Hertfordshire Rambles
As a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster working in an urban parish, it's easy to forget that the diocese includes not only the bustling metropolis - most of London north of the Thames - but the more peaceful County of Hertfordshire.
Benson has left his mark on the house - especially in the carvings that decorate the staircase (instruments of the Passion, family arms, monograms, etc), the Priest's hiding hole that he designed and his tapestry of the Quest of the Holy Grail (now kept in an upstairs room). Benson's chapel is outside, now derelict. Compare my photo with a drawing of it in its prime:
Yesterday I spent a happy day roaming round the Hertfordshire countryside. My first stop was St Edmund's College, Ware - now a very successful independent Catholic school but, between 1793 and 1975, the site of a seminary that originated at Douai in 1568 and is now situated at Allen Hall, Chelsea. Here you can see the magnificent Pugin chapel:
The College (which was part school and part seminary) claims among its alumni 20 canonised saints, 133 beati, a posthumous holder of the Victoria Cross (Everard Aloysius Lisle Philipps - he has to be Catholic with that name - who died in action during the Indian Mutiny), Sir Edward Henry (a pioneer of fingerprinting) and hundreds of priests. Members of staff have included Ronald Knox and Fulton Sheen.
There are many distinguished tombs in the church, including Francis Cardinal Bourne, Archbishop of Westminster between 1903 and 1935:
and the Vicars Apostolic Bonaventure Giffard (1642-1734) and Benjamin Petre (1672-1758). They lived at a time when bishops and priests were no longer dragged to Tyburn for a gruesome death but still suffered many legal penalties. Indeed, Giffard was imprisoned in Newgate for two years (1688-90) and often had to go into hiding. Especially in the light of the recent gay adoption controversy and the attack on the Church's right to teach a God-given doctrine that contradicts the secular world view, I wondered whether in my lifetime we would see a return to 'penal times,' albeit under a modern guise.
and the Vicars Apostolic Bonaventure Giffard (1642-1734) and Benjamin Petre (1672-1758). They lived at a time when bishops and priests were no longer dragged to Tyburn for a gruesome death but still suffered many legal penalties. Indeed, Giffard was imprisoned in Newgate for two years (1688-90) and often had to go into hiding. Especially in the light of the recent gay adoption controversy and the attack on the Church's right to teach a God-given doctrine that contradicts the secular world view, I wondered whether in my lifetime we would see a return to 'penal times,' albeit under a modern guise.
I was particularly pleased to pop into the chantry chapel founded for the suffrage of the soul of Edward Scholfield (which happens also to be my father's name, though without the 'l'):
We then went to the tiny village of Hare Street. After lunching in Chestertonian fashion at the Three Tuns, we paid a quick visit to the country residence of the Archbishops of Westminster - a particular favourite with Cardinals Bourne and Hume and the place of Cardinal Hinsley's death in 1943.
The house was given to the diocese on the death of the great convert writer and preacher, Mgr Robert Hugh Benson, in 1914 (author of Lord of the World, Dawn of All, Come Rack! Come Rope!, etc) . As well as being occasionally used by the Cardinal, priests are able to visit the house for short stays and support groups - though not many do. The house is a bit of an Edwardian tardis, substantially untouched since Benson's time, but full of character and guaranteed to provide a good night's sleep - unless, of course, you sleep in the room that is supposed to be haunted, as I did on my first visit!
Benson has left his mark on the house - especially in the carvings that decorate the staircase (instruments of the Passion, family arms, monograms, etc), the Priest's hiding hole that he designed and his tapestry of the Quest of the Holy Grail (now kept in an upstairs room). Benson's chapel is outside, now derelict. Compare my photo with a drawing of it in its prime:
A more recent memorial chapel lies a short distance away, where Benson is buried. I booked myself in for an overnight stay in May - and I can't wait!
posted by Fr Nicholas at 12:01 am
2 Comments:
I'll see what I can do. Unfortunately the museum at St Edmund's was closed - though I've seen it a few times before. We have many of Challoner's papers in the diocesan archive - perhaps I'll do a post on them in the meantime.
Interested also to hear of Etloe House in Leyton.
Hebdomary - thanks for your comments. Many Catholics were buried in the graveyard of Old St Pancras, apparently because the church was believed to have been one of the last places in London for Holy Mass to be publicly celebrated at the Reformation. Moreover, the foundation goes back to St Augustine.
Glad you're an admirer of RHB, Mary Jane!
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