I took a spring walk in England recently.
Staying in the town of Stevenage, north of London, gave me a chance to stroll its avenues.
Birds sang, the green fields of England stood on each side, and vivid flowers popped up to say hello.
It was lovely!
I hadn’t heard birds singing with such abandon in a long time.
I felt charmed and paused just to take in the music!
How different, though, from my spring walk in northern California?
It felt more like a stroll than a hike.
Especially when I reached an ancient church!
St. Nicholas Church on a spring walk in England
St. Nicholas was Stevenage’s ancient parish church.
As the website explains:
The Saxon church on this site was replaced by a Norman one in about 1100 AD. The only remaining part of this is the great, thick-walled flint tower which houses a ring of eight bells. The church structure has been partially rebuilt so many times that it is a patchwork of nine centuries.
It feels that way inside, but also surprisingly modern against the ancient stones.
Coming out of The Avenue and seeing it made me feel outside of time.
I visited the church a few days after Easter Sunday, and a kind churchwoman invited me to come in.
It was beautiful inside, but also cleverly updated to meet today’s media needs.
I laughed at the contrasts!
Reflecting on the old
I sat before the altar and prayed for a few minutes.
It felt so rich to sit in a spot where people have prayed for at least 900 years.
The week after Easter, on a beautiful spring walk in England, gave me a chance to breathe deeply and relax.
Here, my fellow Christians had worshiped our God for a long time.
Eventually, I got a small tour.
And marveled at how the church community has flourished for many years.
A grave marker on the floor, the ancient pew stalls, and the baptismal font.
Then there was the belfry
I thought of Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Tailors when I saw the belfry!
While I have read novels about bell ringers, I have never imagined what the ropes looked like.
They were hung high on that day, but obvious.
My tour guide happily described how they worked.
My attention, however, turned to the steps leading up!
They were very old.
I put my foot on the worn bottom step, but skipped the rest to simply admire their age.
Happy, many ringers had climbed them over the last 900 or so years?
Plenty.
Oh, and bats live up there, too.
The church visit included a stop to look at the graffiti.
Who knows how long ago someone scratched pictures into the ancient stones?
Finishing the spring walk in England?
I left that ancient church feeling contented.
It’s a busy, alive congregation — and they even have a book table!
(If only I’d brought a book with me!)
I ambled back down to The Avenue, and heard more bird song, spied squirrels, and colorful flowers.
I’d hoped to see a bunny or two, but they weren’t out at 10 in the morning that day!
The spring walk ended, as many do in rural England, at a memorial WWI cenotaph.
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?