33 Unthank Road
Norwich, Norfolk NR2
1624 BST
Must catch up a bit as last night was spent in travel until very late indeed, and then I have had to catch up on some sleep before heading over to Little Walsingham tonight.
Thursday the 8th was mostly spent in enjoyable but unremarkable pursuits involving the last bits of clothing replacement. I deeply regret spending any money to enrich the execrable Mr. Al Fayed, but unfortunately Harrods did have an easily findable selection of American boat shoes in ladies' sizes so that I could replace my L.L. Bean ones at twice the cost. (Not Bean's or Sperry's, sadly, but a close Timberland approximation.) Much happier was the recovery of my suit thanks to the talents of Matthew Leonard of Jay Leonard & Co. in the City. For any peeps who may be looking for very conservative, very well-cut suits in black, blue, or dark grey for less than you might expect, look up their web site. They do men's suits as well.
Friday the 9th was taken up during the day with a trip to the parish church of St. Magnus the Martyr in Lower Thames Street.
If you don't see this sign, you may never find the door to the church!
One interesting London phenomenon is that parishes have notice boards somewhere near the church where the local councilman's name is listed and so forth. A lot of times, vestry minutes are posted as well, and can make for interesting reading.
West door is under the arch to the left.
Looking along the east-west axis from beyond the east wall.
I actually took this from about the 4th floor of an office building, out on the mezzanine. The round windows have an amusing history - originally they were deep arch-type windows like you expect to see in churches, but 17th century sound pollution was a problem. Apparently the constant stream of obscenities coming from fishwives on this side of the church disturbed the congregation. The windows on the other side are still "normal" shaped.
"Inexplicable splendor at St. Magnus the Martyr"
Mystery Worshipper: Civilized Engineer
The church: St. Magnus the Martyr, Lower Thames Street, City of London
Denomination: Church of England
The building: Made semi-famous by former usher T. S. Eliot ("walls of Magnus Martyr hold/inexplicable splendor of Ionian white and gold"), it is stunning on the inside and unremarkable on the outside. The church, which used to stand prominently on the approach to the old London Bridge, has now been completely enveloped by the buildings and overpasses of the modern City. Like many other City churches, it burned in the Great Fire and was rebuilt. Then, in the early 20th century, it was "spiked up" considerably to, in the words of the rector, "make it look as if the Reformation never happened." The polychrome statue of St. Magnus, complete with horned helmet and battle axe, is really something to behold.
The cast: Celebrant: Fr. Philip Warner, rector (with Roman-style chasuble and biretta), and one adult acolyte (in cassock with a very lacy surplice.)
The date & time: Friday, 9 May 2008, 12:30 PM
What was the name of the service? Low Mass
How full was the building? Congregation of 5.
What were the exact opening words of the service? "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
What books did the congregation use during the service? Laminated card with the congregational prayers and responses printed on it - they assume you know what you are doing!
What musical instruments were played? None.
Did anything distract you? Not at all. It was fabulous.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what? Nosebleed high, but not really spiky.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven? Fr. Warner can say a good mass, for sure. The whole thing was good.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place? This wasn't during the service, but it was a pain to find the church in the first place as it is almost invisible.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)? 10. 11. Fits my churchmanship, and the rector is a really great guy. It is worth the trip into the City for anyone in Greater London.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? Absolutely.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time? Smelling incense from outside the building.
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