London and Beaconsfield

On Wednesday morning, we caught a bus to London, where flags were beginning to be arranged in preparation for the Olympics.  We saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and then paid a visit to Westminster Abbey.  The nave was beautiful, lined with chairs marked with the crests of the different aristocratic households, and ending with intricately carved arches that let in a golden light. The Poets’ Corner housed the graves of many prominent English authors, including Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Dickens and Kipling.

Next we stopped by Westminster Cathedral which has striking mosaics in the side chapels. 

We took a quick peek into the Brompton Oratory, the Oratorians church in London.  It was quite spectacular!

To complete our tour of London’s Churches, we dashed off in search of St. Dominic’s Priory.  It took us a while to hunt down – it’s quite off the beaten track, down a side street of old apartments.  It was definitely worth the trek, though!  There was a beautiful side chapel dedicated to each mystery of the Rosary.

Fr. Richard Conrad had most graciously (especially at such late notice) arranged for us to stay the night with the Dominican sisters in Ealing.  Taking the train there, we passed rows of English city houses.  They made me think of C.S. Lewis’ Magicians Nephew, with the connected attics. 

The sisters kindly welcomed us into their home, heating up some dinner at chatting with us around the kitchen table.  There were four sisters living at the house at the moment.  Unfortunately, the state of religious vocations in England is suffering.  The congregation these Dominican sisters belong to has a scarcity of young vocations, and with so many aging sisters in need of nursing care, they will have to close their London house next year.  Hearing this, we realized how extremely fortunate we were to be able to visit them when we did and to witness their inspiring hospitality (as just one example out of the many small ways they showed their welcome, they had placed vases of freshly cut flowers in both of our rooms). 

In the morning, we awoke to the sounds of a sister’s singing.  We joined them in their simple breakfast, while Sr. Tamsin Geach (daughter of Elizabeth Anscombe!) regaled us with tales of her childhood and adolescence. 

Going back to the center of London, we visited the Church of St. Ethelreda, which was the first cathedral in London to be restored to the Catholics after the Reformation.

Next we visited the National Gallery, which has an amazing collection of paintings of artistic gems.  We especially enjoyed the medieval and Renaissance paintings. 

Next stop: Beaconsfield, home to G.K. Chesterton in his later life, after he left the bustle of London.  It was a small town, but rather spread out, so it took some searching to find Chesterton’s gravestone.  His house was quite charming (from the outside; now it is in private ownership, so we didn’t get to see the indoors).  Note the slightly largish doorways.

 

As the bus from London drove back into Oxford, it almost felt like coming home, seeing the familiar streets after the hubbub of the big city.