A party of Franciscans will be welcomed to Canterbury Cathedral this afternoon at 3pm in the eastern crypt where St Thomas Becket’s body was first laid in 1170. The occasion will recall nine penniless friars arriving at Dover in September 1224. After it had been established that they were not ‘robbers or vagabonds’ they were […]
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If it rains on St Swithun’s Day it will rain for forty days says the popular rhyme. The fortieth day is St Bartholomew’s Day Saturday 24 August. Pilgrims’ Way The Pilgrims’ Way has a church dedicated to Bartholomew found at Hyde Abbey on the edge of Winchester. St Swithun’s shrine is in Winchester Cathedral. Another […]
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if you are setting out on the Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester this weekend you will find it’s St Swithun’s Day. On Sunday, being the eve of St Swithun’s Day, the First Festal Evensong of St Swithun at Winchester Cathedral is at 3.30pm. The St Swithun’s Day choral evensong, attended by all Winchester canons, on Monday […]
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Friday 12 July is the 850th anniversary of Henry II visiting Canterbury for the first time after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket four years earlier. In 1174 the 12 July also fell on a Friday. The king, who had decided on his penitential pilgrimage only six days earlier, landed at Southampton from Normandy. Some […]
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Briefly Kent’s Darent valley has a touch of Provence with swathes of purple. Lavender is now found in fields alongside the Pilgrims’ Way between Lullingstone and Shoreham. This is the heart of Samuel Palmer’s ‘veil of heaven’ countryside although he never saw the lavender which was planted just 25 years ago. On the way from […]
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The popular Watts Galley Tea Shop on the Pilgrims’ Way is closed this week Monday 1 July to Wednesday 3 July. This due to improvement works starting on the kitchen. From Election Day Thursday 4 July a pop-up café will open on the Gallery lawn whilst the Tea Shop will be open for coffee and […]
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Starting shortly this month there will be an occasional diversion on the Pilgrims’ Way above Charing in Kent. The route does not pass through the village which is downhill to the south. Just before the turn off it will be necessary to divert right down to the main road where there is a pavement. The […]
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Cream teas are available every Tuesday during June at Upper Froyle Church. Upper Froyle is a handy stop between Alton and Farnham. The church has a rare dedication to the Assumption of Our Lady, a collection of Venetian vestments and a modern Pilgrims’ Way window.. The village is known for having statues of saints attached […]
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Quality Street in Merstham, which has links with the Quality Street play and bow fronted houses as on the sweet tin, is on the Pilgrims’ Way. Immediately afterwards you cross high over a surprise motorway to St Katharine’s Church which is offering overnight sanctuary in its hall. This is just one of several places where, […]
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A stamp is now available at The Bull on top of Shooters Hill for those carrying a pilgrim passport. The hill is 8 miles out of London and has a spectacular view back to the city. The Bull, a CAMRA star heritage pub with a grade II listing, dates from 1881 and is the successor […]
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