Leigh Hatts

The July calendar features several saints associated with pilgrimage: St Thomas Becket, St Swithun and St James. At the end of the month comes St Martha’s Day on 29 July. Since 2021 this day is now designated as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus who shared a home in Bethany where Jesus was […]

Gatton church is promoting itself as a pilgrim church with an open day fundraiser on August Bank Holiday Monday 31 August. Although very close to the path, the ancient church is easily missed being hidden in the Gatton Park. Pilgrims walking Stage 6 from Box Hill to Merstham pass through Gatton Park towards the end. […]

This year St Swithun’s Day will be extra special in Winchester where St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church is celebrating its centenary. In July 1926 The Tablet newspaper reported that the church was opened on ‘the Feast of St Swithun’. This year the Mayor of Winchester and guests from the cathedral and local churches will gather […]

On Sunday the church of St Thomas in Salisbury marked the coming Translation of St Thomas Becket Day early with its annual Rose Petal Sunday. The church’s patronal festival was kept with a choral Eucharist of St Thomas presided over by new curate Carly Taylor who was celebrating her first Mass following ordination at the […]

The Translation of St Thomas Becket falls on 7 July marking the moving of the saint’s body from Canterbury Cathedral crypt to the shrine in the main church in 1220. This was always a much better attended occasion than the anniversary of his martyrdom on 29 December. Monday 6 July Cathedral: 5.30pm First Evensong of […]

Ancient St John’s church in Medway’s riverside Halling will be keeping its patronal festival with an open evening. Wednesday 24 June is St John’s Day when the church is opening from 6-9pm offering free refreshments and a chance to have go at bellringing. The village has long been on the Pilgrims’ Way as it maintained […]

Soon there will be handy PW waymarks found along the route. The plan is to start in places where they are most needed -for example where the PW is not over the same ground as the North Downs Way. If there are any places where you have briefly felt confused let us know in the […]

This is the 75th year for the Bart’s Summer Fair at Otford. It was first held in Festival of Britain year 1951 when Abram Games designed the village’s guide book cover. He had been responsible for the official Festival emblem, known as the Festival Star. Otford in Kent is where the Southwark and Winchester arms […]

In 1162 St Thomas Becket was consecrated bishop in Canterbury Cathedral on the Sunday after Whitsun having been ordained priest on the previous day. He subsequently promoted that Sunday as Trinity Sunday annually ahead of its universal adoption under Pope John XXII in 1334. Pope John also introduced Corpus Christi on the Thursday after Trinity […]

Henry Beaufort was made a cardinal 600 years ago this week: May 1426. If you start your pilgrimage at Southwark Cathedral you see his shield with its red cardinal’s hat in the south transept. But if you are setting out from Winchester you find his magnificent tomb alongside St Swithun’s shrine. Bishop Beaufort is depicted […]