Family catch up day

Today we explored around where Geoff's Mum was born, grew up and got married. We took the tube to Finsbury Park and walked up to Montem street where she was born. The town seemed a bit more downmarket. Every second shop seemed to be selling fresh vegetables. It seems a very multicultural area. The land that was still vacant from bomb damage the last time we visited has now been built on.

Next we went a few blocks to where they were married. It was a Congregational church then but in the fifties it was sold to the Catholic Church. It was built in 1864 to seat a thousand people at a time. At this time it was just an empty field as the new subdivision was only just beginning. It is now called St Mellitus and is very cosmopolitan.

After this we called in to a coffee shop and had a drink. The Brits have really embraced Sunday cafe brunches! Then we walked down to the park that Geoff's mum would have played in and probably courted in as well.

Then it was onto our first bus and we travelled to Crouche End where we were meeting Geoff's cousins Janet and Sue.

We had lunch with them in a lovely old pub. We had a delicious baked dinner with yummy Yorkshire pudding. It was lovely to catch up with the family and they seem to want to see us again before we leave. Geoff was able to swap family history research with Janet's daughter Annette which was good

Upon their recommendations we caught a double decker bus back to Central London. We rushed upstairs to get the front seat and to relieve childhood memories! It was fun

When we got back to Hoborn we explored around Lincoln's Inn at Holburn. It is one of four Inns of court to which barristers in London belong when they are called to the bar. It was established in early 15th century and is enormous. It is situated opposite Lincoln's Inn field which is a lovely open park well used by Londoners.

Not far from here is the Royal Courts of Justice. It too was enormous. It was built in the 1870's and it houses the Court of Appeal and High Court of Justice of England and Wales

We found St Clements of 'Oranges and Lemon's fame but it was shut. It is known as the church of then RAF and had memorials to RAF WW II leaders

 

Our final event for the day was to worship at All Saint's at Langham Place.It is an amazing experience. Apparently by the 1950's there was hardly anyone coming and the diocese was going to sell it to the BBC for a concert hall. That was before John Stott took over the reins. John Stott was a very remarkable Christian leader with an international reputation. John came to the church as a child and he was to spend more than 50 years as Curate, Rector and then Rector Emeritus in a remarkable ministry here.

There must have been 1000 people worshipping tonight- every colour under the sun. The music was superb. Nothing like a thousand voices praising to the backing of an orchestra! The teaching was encouraging and insightful. A moving experience all round!