Sanctuary From The London Rain In The Most Sacred Of Places
I was out and about in Central London on a mission on Saturday afternoon. My plan was to do the 3 parks walk, by that I mean I was going to start off in St James Park, then walk to Green Park and finish off at with a wander around Hyde Park.
And if my legs made it that far, there was a pub in Notting Hill that I was going to pop into for a few drinks to help make my legs forget about how tired they were. I had the directions memorized in my head, which was probably not a good idea, but getting lost one more time in London is just one more adventure waiting to happen.
The weather wasn’t too bad when I ventured forth from Kilburn, but just as I got off the tube at Westminster it started to lash down with rain. I did what anybody with sense does in such a situation, I sought sanctuary from the rain.
St Margaret’s church, which is situated on the grounds of Westminster Abbey is a place, which I have walked past countless times but had never been into. So in I went for a wee wander around. I’m sure God wouldn’t mind a wet traveller coming in for some shelter from the rain.
I find Churches great places for reflecting and contemplating in, as well as for getting away from the hustle and bustle of life. Even though St Margaret’s is a wee gem of Church it wasn’t over run with tourists, which was surprising. Considering it’s free, in the centre of London and it was raining.
St Margaret’s Church, which is as beautiful a building inside as it is from the outside. It may not be the largest church or most famous church in London, but it is definitely worth popping in for a visit. Even though it is free, I always personally make a small donation or buy something from the shop at such places.
St Margaret’s Church has fair bit of history behind it. It was founded by Benedictine monks in the 12th century, as a simpler place of worship for the local people, as opposed to the mammoth and less intimate Westminster Abbey, next door.
Oliver Cromwell “Lord Protector” use to worship at St Margaret’s, Winston Churchill was married there and Sir Walter Rayleigh was buried there in 1618. You can feel the history of the place oozing out of every corner and crevice of the building.
I took a pew and soaked up the history of the Church, but it all went horrible wrong as a noisy coach load of tourist arrived and messed up the quiet ambiance of the place. That was my signal to get out of there.
I had lost interest in doing the three parks walk, so I indulged in one of my favourite pastimes, which is strolling around central London not heading anywhere in particular. After a couple of hours strolling an Angel descended from the sky and told me to go and visit the “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” pub. It sounded like a good idea as I was getting kinda thirsty and in need of some liquid refreshment.
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