Orthodox London

[James H.]

I will soon be going to London and would really like to visit the Parish of Bishop Kallistos Ware in Oxford. I was wondering if anyone knew the address of the Church and if there is anytime from Monday to Wednesday (unfortunately those are the only full days I will be in England) that the Church is open and if there is any other information you might have regarding the hours of its Gift Shop (assuming there is one). I have searched all over the internet and have found almost nothing. I THINK I have the address of the Church... but I'm not sure about that. Thank you to anyone who can help. I am also interested in any other information you think might be useful for me regarding a visit to the Diokleia.

James

PS: and no, I am not going there to hunt down Bishop Kallistos for an autograph... although I wouldn't mind one ;) I am assuming that he is a very busy man and chances are he's somewhere else giving a talk or something. Thanks again for your help. You can send me the info personally if you wish.

[Jurretta J. Heckscher]

Dear James:

The church is at 1, Canterbury Road, which is the corner of Canterbury Road and the Banbury Road, north of the city center (or rather, centre). It is a small one-storey building in the garden of St. Gregory House, a large Victorian house that faces the Banbury Road.

It is a joint Greek (Patriarchate of Constantinople) and Russian (MP) parish, the Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annunciation.

The Oxford directory should contain a telephone number to call for information about services.

Yours in Christ,

--Jurretta

[James H.]

Thank you very much Juretta!

God bless you,

James

[Norman]

Dear Monachos Community,

Lord willing, my family and I will be in London later this summer. We are looking forward to the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition and All Saints. Can anyone suggest other places of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians in London? Thank you.

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear James,

Send us an e-mail or personal message on your dates in the UK, and especially round Oxford. As ever, I am always happy to meet members of the Monachos.net readership 'in person'.

INXC, Matthew

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear Norman,

If in the UK, you might try visiting several holy sites outside of London. St Alban's cathedral is nearby (in the village of St Alban's), in which are enshrined the relics of the proto-martyr of Great Britain. The shrine of St Frideswide is in Oxford, and the holy well of St Margaret of Antioch (also associated with St Frideswide) is just outside of Oxford, in the village of Binsey. If you've time for a bit of a journey, the shrine to the Mother of God at Walsingham is only a stone's throw from the Orthodox Church of St Seraphim; and further north in Durham is the cathedral in which are the tombs of St Bede and St Cuthbert.

These are but a few. The British isles have been home to Christianity longer than most other lands, so holy sites are in abundance.

INXC, Matthew

[Norman]

Thank you, Matthew! Time is short, but I think we will make a try for the shrine to the Mother of God of Walsingham.

In Christ,
Norman

[James H.]

Dear Norman,

This may not help, but I myself was just in London. It's a long story how I came across this, but when you are in London, go to 5 Craven Hill, (London W2 3EN). (I forget which Tube stop it is near, but I think it is in the area of Bayswater. Eitherway, you can get a Map book called "London A to Z" for about 5 pounds.) This place is what seems to be the Greek Orthodox Bishop's Headquarters/house. There is even a small chapel on the side of it although
looks like a reagular townhouse. Anyhow, go there (during normal business hours) and ask if they have any information on the Orthodox Churches in London and where they can be found. When I did this, to my surprise and delight, the woman who answered the door came back with a reference book (as thick as the Bible) which has information on all the Churches in the UK! It focuses also on London and while it's first proiority is it's own Greek diocese, it also covers many (if not all??) non-Greek Orthodox Churches in the UK. Oh yeah, and she told me to keep it! A lot of it is in Greek, but there are many English sections. Addresses and such are in English. (it also has phonenumbers, names of presiding priests at the parish in question, etc.) It takes a while to figure how the book works, and perhaps it could be organized a bit more logically (although I think it was just the greek that through me off), but it was very helpful for me! By the way, I don't know Greek at all but I was still able to use it, so don't let that throw you off.

I don´t know how long you are going to be there, but if you think you will be in London for more than three days and you would like to go Church/Cathedral hopping, I would start here. Also, the Greek Cathedral (I believe it is called Holy Trinity??? anyway, it's the one that is in the same area as the place where I got this book) is AMAZING and they have Vespers every night at 7pm (or at least they did the week I was there). The schedule of services for the week is posted near the front doors of the Church.

Good luck and let me know how everything went!

James

PS: I'm sure Mr. Steenberg (sprry we missed eachother while I was in London!) can clarify and correct me if I messed up at all here. I wish I could get you more exact information but I don't have the book with me at this moment.

[M A Jackson-Roberts]

The Greek Orthodox cathedral you are after is Haghia Sophia in Moscow Road, W2 and the nearest underground station is Bayswater. There is another Greek cathedral in Bayham Street, Camden Town NW1 (underground: Camden Town) and the Russian Orthodox cathedral is in Ennismore Gardens SW7 (underground: South Kensington).

Hope this helps. Enjoy your visit to Old Smokey! It's as humid here as I have ever known it; not pleasant, so bring your lightest garments and drink lots of water.

seeker.

[Norman]

Dear James and M A,

Thank you for your help! We will be staying in Bayswater so a stop and Vespers at Haghia Sophia are definitely in our plans now.

In Christ,
Norman

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear Norman,

And do come up to Oxford if you've time. There is much to see, and the door is always open for a cup of tea.

INXC, Matthew

[Norman]

Dear Matthew,

With regrets, we will not be making a trip to Oxford this time. I'm sorry that I will not be seeing you, our esteemed host and guide, face to face and in your natural habitat. Thank you for your kind invitation and for always keeping the door of Monachos.net open for our spiritual refreshment.

In Christ,
Norman

[Fr Nectarios Trevino]

Dear Norman,

And do come up to Oxford if you've time. There is much to see, and the door is always open for a cup of tea.

INXC, Matthew

Well, perhaps I am adding new life to this year's old thread...but I and my soon-to-be deacon will be in Ghana on an OCMC mission from 30 July to 17 August and we hope to 'decompress' in London (and possibly Oxford) from the 18th to the 21st of August. Any thoughts beyond those listed in the thread above about Orthodox London would be appreciated.

In Christ,
fr nectarios