings that included CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

Story Museum spokesman David Gibb said: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a heavyweight of children’s literature.

“The idea of walking through a portal into an adventure world has shaped lots of children’s books since then.

“It was a really successful event, really busy and a really nice way to celebrate the anniversary.”

At the end of the evening, the speakers themselves got a chance to ‘step into the wardrobe’ at the Story Museum’s newly-refurbished Narnia exhibition.

Isabella Anton, a 21-year-old graduate student at Oxford Brookes University who toured the exhibition, said: “I thought it was amazing; really interactive and really nice for all ages. Those books are from my childhood.”