S MICHAEL, STEWKLEY, BUCKS You don’t see many complete Romanesque churches of any size in England, unlike France. Iffley may come to mind; Stewkley is another of this small band, dating from the third quarter of the 12th century. [...]
Arthur Middleton on Remembering Memory Memory enables us to retain information and reconstruct past experiences usually for present purposes and is one of the most important ways by which our histories animate our current actions and experiences. It can [...]
Alan Townsend explores ecclesiastical needlework In his sermon at All Hallows, Gospel Oak (New Directions September 2020) Bishop Jonathan Baker referred to the fixtures and fittings aiding our witness to the crucified and risen Lord. It was in the [...]
John Gayford considers St Mark in light of Western Biblical Scholarship and the Coptic Tradition The place of St. Mark’s Gospel in the Canon of the New Testament has never been challenged, though his Gospel was considered as being [...]
Thurifer is fascinated by the aristocracy In 1873 Lord Rosebery heard Charles Spurgeon preach at the City Tabernacle, Islington “every seat crammed, every sound hushed, every eye eagerly fixed upon one central figure, the effect is sublime,” he noted [...]
Ann George joins her brother in the search for a sewing Madonna “Now you must promise to do exactly what poor Fred tells you to do, and never leave his side for an instant.” I looked at my brother’s [...]
Art Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace This is a show created by covid-19. During lockdown the Buckingham Palace Picture Gallery is being ‘reserviced’ and its highlights are on show in The Queen’s Gallery. The individual paintings often come out [...]
Christopher Smith is looking for the light I always give vent to a slight obsession of mine at this time of year, which is a close observation of the incremental improvement in the length of the day. I am [...]
As this issue of New Directions goes to press we are in the midst of the third national lockdown. This lockdown has differed from previous lockdowns as the government have made an exemption for places of worship, allowing them to [...]
Driving slowly into the tiny Norfolk village of Edingthorpe, Siegfried Sassoon brought the car to a stop and parked by the crossroads. It was August 13th 1937. Much had happened – notably the Great War - in the forty years [...]