Last week when I was volunteering at Attingham Park Mr C visited Shrewsbury and whilst he was there he noticed the ‘Knife Angel’ in the square. This reminded me that I had been meaning to visit the Angel in Shrewsbury, but with other things going on I had forgotten about it.

The following day Mr C suggested that after lunch we visited Shrewsbury so that I could see it. We drove through the town to get to our car park of choice. As we passed the square we saw that the ‘Angel’ had flown and was no longer there. I later found out that earlier in the day it had returned home to the British Ironwork Centre.

We quickly formulated ‘Plan B’, a visit to Shrewsbury Abbey. We had been in the Abbey on two previous occasions, one for the inauguration of the Cadfael window and then a few years later for the Easter Sunday service.

We enjoyed our visit, learning about the current architecture and the original extent of the abbey before parts of it were destroyed. There are several interesting tombs including one for Richard Onslow, former speaker of the house of commons who died in 1571.

When we had finished exploring the Abbey it was too early to go home so we dropped by the Riverside Inn at Cound where we enjoyed a glass of something cool and refreshing sitting on the terrace overlooking the river and the Wrekin beyond.

After lunch on our first visit to Wappenshall Wharf we drove to Birmingham to get another stamp in my Cathedral passport. Parking in Birmingham became a challenge. Many roads are closed due to work on the HS2 and neither the diversion signs or the in-car SatNav were able to help navigate the mess. We ended up going round in circles. Eventually we found a way to our usual car park but our afternoon challenges did not end there.

We arrived at the Cathedral to find a service was about to start. This wasn’t obvious before entering the Cathedral. We decided to leave and come back later when the service had finished. This was our third attempt at getting my passport stamped. On the first occasion the Cathedral was locked due to children practicing for  a concert. We were advised by a teacher waiting outside that the practice session had overrun. On our second attempt we were able to enter the Cathedral but there was no-one around that could help with a passport stamp or the purchase of a guidebook.

On this, our third attempt the only church official available after the service was in deep conversation with a member of the congregation. As we waited we noticed some (passport?) stickers and a guidebook on the the ‘Welcome Desk’. I applied a sticker to my passport, paid some money and took the guidebook.

All was not lost, I enjoyed seeing the artwork ‘The New Nativity 2025′. The New Nativity Set was commissioned by Birmingham Cathedral to weave together the stories of the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, the heritage of Birmingham, the stories of the cathedral community, and the needs of the world.

I left the Cathedral feeling unfulfilled with the uncomfortable feeling that (after three attempts) the Cathedral Church of St Philip was not welcoming me…

Sadhguru

The land that Hartlebury sits on was granted to the Bishop of Worcester by King Burghred in the late 9th century, although the foundations of the building that now stands here is believed to date back to the 13th century. Since that time it has been a centre of ecclesiastical and administrative power in Worcestershire with its resident bishops involved in some of the major events of British history.

Hartlebury Castle tells the story of the bishops of a major see and their evolving role in English society, from political and military guardians of a frontier with Wales to active participants in political decision making in modern times. They number a pope (Clement VII) who played a key role in precipitating the establishment of the Church of England; Bishops Latimer and Hooper, Protestant martyrs of the Reformation; and Bishop Hurd, friend to King George III and creator of the Hurd Library.

When the Church of England put Hartlebury Castle up for sale in 2007 local villagers joined together to form a Trust to preserve the castle and its stories:

Hartlebury Castle stands as a timeless testament to over a millennium of history, bearing witness to the stories of 112 bishops and countless others who have called it home. From its origins as a Castle, to its varied roles as a manor house, prison, hospital, and sanctuary, Hartlebury Castle has endured the ages.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Statue was cared by Sir Jacob-Epstein during 1934-5 from a block of Subiaco marble. It was given to Coventry Cathedral at the wish of Lady Epstein and dedicated on 22 March 1969.

ECCE HOMO represents Christ before Pilate with his hands bound and a crown of thorns upon his head. *

*quoted from a plaque beneath the statue