Today Wednesday 30 November is St Andrew’s Day which was a very special day on the Pilgrims’ Way at Botley Abbey, where there was a relic, and at the very last church before Canterbury Cathedral.

Arriving on foot in Canterbury to visit Thomas Becket’s shine in the Cathedral before the Reformation you would not have missed the turning in the High Street.

Straddling the road immediately beyond the Mercery Lane left turn was St Andrew’s Church.

In 1794 it was pulled down and rebuilt a few yards south to open up the main road. In 1956 the 18th-century church made way for the NatWest Bank. You can see the entrance where the cash machines are now.

The original church marked the end of the High Street with the wide street continuing behind the church as the Parade.

The first St Andrew’s Church was a Norman building, served from St Augustine’s Abbey, and known to Thomas Becket. Look on Hotter shoes shopfront for a plaque.

Today there will be a said Eucharist in the Cathedral’s St Andrew’s Chapel at 12.30pm and Evening Prayer will be said in the Crypt at 5.30pm.

But St Andrew’s Day was never been one of Canterbury Cathedral’s principal feasts. On 30 November the Cathedral would have been looking forward to the next day, the Vigil of the Return of St Thomas. The second day of December is the anniversary of Archbishop Becket’s return from exile to his cathedral in 1170.

This year on Return of St Thomas Day Friday 2 December the cathedral will be open with free admission from 2pm until Choral Evensong at 5.30pm. This will also mark the removal of covers and scaffolding on the 500 year old Christ Church Gate where pilgrims enter from the street. Restored and vibrant repainted carvings to be revealed will include the arms of Archbishop Becket.

Southwark Cathedral has been strengthening and highlighting its links with Canterbury Cathedral to which it sends pilgrims.

Last Saturday the Friends of Southwark Cathedral completed their pilgrimage to Canterbury after a delay of two years.

Southwark Cathedral, being the starting point for many pilgrims, planned the walk for the Thomas Becket anniversary year 2020. But Covid forced postponement.

The pilgrimage has been undertaken in stages starting last winter.

On Saturday, after lunching at Harbledown, the group walked to St Dunstan’s, the last church before Canterbury.

Inside the pilgrims were able to obtain a stamp for their Pilgrims’ Way passport and view the burial place of St Thomas More’s head. The saint’s head was last seen displayed on the Southwark end of London Bridge in 1535.

The Dean of Southwark, the Very Revd Andrew Nunn, joined the group for the entry into Canterbury at the West Gate.

On reaching Canterbury Cathedral there was a welcome from Canon Emma Pennington, who has responsibility for pilgrims, followed by tea and cakes served by the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.

A talk on the cathedral’s history, with an emphasis on St Thomas, was given by Canon Howard Such who is both an honorary minister of Canterbury as well as an honorary canon of Southwark.

After attending choral evensong the group received a pilgrim blessing from Canterbury’s Canon Andrew Dodd who is a former Area Dean of Southwark.

The day ended with a visit to the site of the Shrine of St Thomas.

Earlier the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, had spoken about pilgrimage when being interviewed on BBC Radio 4.

‘Pilgrimage starts with somebody feeling compelled to set off towards a destination and that starts as an individual response. But the beauty of pilgrimage is what happens along the way. You have companions along the way and in that companionship…things are discovered about yourself, about others. There is an encounter and … you feel part of a community.’

He added: ‘Southwark is the home of pilgrimage.’

London Bridge has long been the start of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

This weekend it also becomes the start of the pilgrimage to Walsingham.

The Norfolk village holds the restored shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham which is a replica of her house in Nazareth.

Southwark Cathedral on London Bridge’s south end is the established setting out point for those walking the Pilgrims’ Way.

St Magnus the Martyr at the north of off the bridge will the setting out point for Walsingham.

The pavement of Old London Bridge ran under the porch of St Magnus. The chapel of St Thomas Becket in the middle of that crossing is depicted in a window at St Magnus.

Indeed Canterbury pilgrims may wish to visit St Magnus to see not only the window but the large scale model of Old London Bridge. It was its southern gateway, locked at curfew, which gave rise to pilgrims sleeping in Southwark inns in order to get en early start in the morning for Shooters Hill.

The first day’s objective for the Walsingham pilgrim will be Waltham Abbey.

The guidebook has been written by Andy Bull who, with help from the Confraternity of St James, is responsible for reviving the Walsingham walking route. At present there may be an increasing number of pilgrims to Walsingham but very few arrive on foot.

There are plans for a pilgrim passport with stamps available along the route which eventually will be waymarked.

London to Walsingham Camino by Andy Bull (Trailblazer, £17.99)

This summer a small but fascinating display of medieval pilgrim badges can be found just inside Southwark Cathedral’s main entrance opposite the river.bc weather

Included are three 14th-century Thomas Becket badges, one being an ampulla, and a 15th-century example.

A rare find is a Boxley Abbey badge depicting its famous rood which had moving figures operated like puppets. Pilgrims from Southwark to Canterbury would have stopped at Boxley shortly after crossing the River Medway.

Today little remains of the abbey which is now a residence.

But the pilgrims still divert to an alternative lower route at Boxley as if still visiting the abbey which had accommodation. Now pilgrims walk through a vineyard above the monastic site to Boxley village which has an ancient church opposite a pub.

Also in the display are badges from Rocamador in France, Chester, Willesden and Windsor (for Henry VI who was nearly proclaimed as a saint.)

The badges are on loan from Colin Torode of Lionheart Replicas.

Admission to Southwark Cathedral is free.

The hidden Franciscan Gardens in the centre of Canterbury is maturing year by year as its restoration continues.

An interesting feature is the meadow next to Greyfriars Chapel which straddles a braid of the River Stour. The grass remains uncut all summer allowing a cycle of flowers to appear.

Winchester Cathedral is keeping St Swithun’s Day Friday 15 July with a Festal Eucharist.

The service begins at 5.30pm. The setting is Stanford in B flat and the preacher is The Dean.

On the following day Saturday 16 July the annual Friends of Winchester Cathedral Evensong is at 4.30pm and will include a procession to St Swithun’s Shrine.

The guest preacher is the author and priest Fergus Butler-Gallie.

Both services will be broadcast live via the cathedral’s website.

The Translation of St Thomas of Canterbury falls on Thursday 7 July and will see the usual pattern of services familiar before Covid.

The Translation marks the moving of Thomas Becket’s body from the crypt to the shrine upstairs on 7 July 1220.

Eve of The Translation Wednesday 6 July

5.30pm First Evensong of the Translation at Canterbury Cathedral.

7.30pm Annual Commemoration of St Thomas More at St Dunstan’s Church (on PW) in Canterbury. Speaker: Past Law Society President Linda Lee.

Translation of St Thomas Thursday 7 July

8am Eucharist at Altar of Swordpoint at Canterbury Cathedral.

12 noon Mass at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Church in Burgate. Streamed live via website.

5.30pm Solemn Evensong and Procession at Canterbury Cathedral. Streamed live via cathedral website.

8pm Roman Catholic Sung Mass in Canterbury Cathedral Quire.

‘Oh Nice, splendid,’ was the Queen’s reaction when told that the Elizabeth Line will go to Abbey Wood.

Crossrail, to be known as the Elizabeth Line, will be a help for many walking the Pilgrims’ Way in stages.

The eastern end of the Elizabeth Line is Abbey Wood Station which is close to Lesnes Abbey. For many the abbey is the halfway destination on day two out of London.

Trains leaving Abbey Wood will pass through central London within minutes and reach Paddington in under half an hour

The line opens on Tuesday 24 May and will at first operate Monday to Saturday.

Directions from station: Turn right out of the station and go down steps to walk along the shopping street. Go left into Abbey Road, passing under a bridge, and right into New Road. Just after Monks Close (left) turn left into Lesnes Abbey grounds.

Directions from Lesnes Abbey: Leave the abbey grounds by passing Lesnes Abbey Lodge (right) and follow the path ahead to New Road. Go right to turn left into Abbey Road. Pass under the bridge to go right into the shopping street (Wilton Road). At the end either go up the steps or take the lift to the station entrance.

Arresting posters in the London Transport tradition have been produced to promote travel to PW stations in the Darent Valley.

The posters are by designed by Tim Higginson using scenes by Kit Boyd.

They were commissioned by the Darent Valley Community Rail Partnership which brings together SouthEastern, Thameslink, Community Rail Network, Railtrack and Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme to promote local rail travel.

The Eynsford poster shows the viaduct which pilgrims pass under between the village ford and Lullingstone Castle.

The Shoreham picture owes much to artist Samuel Palmer, who roamed the valley’s countryside at night, and includes a reference to the rabbit he met and drew.

Otford is promoted with a delightful interpretation of the famous view across the only roundabout pond to the church and palace.

Posters are being sold at Bat & Ball Station but to register an interest in buying posters online contact the Partnership.

NOTE: The Partnership decided from its formation to use the name Darent for the valley rather than the more confusing Darenth Valley. The River Darent flows through Otford, Shoreham, Lullingstone and Dartford to join the Thames.

Geoffrey Chaucer supposedly started on his pilgrimage on 18 April in 1387.

On the walk into Canterbury from the West Gate to the cathedral you pass his statue.

Opposite is Eastbridge Hospital for pilgrims whose first master was Becket’s nephew Ralph. Today his successor is a Franciscan.

Next to the Hospital, and opposite the Weavers’ House, is an easily missed shop. This is the access to the little-known Franciscan Gardens which have reopened this Easter.

The first Franciscans, or Greyfriars, arrived in Canterbury in 1224, just four years after the Translation of St Thomas to his new shrine in the cathedral and fifteen years after the order had been established by St Francis.

In the centre of the garden and straddling the river is the Greyfriars Chapel built in 1267. It was probably at first another pilgrim dormitory. Today there are second hand books on sale on the ground floor below the chapel.

Upstairs the Anglican Eucharist is celebrated every Wednesday at 11am as the water flows under the little building.

On its south side there is wildflower meadow and on the north, where the chancel of the community’s church stood until 1544, is a ‘symbolic love garden’.

The £6 admission charge is part of fundraising to complete urgent conservation work.

However, during National Lottery Open Week, Monday 21 to Sunday 27 March 2022, entry is free entry to visitors who show a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard at the entrance.

Anglican Franciscans are now in residence and it is hoped that the garden will have further matured for the 800th anniversary of the arrival of the first Franciscans in two years’ time.

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