Christianity from the 43 bus: 15. The Old Priory

Concluding a journey through London on the 43 bus route - with a Christian eye.  The whole series is viewable on the '43 bus route' tag below.

Leaving the City of London, the 43 bus heads over the current London Bridge, a bridge lacking any of the excitement of its ancient predecessor.  Just as it turns left into the bus plaza of London Bridge Station the 43 passes our final Christian observation - and a very large one - Southwark Cathedral.

London - Greater London that is - has many Cathedrals. Almost any Church that has Cathedrals has adherents in this world city so various redundant churches have been repurposed as cathedrals for Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Russian Orthodoxy, Greek Orthodoxy and so on.  Even limiting it to Catholics and Anglicans London has four Cathedrals (plus Westminster Abbey - a former Cathedral).  Two of them are in Southwark, which has thereby tried more than once to gain City status, without success.

Southwark (C of E) Cathedral is very old, but it is not very old as a cathedral (1905).  It can be seen on old pictures of London and began life as a Priory, later becoming St Mary Overie (i.e. over the river).  Here was founded the Hospital which has now become St Thomas's - one of London's most conspicuous hospitals, now over the river from Westminster and the Houses of Parliament.

Leaving its liberal-on-steroids theology aside I think Southwark Cathedral is the nicest in London - more homely than its Catholic counterparts and the far more famous St Paul's.  Yet still with the grandeur of a cathedral in the midst of bustling Borough Market.

What is perhaps most astonishing to the modern observer is that, like St Clements (see blog 14.) on the London side of London Bridge, this building, then a parish church, was eyed for demolition when plans for London Bridge's new structure were made in the 19th Century.  Yes, that's right - just pull it down for the new road.

It is a sobering note with which to finish our journey.  London has little time for romanticism unless it can make money out of it.

Edward Digby

Through a good fortune of survival, now aided by the National Trust, The George Inn in Southwark  still stands.  It is unique as a surviving galleried inn of a kind once common.

For me the most attractive feature of this inn is its part in the story of a young man called Edward Digby.  There were several Edward Digbys in succession in the family, and they were a noble family in the City of London over the River Thames, peers of the realm.  Southwark, outside the City, was associated with ne'er-do-wells of many kinds.  Unsurprisingly then, on the marshes beyond, lay a large debtors prison.  In the style of the eighteenth century debtors were committed there until their debts were paid.  Being there all but guaranteed ones debts would never be paid.

An uncle of the young Digby became concerned that, at holiday seasons, he discarded his City finery and dressed in a blue coat only, disappeared.  He had him followed.  His spies saw him head past Southwark and out to the debtor's prison.  They enquired at the gate as to what Mr Digby was doing.  The gatekeepers confessed to no idea as to the blue-coated man's identity but reported that he came each Christmas and Easter and other auspicious times and paid several inmates' debts.  The gatekeepers informed the investigators that though they might well not wish to enter the prison, the man the sought would always take those he set free to The George Inn in Southwark for a celebratory meal.  And that is where they found him.  

Edward Digby died aged 27 years.  At Communion on Sunday we thought of his story as we remembered the comparable in type but incomparable in scale story of One who left the glory of the City Above to share the place of debtors below to set them free so they could eat with him and he with them.