London Christian Heritage Walk

Here are the walkers on the London Christian Heritage Walk that I led today from Bermonsdsey to Trafalgar Square.

Our route took us from Southwark Cathedral (tomb of Lancelot Andrewes, one of the translators of the King James Bible), to Fen Court in the City (the memorial to the abolition of the slave trade opened by Desmond Tutu in 2007), to St Helen's, Bishopsgate (the oldest City church, scene of a weekly bible-based ministry to hundreds and twice the victim of IRA bombing) and to St Mary Woolnoth, close to the Bank of England, where John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, was the vicar.

After a coffee break, we slipped into Wesley's Chapel (left) on City Rd, just before a bride arrived for a wedding, admired his statue with its slogan, 'the World is my Parish', and crossed the road to Bunhill Fields where 123,000 dissenters are buried, among them William Blake, Daniel Defoe, and John Bunyan.

The latter's tomb has pride of place, showing, on one side, pilgrim struggling under the weight of the burden of sin and, on the other, pilgrim set free, with his burden having fallen off at the cross.

Next we successfully negotiated the complexities of the  Barbican Highwalk to see the flame-shaped memorial to John Wesley's  conversion in 1738, close to the modern Museum of London, and the location of our group photo at the top of this post.

In the main hall of the museum, we were delighted to see the exhibition on WW1 giving pride of place to this photo of Grenadier Guardsmen proudly testifying to their roots.

After lunch in the museum grounds we went via St Paul's Cathedral to Victoria Embankment Gardens and Whitehall Gardens to see statues of Robert Raikes (inventor of Sunday schools), Michael Faraday (one of our greatest scientists and a keen Christian) and William Tyndale (first translator of the New Testament in English and the martyr who died praying 'O Lord, open the King of England's eyes.').

A quick glance at Oliver Cromwell outside Parliament, clutching a Bible and a sword (is that right? You decide), and it was off to Westminster Abbey to see the statues of the ten twentieth century Christian martyrs on the west front of the building.

Twentieth century martyrs at the Abbey

We were nearly at journey's end, but not before we had the chance to admire the wonderful vista which runs the length of the national gallery and culminates with Cima da Conegliano's Incredulity of St Thomas. 

It's as if everything in the gallery points to the Risen Lord Jesus, just as all the people we have considered in London's rich Christian heritage have also, in word, and deed - and sometimes in giving their very lives - have been witnesses or signposts pointing to Him.