Here is a belated report on our weekend in Gloucester.I’d been there before – as have Carter and Laura - and the Cathedral acoustic was amazing and so I suggested it for one of Dad’s cathedral projects. Finding hotels for these outings is an extensive effort because we have to take in to consideration the price, availability, locale (has to be within walking distance of the Cathedrals), and of course, the “charming” factor.
We ended up at The New Inn which is really old – 1300’s. It was a stable, pub, inn and still has a courtyard and prides itself in its variety of ales. We told them to give us a good room and ended up with the “Oak Room.” Our room had the lion, you can see in the picture, right outside our window. It was paneled with oak and was a little scary because the floor creaked and kind of went downhill from one side of the room to the other. It was one of those “wonky” half-timbered houses. (The bed also went downhill.) When you looked at the armoire, at the bottom it was about 12 inches from the wall, but at the=20top it was about 6 inches from the wall. I don’t know if it was the armoire, the floor, or the wall that was crooked.
From our room you looked out to the courtyard and could actually watch everyone getting drunk. We were right over the pub and when you were in the bathroom you were privy to private conversations going on downstairs. Rather than luxuriate in our historical “digs” (evidently Jane Grey was there when she learned that Bloody Mary had taken the throne from her) that night, we planned ahead and got tickets for a movie about Liverpool at an arts cinema.
From our room you looked out to the courtyard and could actually watch everyone getting drunk. We were right over the pub and when you were in the bathroom you were privy to private conversations going on downstairs. Rather than luxuriate in our historical “digs” (evidently Jane Grey was there when she learned that Bloody Mary had taken the throne from her) that night, we planned ahead and got tickets for a movie about Liverpool at an arts cinema.The New Inn was right around the corner from the Cathedral and so we went in to look after we got our movie tickets. It was easy to spend an hour or longer there looking at everything. Edward II is buried there. They tell us in the guidebook that he was suffocated, but didn’t mention how the hot poker slid up his rectum that his wife and others used to kill him. I guess if you’ve got a monarch buried at your cathedral you want to put the best face possible on it.
There is a little chapel off the Lady Chapel that pays tribute to all of the musicians that worked there, Sumsion, Howells, and Ivor Gurney. They were really modern stained glass windows and I wish the UCA choir could have seen the Howells window when we were there. Another chapel has new windows that are all in blues that depict the doubting Thomas story – really beautiful. Every nook and cranny in these cathedrals have something to look at whether it’s a tomb, misericord, painting, window, sculpture etc. and the mixture of old and new makes it really interesting.
There was a little place to write a note and leave it for the preacher to read in the prayer at Evensong and dad left one for Jack and his upcoming surgery. (We are always lighting candles for everyone so I hope you are feeling the benefits of those!)
There is a little chapel off the Lady Chapel that pays tribute to all of the musicians that worked there, Sumsion, Howells, and Ivor Gurney. They were really modern stained glass windows and I wish the UCA choir could have seen the Howells window when we were there. Another chapel has new windows that are all in blues that depict the doubting Thomas story – really beautiful. Every nook and cranny in these cathedrals have something to look at whether it’s a tomb, misericord, painting, window, sculpture etc. and the mixture of old and new makes it really interesting.There was a little place to write a note and leave it for the preacher to read in the prayer at Evensong and dad left one for Jack and his upcoming surgery. (We are always lighting candles for everyone so I hope you are feeling the benefits of those!)
We finally decided to get something to eat and we went to Lily’s Tea Room right across the lane from the Beatrix Potter shop. I discovered that there is a museum upstairs and the little man who ran the shop was very excited to tell us all about it. If you look at the illustrations in “The Tailor of Gloucester”, you can see the shop and other Gloucester landmarks depicted.
Since we were so close to the cathedral we decided to go back for Evensong. It was very moving when we heard the woman vicar mention Jack in her prayer. It reverberated throughout the church. We went and shook her hand afterward and said thank you.The next morning we went back to Eucharist. I decided to get a blessing while everyone else got the wafer and wine. As in various other cathedrals, they tell you in the program to take it up with you and you will just receive a blessing.
Like most every one we’ve heard here, the sermon was very insightful and thought-provoking. The choir sounded great and I actually saw some of the boys outside playing soccer after the service and they let me take their picture.We hopped back on the train and were back to the centre in time for our own Evensong.
Love, Mom/Becky
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