The Saints of Woking

It's time for one more entry about my day out with Marion. I've already written about our visits to Newlands Corner, Shere, and Guildford. Our next stop requires a bit of background. Earlier this month I wrote about St Dunstan's Chorus, which performed in St Dunstan's Church. Behind its altar are the 4 patron saints of Woking's earliest churches still standing today. From left to right we have...



St Lawrence (Chobham),



St Peter (Old Woking),



St Nicholas (Pyrford),



and St Edward (Sutton Park).



I had walked to 3 of the 4 churches back in September as part of Heritage Open Days. (See "The Road Less Traveled" and "Blame it on the Postcard," both from 11 September.) That left only St Lawrence's in Chobham, so that is where we went.



Our final stop was at Marion's church - St Paul's - where a prayer center with various stations had been set up in the sanctuary for Holy Week. It was a nice way to end a wonderful day. Thanks, Marion!

BST

That would be British Summer Time. We "sprang forward" in the wee hours of the morning, and are once again 5 hours ahead of Baltimore. Today sunrise was at 6:41 am, and sunset will be at 7:32 pm. In the dead of winter our days were 90 minutes shorter than at home (ugh - it was awful), but the crossover took place around the start of spring, and now they're already 15 minutes longer. Can't wait to see them just before we come home in late June!

Portsmouth

We arrived at Portsmouth Harbour by train, an easy journey from Woking of less than an hour and a half. To the northwest of the Spinnaker Tower (see the very conveniently located train station?) lies the Historic Dockyard, full of ships and museums.



Set in the heart of the country's most important naval port, its star attraction is HMS Victory - Lord Nelson's flagship at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar and the site of his infamous "Kiss me Hardy..." dying words when victory over the French had been secured.



To the southeast of the Spinnaker Tower lies Old Portsmouth.



From the Square Tower of 1494...



...to the Round Tower originally built by Henry V (r. 1413-1422), we walked along the old fort walls that overlook the water.



We even got up close and personal with the English Channel. It was cold! (That's also what I said when we visited Dover with Shelly - see entry from 5 November. This time we were with Dawn - Dave's colleague from Loyola who was here for the week.)

Spinnaker Tower

It's one of those newer attractions that definitely has a "wow" factor. Opened five years behind schedule (2005) and way over budget, the Spinnaker Tower is the tallest publicly accessible structure in the UK (170 m). There are 3 observation levels, with a portion of glass floor on the lowest one.



You can stand on the ground looking up at the glass...



...or you can stand on the glass looking down at the ground.



Several years ago, it took Dave a long time to venture onto the glass floor of the CN Tower in Toronto. (He and heights don't get along very well, and it is 553 m tall.) This time there was just a brief pause.



The views are great. This one looks across Portsmouth Harbour to the Isle of Wight (in the distance), which is easily accessible by ferry (in the foreground).



Our visit was on Easter Monday - an official Bank Holiday here - so there was even a special guest appearance by Spinny!

Guildford

In contrast to the small village of Shere, Guildford is a large town and the county seat of Surrey. (But it's still only a town. Repeated applications to officially become a city have been turned down every time.) As it is readily accessible by train and bus, I hope to return to the area later and explore it further. However, on my day out with Marion (19th March), we simply wanted to visit the cathedral. The Diocese of Guildford was formed in 1927 from part of the Diocese of Winchester. The foundation stone was laid in 1936, but World War II brought construction to a standstill, so the cathedral was not completed and consecrated until 1961.



The general consensus is that the interior is more attractive than the exterior, and I agree. I've gotten rather spoiled by the centuries of history over here, and many of the newer attractions just don't have that same "wow" factor for me. But there are exceptions....

Shere

After stopping at Newlands Corner, Marion and I headed into Shere. It has been described as the prettiest village in Surrey, but I'm afraid my pictures don't do it justice. Some of the half timbered cottages date back to the 14th century - this might be one of them!



Even the old prison remains, with bars on the lower right window. Redecoration is allowed inside these historic buildings, but changes to the exteriors are not.



St James' Church took its original form in about 1190.



Christine Carpenter - The Anchoress of Shere - was granted permission to live an enclosed life at the church in 1329. The site of her cell is marked by a plaque on the outside wall.



Inside the church, copies of the original documents from the Bishop of Winchester are mounted on the north wall of the chancel. Through the squint window (right), the anchoress could see the altar, and through the quatrefoil (left), she received the Communion elements of bread and wine.



I don't think that's a life I could lead! Before moving on to Guildford, Marion and I took a final look at the Tillingbourne stream in the heart of the village.

Newlands Corner

I met Marion in February at an ecumenical Lenten Bible study held in our church. The next evening I recognized her across the room in the soprano section of St Dunstan's Chorus during rehearsal. Marion offered to show me some of her favourite local sights, and I readily accepted, so last Wednesday was our big day out.



Our first stop was Newlands Corner. It's part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and was nationally protected as such back in 1958. With many different marked footpaths, it becomes a very popular area for walkers and picnickers in warmer weather.

Sunrise Service

We had an early start on Dave's birthday. About 35 of us gathered at frost covered Sheets Heath Common for a 6 am Easter service. (The time hasn't changed here yet.)



As you can see, everyone was bundled up and prepared for cold weather.



Fortunately, the air was still and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful way to begin the day!



We then returned to church for a full Irish breakfast. Delicious! But no Guinness this time.... On our walk back to the flat a light snow was falling. Given that on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, each day saw one or more brief hail storms, this was a very nice change of pace!

An Easter Birthday

The last time Easter fell on March 23rd was in 1913, and the next time will be in 2160, so this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Happy Easter Birthday, Dave!

Good Friday

Churches Together in Woking is a Forum which meets 4 times a year. Its primary goal is to serve both the liturgical and the practical needs of the community. Members of all local denominations participate, including Church of England, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, and United Reformed.



Every year on Good Friday, the Salvation Army Band leads all who want to follow them from Commercial Way...



...to the Town Square. Upon arrival there are short prayers and messages, and lots of singing.



The praise band was sheltered in the white tent, and just beyond it stands Christ Church. That is where free coffee, tea, and hot cross buns were available at the end of yesterday's service. Some people also wore bright yellow badges to show that they were willing to answer any questions about Christianity, either in the square or in the church. I thought it was all nicely done - an open opportunity, but in no way pushy.

St Patrick's Day

We knew there was no way we could close down the Irish pub in town tonight, so we decided to open it up instead! Sure enough, we were the first customers in the door shortly after 10. But there were at least half a dozen others there when we left an hour later.



As an added incentive, each Irish breakfast ordered before noon today came with a free pint of Guinness. Dave is always impressed by the shamrock that the bartender forms on the head of the beer....



Dave's favourite beer is now Guinness Red - a test product available in a limited number of British pubs only. And because of that, O'Neill's is now his favourite pub!

Eight Weeks Later...

This is not just any passport - it's mine. Immigration took almost 8 weeks to review my case, and the passport arrived by registered post yesterday. I have now officially been granted 6 months leave to enter. But I'll be home in just over 3!

St Dunstan's Chorus

St Dunstan's Roman Catholic Church is just minutes from our flat. The church has its own active music program and choir. In addition, St Dunstan's Chorus (www.stdunstanschorus.org) is a seasonal group open to the entire community - the only requirements are that you enjoy singing and can carry a tune. Weekly practices began in January and culminated in a March concert, which was last night. A statue of St Dunstan stands to the right of the chancel...



...and this is how the chancel itself normally looks.



Now imagine it filled with over 100 people! Rows of chairs surrounded the altar, people sat on the steps, and the first 2 rows of pews were even turned around to accommodate us. We sang The Crucifixion by Sir John Stainer, and Ecclesia Aeterna by William Hayward (our organist for the evening). The latter was commissioned especially by the Chorus to mark the closure of this building, so it was a bittersweet night for many of the people singing and listening. This summer the church community will move to its new location a short distance away. After that, the old building of 80+ years will be knocked down and replaced with a new block of flats just a stone's throw from the train station.

British Library and Museum

Yesterday was my second visit to each one since we've lived here. The British Library (www.bl.uk/everyone) moved to a separate location in 1998. The building was designed by Professor Sir Colin "Sandy" Wilson (1922-2007), whose more recent work included the addition to the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester (see 7 March entry).



In September I spent most of a day touring the major exhibition in the Pearson Gallery - Sacred. This time I visited the permanent exhibition in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery - Treasures of the British Library. Among the items new to me were handwritten music and song lyrics by Mozart and the Beatles, notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare's First Folio, and longhand drafts by Jane Austen. Some of the sacred texts I had admired before were there as well, such as Codex Sinaiticus and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Magna Carta is undergoing restoration work until July, but the best preserved copy of the 4 remaining originals (from 1215) is actually on display in the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral, and we saw that one in November. Being in tourist mode, it's easy to forget that this vast space is also a working library!



The British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org) was established in 1753. It opened to the public in 1759, and the first phase of today's quadrangular building was completed in 1852.



After the library relocated in 1998, work began on the Great Court, and it opened in 2000. The entrance to the west galleries (shown on the left) leads to some of the most famous rooms and items, such as Ancient Egypt, the Rosetta Stone, and the Parthenon Sculptures. I had visited those last month on a Thursday night, when the museum stays open late.



This time I strolled through the rest of the rooms, and was amazed at how many more people were around on a Friday afternoon! There are free short "eyeOpener" gallery tours throughout the day, so at 14:00 I took advantage of a 40 minute introduction to "Art of the Middle East" in Room 34 (The Islamic World). There are also more extensive guided or audio tours available for a fee.

A Puzzling Week

Gale force winds battered the western and southern coasts of Great Britain near the beginning of the week. We were also treated to several days of strong wind and heavy rain around here. It was the perfect opportunity to stay inside and pull out one of my Christmas presents....



Putting 1000 pieces together was very enjoyable. We've been to some of the sites pictured around the edges, and the map itself made for an excellent geography lesson!

Chris is on a Problem Solving Team at Woking College. Last month they took first place in their area heat of the 2008 Surrey Schools Problem Solving Challenge, and that advanced them into today's regional final. The goal is to solve "an unusual and motivating engineering/science problem, using very simple materials and working against the clock." This time each team had to design and build a wind-powered crane. Chris and his mates enjoyed tackling such a puzzle, and they finished in the top half of the contestants.

Dave? His research is always puzzling....

World Day of Prayer

It always takes place on the first Friday in March. This year the "World" aspect was much more real to me, knowing that between the 2 services here in Woking, my church back home was hosting the service in our area. I don't know what the weather was like in Baltimore today, but on my final Sunday back in January, it was beautiful. This is what Havenwood Presbyterian looked like that day - from the outside after worship...



...and from the inside before worship.



After a rainy start, it cleared up very nicely in Woking today. The morning service was held at The Salvation Army Community Church. This brand new building was just dedicated in January. Did you know that The Salvation Army was founded in the East End of London in 1865 by William Booth? It is a denomination within the Christian Church, but has also become one of the largest voluntary social work agencies in the world.



As expected, attendance was higher in the morning than in the evening. Prepared by Christian women of Guyana, the service was titled "God's Wisdom Provides New Understanding," and it was well received by all who were there.



The evening service was held at Woking United Reformed Church, which is our congregational home through June. (This picture was taken last fall, and features in the "Woking URC" blog entry from 14 October.)



To make the service as international as possible, I was asked to be one of the readers, so I gladly participated. Karen was another reader in our "discussion" of Job. She also made the beautiful flower arrangement that graced the Communion table. It includes palm branches, because palm trees play an integral part in the lives of Guyanese people. In addition, the ribbons match the colours of the country's flag, and the fruit is native to Guyana. Well done, Karen!