A Sunday in London - April 2025

On our Sunday in London, we got up early to attend Mass at my mother’s favorite church, St. Etheldreda. It is a small but beautiful Catholic church that dates from the 13th century. It is dedicated to Etheldreda, the Anglo-Saxon saint who founded the monastery at Ely in 673.

It was the chapel of the London residence of the Bishops of Ely (we visited Ely Cathedral in 2018). In the early 17th century it served briefly as an embassy chapel for the Spanish Ambassador, and a haven for English Catholics. This surprised me because I was told that St. James Church, Spanish Place in Marylebone housed the Spanish Embassy but perhaps that was slightly later.  Surprise - I found a book on a shelf in the hallway outside the church, all for £1 each.

Next we visited St. Bartholomew the Great, an Anglican church nearly as hard to find as St. Etheldreda and nearly as old. It is located in the meatpacking district because Bartholomew is the patron saint of leatherworkers, bookbinders, plasterers, butchers, tanners, and shoemakers. Or did they locate there because of the church? I should have asked while I was there! The church was founded in 1123 by a jester from the court of King Henry I after a near death experience and a vision from St. Bartholomew instructing him to do so. It is the oldest parish church in London and is so picturesque that it is used as a backdrop in many movies, including Four Weddings and a Funeral. The church was preparing for an 11:00 am service so we had to dodge the choir and a bevy of ministers as we wandered about but saw most of what there was to see.

St. Bartholomew the Great

The London Marathon was taking place today so I was worried about traffic but we took two buses, which took a while but was fun, somewhat retracing our steps from southwest to northeast, to reach Kenwood House, a beautiful stately home on the edge of Hampstead Heath. I remembered how much I had liked its café on my previous visit so that was our first stop and I was rewarded with a very large slice of Victoria Sponge and some much needed tea. We toured the house, and enjoyed chatting with a father and daughter who had visited Boston. The father’s first job had been as a gardener on the Hatfield House estate, so he appreciated that we had been there and told us stories about the current Cecil family. He was a JFK fanatic and had visited Hyannis (not much to see there except a small museum, unless one is hosted by the Kennedys or sees them at the local Catholic church). 

Kenwood House

The Zucchi ceiling of the Adam (designed) Library

During my previous visit to Kenwood House, I had admired the famous 1778 painting of Dido Belle brought up with her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray (she was born into slavery in the British West Indies but her father, a British naval officer, brought her back to England with him, and his uncle, Lord Mansfield, brought her up with another great-niece). In 1764, Lord Mansfield commissioned Robert Adam, an illustrious architect and designer, to remodel Kenwood House    After touring the house, we explored the grounds which are beautifully landscaped and were being enjoyed by hundreds of families, and walked a ways into Hampstead Heath before catching another bus and retracing our steps to the hotel.

I had set my heart on having a traditional Sunday roast for dinner but decided my original choice was just too far away when we were tired. We wound up at the Black Rose, several blocks from our guest house for dinner, which I instantly regretted despite good reviews online. The place was a madhouse of football fans and it was hard to get a table, let alone place an order. We stayed out of lethargy so witnessed euphoria when Liverpool clinched the Premier League title with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The win secured Liverpool's 20th top-flight league title, equaling Manchester United's record. This marked their second Premier League title and a historic moment for the club, which had been waiting 30 years to win the title again (I am sorry to read there was an incident at the team's parade/celebration). We enjoyed the win vicariously but wished my two older nephews who follow British football were with us. The food was good, especially the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.

This post is out of order - I have now returned to Boston.