Category: A Bird’s Eye View

Plymouth, England (#19)

by Debra Conley

One of our favorite train stations in London is the Paddington Station, home to the famous fictional story character, Paddington Bear. It was here that the lost bear from Peru was found sitting on his suitcase by the Brown family. There was a note attached to the stuffed animal which read, “Please look after this bear.” So the Browns adopted him, named him after the train station where they had found him, and his adventures in London fill the books. Of course, tourists can purchase all manner of Paddington Bear souvenirs at this station.

A three hour train journey from Paddington takes us to Plymouth on the far west coast of England where one of its most beautiful natural harbors still captures much history. From the Hoe (a Saxon word meaning “high above the sea”) and the lighthouse on its crest, the harbor view of Plymouth Sound is spectacular. Chronologically, the history begins in 1577 when Sir Francis Drake set sail from here on his three year voyage around the world. In 1588, he again left Plymouth Harbor to meet the Spanish Armada which the English soundly defeated. Sir Walter Raleigh left from here on his New World voyages. In 1919, the U.S. Navy seaplane NC4 touched down in Plymouth Harbor after making the first Atlantic Ocean air crossing.

A small group of Pilgrims from the town of Scrooby, seeking religious freedom in the New World, set sail in 1620 on the Mayflower. There is a memorial and plaque at Plymouth Harbor honoring those who included William Bradford. Born in Yorkshire, he spent most of his growing years in Scrooby, England, with like-minded Puritans. After landing in America, the  new site was promptly named Plymouth; Bradford became its longest serving the Governor. His diary, Of Plymouth Plantation, details the strong Christian foundation these brave people sought to establish in America. The diary is in striking contrast to newer histories which downplay the real reason for the Mayflower Pilgrims’ decision to leave their homeland in search of religious freedom.

Take time to visit the Mayflower Centre, a small museum with the history of the Pilgrims and their voyage. If the weather then was anything like it was the day we visited Plymouth, I can completely understand anyone who decided not to board a small vessel headed for the huge sea swells we could view just across the bay. It was miserably cold; the winds were gusting enough to sweep water up onto anyone standing at the harbor ledge.

Walking away from the harbor onto the narrow brick streets you can see houses which literally hang over the street from above. Houses were built narrow at the bottom because taxes were levied on the size at ground floor, but as the additional stories were added, they extended each another foot or two. From the street level looking up, you may not even see the sky between houses that meet each other on the third floor.

It was in Plymouth that we found great little “junk” shops and used book stores. Fish and chips are always better when eaten right at the shore and a good hot cup of English tea slakes the chill.

Narrow Streets of Plymouth

View from the Harbour

Mayflower departs from here 1690

Fish & Chips!

Oxford England (#18)

by Debra Conley

Maybe you would not recognize the brand name of a car from Morrison’s Garage in Oxford, England. But if you’ve ever driven an MG, then you know the reference. Yes, the MG (now part of BMW) was the first economy car made in the garage of William Morris. Or the name Oxford itself, which came from the Anglo-Saxon words Ox + forda, meaning where the oxen cross the road. Oxford saddle shoes (ones that indicated an equestrian) originated here, as did the Oxford shirt, a particular weave of cloth made to last throughout one’s years at the University.

Oxford University was founded during the French and English dispute over the martyrdom of Thomas Becket (1170 A.D.). Gerald of Wales lectured in Oxford to numerous scholars and masters who subsequently organized a school along the lines of the University of Paris. There are 39 colleges within Oxford University, including the Magdalen College where C.S. Lewis studied and wrote. The Bodliean Library is one of the largest in the world with nearly 10 million volumes. It, like the British Library, receives a copy of every new book printed. When you visit Oxford, take the Red City Sightseeing bus (hop on and off for $20 all day) which stops at all notable places and provides constant narration. The town is too immense to see on foot.

Our history takes us to two memorable spots in Oxford. The first is the Martyrs Memorial which stands amid the busy town center on the main road. Here Bishops Ridley, Latimer, and later Cranmer were burned at the stake for refusing Bloody Mary’s return to Catholicism. About two blocks down St. Giles Street from the Memorial is the Eagle & Child pub where C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and other aspiring writers met to discuss their works.

An interesting tidbit: James Murray (the OED Editor) had helped Alexander Graham Bell understand electricity while the two were neighbors in Scotland (Bell was much younger). In appreciation, Bell sent Murray his first working telephone prototype as a keepsake. At the time, Murray was living in Oxford. He thought little of the strange, mostly wooden object and parked it in his attic. When WWI soldiers occupied the town and quartered in his home during a very cold winter, they burned everything in the attic for firewood, including Bell’s original telephone model.

Notable graduates include John Wyclif, William Tyndale, John Foxe, John and Charles Wesley, C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Edward Gibbon, Reverend Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll was his pen name), and Winston Churchill.

The Eagle and Child

Martyrs Memorial

Edinburgh, Scotland (#17)

by Debra Conley

It’s impossible to leave Scotland without mentioning a few interesting highlights that enrich our visit with fascinating trivia. For instance, the Greyfriars Church of Edinburgh was the first church built after the Reformation. In 1562, Mary Queen of Scots, donated the land to be used for a burial ground. The original Gothic building soon followed, but it was blown up when the Town Council’s gunpowder supply, stored in the tower, caught fire. The oldest known example of the town’s coat of arms still can be seen above the original surviving doors. We visit the church to view the Martyrs Monument (1706) commemorating Covenanters killed during the 17^th Century.

The Scone of Destiny is a rock large enough and shaped in such a way that one may use it as a chair. Found in the Scottish town of Scone, this rock was first used by Kings of Scotland as their coronation throne. It was thought by many to grant special powers of leadership. Edward I confiscated it after defeating the Scots and William Wallace. It remained in English possession until 1996. By agreement, the Stone is returned to Westminster Abbey for each coronation.

Then there are the many Scotsmen without whom our modern technology would be sadly lacking. Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), Baird (television), Fleming (penicillin), Dewer (vacuum tubes), Carnegie (steel magnate), a host of authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns, and my favorite, the First Editor of the complete Oxford English Dictionary, James Murray.

Edinburgh still sports many kilts and Scottish fabrics. Most of us confuse plaids and tartans. The Tartan is the actual design or weave which creates a distinctive pattern often signifying a particular clan or family. Plaid refers to the length of cloth (the old Gaelic word plaide means blanket) made of the Tartan design. Many times the design is also made to mingle with the clan’s surrounding geography and acts as a natural camouflage.

Haggis? Neeps? Black pudding? Yes, they are real and they’re not that bad! The trick is to eat without asking what’s in it. Haggis is the unofficial national dish of Scotland and is made by using chopped liver, heart, and lungs of sheep boiled in its stomach lining. It is usually served with neeps, which is no more than a tasty version of mashed turnips. Black pudding (not the English blood pudding) is pig’s blood sausage. Not so good. What I can recommend is anything marked shortbread!

Walter Scott Memorial

Greyfriars Church

Edinburgh, Scotland (#16)

by Debra Conley

Our primary focus in Edinburgh is on the life of John Knox, the Reformer who fought Mary, Queen of Scots, for the right to form a new church outside of the state established church (churches are called Kirks in Scotland). On the Royal Mile of Old Town Edinburgh is John Knox’s home and his church, St. Giles Cathedral.  St. Giles is open weekdays for visitors and the only charge is for taking pictures (2 pounds). This spectacular Cathedral has been renovated only for safety so what you see is as it was in Knox’s day with few changes. The original pulpit is there among many of the church’s original baptismal fonts, chalices, and other service items.

Knox was buried in the church yard which was later paved over to make parking for the church services, but his place is marked at parking spot # 23.   Almost directly across the street from the church of this great preacher stands a statue to one of the most anti-Christian humanists of his day, David Hume. What a sad commentary that the Scots consider these two men worthy of equal honor.

The home of John Knox is open for tours (3 pounds) and while it contains artifacts of his life, it is somewhat commercialized. Next to the house is the little unassuming church front of the Carrubbers Christian Center, which D.L. Moody proposed and financed while preaching in Edinburgh. A few blocks off High Street at the Grass Market Square, you can view the memorial to those executed for their religious fervor.  The peculiar name comes from the place having been a grazing spot for livestock while the owner was in town.

There’s also the now famous Rosslyn Chapel about a 30 minute bus ride from Edinburgh. Docents quickly point out that not one shred of evidence has been uncovered there to substantiate Dan Brown’s claims in his book The DaVinci Code, but they are most grateful for the flood of tourist money from the curious. What is interesting are the walls which are completely covered with carvings of the Knights Templar, the Masons, and even the faces of the builders and caretakers. It’s like a crypt with everyone’s eyes open!

John Knox House

St. Giles

Edinburgh, Scotland (#15)

by Debra Conley

Robert and James Haldane caused the independent Baptists to flourish in Edinburgh. The Charlotte Baptist Chapel was named after Queen Charlotte, husband of George III of England (House of Hanover, Germany) 1760-1820. Charlotte was Princess of Mecklenburg, Germany, but the English and Scottish alike adored her for her fine manners and for the culture she promoted, especially in music, botany, and science. James Haldane pastored Charlotte Baptist Chapel and preached there in the early 1800s.  Robert, according to Bible Society Principal John MacLeod, was responsible “more than any other man that the Apocrypha was ousted from our English Bible.”¹ On our most recent visit to the Chapel, we sadly noted that the name Baptist is no longer prominent in the services.

Rose Avenue, the street just behind the Charlotte Baptist Chapel, is chock full of indigenous restaurants and pubs, and separates the Old Town and its view from the New Town. Along the main dividing street called Princes Street one can view the original town’s fortress castle on the hill while taking in modern shop window displays along the New Town side. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of Old meets New. A beautiful park separates the two  sections and contains the huge monument to Sir Walter Scott, author of The Waverly Novels, Ivanhoe, and numerous other historically embellished histories of Scotland.

There’s always a bagpipe playing on Princes Street and enough Scottish Terriers for a dog show. Pipers play while their dogs hold the hats for your change. If you have to ask directions, the Scots are extremely polite, but be ready to listen carefully because the brogue is thick. Always come dressed for cold, damp days, remembering that Edinburgh is on 56 degrees North Latitude, the same as the middle of the Hudson Bay in Canada. As if that weren’t enough to bring out the woolens, remember that the North Sea is just at the end of the street!

Robert Haldane

James Haldane