I'm at Southwark Cathedral in South London next to London Bridge. I worshipped here on Good Friday ten years ago and so it felt like I had returned to some place familiar (a bit, sort of, maybe...familiar).
The famous work of Geoffrey Chaucer, "Canterbury Tales" had its fictional start from this general location of London, near Southwark Cathedral. The premise of the Tales was that Pilgrims were traveling in the Middle Ages to Canterbury to visit the shrine of the martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Beckett who was murdered by King Henry II.
I was in Canterbury the other day and from what I can see, the Canterburians have a Cottage Industry, no, a Major Industry in encouraging pilgrims today to the Canterbury Cathedral and the actual site of the murder. Been there. (See my blog of the other day.)
In the Tales, the Pilgrims walk to Canterbury a few days south and each Pilgrim is to tell a tale or two. (Actually the Tales are never completed, sort of like St. Pepper's Album which begins with a full premise and never fulffills it.) So, I asked the guides at Southwark if some of the Chaucer family were members of the parish at one time. I was certain that I had read that Chaucer's uncle worshipped there in Southwark. That question was considered by the guides like no one had EVER asked it before.
After a bit of a rambling history, kind of like what I am writing, it was decided that most certainly there might have been a cousin thrice removed from Chaucers aunt who may have worshipped there, perhaps.
That's about as far as my primary sources went in ascertaining correct historical verification.
It is for certain that Shakespeare worshipped here a bit and if I were on the Southwark Cathedral Foundation I would have signed him up for a Foundation Gift. Alas, I doubt he did sign up. But he gets a statue, there in repose, which makes one wonder if that was the position in which he wrote all the time.
Dead Kings. Dead Clergy. Wealthy benefactors...all of them get their due in this or that chapel or a marble slab which gernerations trod upon as they tour this massive, wonderful cathedral.
The founder of Harvard University was baptised in Southwark in 1607. And they had a Harvard Chapel (Go Crimson!) I imagine Southwark would like a small portion of Harvard College's endowment.
Once again, upkeep for this wonder is expensive and so the faithful, like myself were charged four pounds. If you wanted to take pictures, it was another 2.50 pounds. I'm a responsible guy and paid both and they gave me a barcode sticker that looks like it would be on your vegetable purchase at Whole Foods. I stuck it on my chest and walked all over the Cathedral, secure in the knowledge that I was legal and also rather smug (as lots of folks were surreptitiously snapping photos and selfies with the Shakespeare statue.) I waved my camera around like it was a military flag...I had PAID!
A couple other benefits of having paid, and a lack of tourists...the guides and I got into long discussions (well THEY got in to long discussions...actually THEY just rambled and rambled and didn't listen to me but I just kept on smiling cause I had paid for the photo bar code and I wore it proudly on my chest.) Plus, and this is another continuing theme of my travels, and with my recent experiences it is one close to my heart....I got access to the very nice toilets at the cathedral. The guide punched in the code to the keypad to the Men's Room and I was admitted. I imagine these are a bit more posh than in Chaucer's day. The facilities in his era were probably across the street under London bridge.
It takes very little to keep me happy.
Here's what I like about Southwark Cathedral....it is jammed right up against the beating heart of the city of London. Across the steet is the fabulouss and tastey Borough Market...sort of the North Market in Columbus, on sterioids. Spent quite some time there.
And right there is London Bridge, which basically is a bridge that is in London across the Thames. It doesn't look iconic like the Tower Bridge down the way but it is a main artery in the city.
I like a church, that doees not necessarily sit high on a hill and not involve itself with the riff raff of the city. That term is a subjective one and from what I can tell, it applies to us all.
Thanks be to God.
Peace, Bob
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