Christianity
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The mystery of time, space and God
When Rev. Michael Rogers moved earlier this year he told me that he needed to get rid of many books as there wouldn’t be room for them in his new home. So I decided to pop round to the...
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Sights that dazzle
When John Ernest Bode’s daughter and two sons were confirmed in 1866 he wanted the service to include a memorable hymn. Presumably because he couldn’t find one which was quite good enough, he decided to write his own. The...
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The preacher who surprised the people of Ilfracombe
In the entire history of the Church of England there has only been one father and son who have both become Archbishops of Canterbury – Frederick and William Temple. Although Frederick was born in Santa Maura, in 1821 when...
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On visiting the Exeter deanery
In the year 1501, 16 year-old Catherine of Aragon was en route from Spain to London where she would marry Arthur, the eldest son of King Henry VII. She stayed at the Exeter Deanery, close to St Mary Major...
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Saint Guénolé and the unbroken thread
On a recent visit to France, Sheila and I visited the ancient Abbey of Landévennec, south-east of Brest. The abbey was founded late in the 5th century by Saint Guénolé who, like us, also came from Britain. He was...
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The genius of Henry Francis Lyte
Last month I wrote that Devon hasn’t produced many well-known hymn writers. But one of the greatest arrived in Devon from Hampshire early in 1822 at the age of 29 and, with his family, moved to Bramble Torr, a...
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The Devon hymn-writer who prepared a lantern for Christ
Next month sees the Ilfracombe Victorian Celebration from 13-17 June, with Victorian Songs of Praise at Pip and Jim’s on Sunday 17 June. Devon hasn’t produced many well-known hymn writers but Sabine Baring-Gould was an interesting and remarkable exception...
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Stories with the ring of truth
Every Easter when I re-read the stories of Jesus appearing to his disciples on the first Easter Sunday, I am convinced that no one could have made them up. Perhaps the most touching is the account of Jesus appearing...
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The secret of George Müller’s happiness
When I was young we used to sing a quaint hymn which began, ‘With harps and with viols there stand a great throng in the presence of Jesus, and sing this new song …’ It had a catchy tune...
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George Muller’s Ilfracombe retreat
We are grateful to the Victorians who built the paths which take us up Capstone Hill in Ilfracombe. If you took a stroll there, say in 1865, you might have seen a tall, slim gentleman, in his sixtieth year,...
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