Friday, February 17, 2017

Churches And Pubs



England used to be known as Mary's Dowry because it had such a wealth of religious houses and churches dedicated to Our Lady and it still does. Two of those churches are Southwall Minster and St. Mary the Virgin, Nottingham.


Southwall Minster

The Minster isn't far from Nottingham and you can visit the monumental Norman church after reassuring yourself that Sherwood Forest does, in fact, exist. As I understand it, Cardinal Wolsey stayed at the Minster during his fall from grace and doubtless sat on one of the remarkably well preserved 14th century misericords in the quire. 


Chapter House

Parliamentary horse were also barracked in the church at the end of the Civil War and miraculously didn't smash up the interior in a fit of puritan zeal. After marveling at the stonemasonry in the Chapter House, you can fall back to several pubs. 


The Admiral Rodney

The Team favored the Admiral Rodney, with its cosy fireplace and big bang for the buck ploughman's lunch. What a good pub, check it out if you're in Southwall.


St. Mary's

St. Mary the Virgin in central Nottingham isn't shabby either, a soaring perpendicular gothic church with fine Anglo-Catholic revival altars. I imagined the liturgies that took place in the sanctuary and chancel, with their quiet power to lift heart, soul and mind to God in conjunction with the architecture of the place. 


Mary Chapel

It's high, literally, and invites the soul to ascend to its creator. For now, the incense, plainsong and choreography of the ancient Western Rite have gone. Perhaps, one day, all this will return, along with the rough and ready natural catholicism of the English themselves.

High Church

Uplifted by St. Mary's, stroll over to Nottingham castle. Yes, like Sherwood Forest, there is one, and visit the Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which claims to be one of the oldest pubs in England. Then, as you drink your pint(s), have a go at the pub's famous ring and horn game, in which you attempt to swing a brass ring onto a horn attached to the wall. 


LSP on the Olde Trip

It took me a few goes but after a while the right ballistics chart fell into place and the ring found its target. Have a go, don't be shy, and feel absurdly pleased with yourself if you achieve the objective.


A Typical Unicorn

Speaking of ring and horn games, the venerable Church of England has rejected a report by its bishops stating that marriage is something that's confined to men and women. I'll resist the temptation to accuse the Church of England's Synod of being taken over by rainbow riders, unicorn wranglers and dhimmwits.

God bless,

LSP

12 comments:

GruntOfMonteCristo said...

Whoa. Beautiful spires, LSP! At least the bishops gave it a try. Welcome back, Parson!

LL said...

I'm glad that you and Jules are having a good time, mixing it up in the shadow of Sherwood Forrest. The churches are magnificent and the pubs are ageless. There's a pub in Yorkshire that my great-many greats-grandfather drank at before he immigrated to the US in 1816. He was a bridge builder. The pub still exists and is not nearly as old as the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.

LSP said...

Thanks, Grunt. Beautiful churches and the pubs were neat too!

LSP said...

We had a blast, LL, and it was neat to see Nottingham and surrounding countryside. I'd never been there before, oddly. Love those old pubs... too bad Texas doesn't have any, for all its greatness.

Brig said...

What beautiful churches! I am glad that you had a good visit, though you are a much beloved Texan now!

Differ said...

If you have time the church of Sts. Peter & Paul in Olney, Buckinghamshire, is a classic pre-reformation English spired church which boasts John Newton as a former pastor.

Infidel de Manahatta said...

Beautiful churches. And not a liturgical dancer in sight!

LSP said...

They are beautiful, Brig. Wish we had some here... still, I love Texas.

LSP said...

Thanks, Differ, next time.

LSP said...

Infidel, I know. I didn't see one. What's wrong with these people?

Jules said...

You did a good job in Ye Olde Trip. If I remember correctly you even won a sticker! Result! :)

LSP said...

I was pretty happy about that sticker, Jules. What a neat old pub.