You can find a map for this walk on Plot a Route – https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2485740?units=km
(This walk is going to be part of a series taking place in the Southwark Diocese for Lent 2024).
Beginning (If you arrive with time in hand do take a look round the church building and its many treasures)
Our journey today begins at the church of All Saints’ in Kingston. This place, rather than the building (which is old but not that old), is believed to have been where seven Saxon kings were crowned. Commemorating this, All Saints’ has commissioned a series of embroidered panels which will hang beneath the east window. Four are already complete and in place but to find out more about all seven visit – https://www.allsaintskingston.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/All-Saints-Kingston-Seven-Saxons-Embroidery-Project-2022-.pdf
Of these King Athelstan stands out as being the first king of England who, having subdued or conquered the neighbouring Viking, Northumbrian and Welsh domains, established a centralised form of government. He coronation at Kingston was also ground breaking as he was made monarch with a crown rather than a military helmet – all of which took place within a new order of service led by Archbishop Athelm.
Did this unification create a period of peace and stability allowing the common person the chance to safely gather in the harvest without the threat of their home being burnt down?
Possibly but retaliatory incursions and invasions nevertheless continued over the next hundred plus years. Although at times, the various kings would chose to pay tribute to their enemies as a price for peace.
It is interesting to note that after a while the newly established tribes of Israel decided that they did not want their lives governed by a panel of judges but wanted instead a king to govern over them: a king who might invaders or turn the tables and take over other adjoining territories. When they voiced their request, God advised them against it, telling them that kings would take their young men as soldiers, their daughters as servants, and the better proportion of their lands, their crops and their livestock as payment. 1 Samuel 8:10-18.
The way a country is governed can vary from the absolute control of an absolute monarch (or dictator), governance by a ruling class or elite, a combination of rule by monarchy and the elite, or a democracy (with a varying degree of shared governance depending on who is allowed the vote – only the rich, only the men, only those of a particular religious faith etc). At times the seat of power can feel very remote which can be dissipated by devolving some of the powers eg to local and district councils, urban councils, (secular) parish councils etc. More recently democracies have experimented with citizens assemblies that can bring together a cross section of the populace together with experts, so as to discuss and agree policies that will be meaningful to the whole community. A citizens’ assembly was used to shape the legislation created when abortions were made legal in Eire.
Citizens’ Assemblies can provide a way of creating legislation to tackle the climate crisis that reflects the long term view of people rather than the short term political constraints of an elected government. To learn more visit – https://citizensassembly.co.uk/
Setting off As we prepare to set out on our pilgrimage from All Saints’, we will pause for prayer before we leave.
1. Walking along the Thames Path
The Thames is tidal as far as Kingston. It is navigable out to the estuary 56 miles downstream and upstream to Cricklade (135 miles). In the past it was an important means of communication between places of power – royal palaces, bishops’ palaces, abbeys and monastic houses, the houses of the aristocracy, and of Parliament itself. And upstream at Runnymede the Magna Carta Libertatum – “Great Charter of Freedoms” – was sealed establishing a sharing of power between the monarch, the church and the leading aristocracy.
Even today ease of communication is essential in ensuring a fair balance of power. It is important that all members of the electorate can contact their member of Parliament and local councillors and expect a reply. On the other hand there is much disquiet that large companies and organisations have an unduly large influence on government decision-making both here and abroad. At COP28 a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists – 2456 – were given access to the negotiations, far outweighing the 316 official Indigenous representatives.
Pause for prayer
God of justice,
we pray for all those who are marginalised
by political systems,
all those who lack a voice –
especially those forced to flee from their homes
because of conflict and climate change.
May their voices be heard,
may their rights be upheld,
may just governance prevail.
Amen.
2. Through Canbury Gardens and along Kings Road, to The Keep.
The Keep was built as a brand new set of barracks for the local militia in 1874-5 on what was then agricultural land, as part of Edward Cardwell’s reform of the army. It became home to the East Surrey Regiment. The castellated battlements and arched entrance was designed to attract new recruits and enhance the image of the army.
As we noted earlier at All Saints’, defence and the maintenance of law and order can be key in ensuring the peace needed for the good governance of a country. But as Christians we might want to question whether military might is the best way of establishing and maintaining that peace.
Pause for prayer
God of peace,
we pray for all those caught up
in the machinations of war,
for the homeless and dispossessed,
the injured and traumatised,
the fearful and those who have lost hope.
We pray for the success of those who are peace makers,
and those who bring aid and relief.
We pray for those in power
that their hearts may be softened
and the minds refocused on the richness of peace.
Amen.
3. Continue in Kings Road to Richmond Park’s Kingston Gate.
Richmond Park is a place of natural beauty as well as a place where biodiversity is cherished and enhanced. It was created as a new and larger royal hunting park for the palace at Richmond by Charles I. Having moved his court to Richmond in 1626 to avoid the plague, he commandeered 2500 acres of land and enclosed it with an 8 mile long wall. This acquisition of local farming land was hard on the then local community (it was a parliamentary stronghold during the Civil War) but is now an asset from which the local community greatly benefits.
One of the conditions when the Park was created was that pedestrians should continue to have access. When in the 1750s Princess Amelia tried to stop this right of access, a local businessman, John Lewis took legal action and successfully reinstated pedestrian access for all.
Richmond Park is designated a European Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) for its stag beetle and saproxylic invertebrates – ie invertebrates that are dependent on dead or decaying wood for part of their lifecycle. The Park is home to 1,300 veteran trees as recorded on the Ancient Tree Inventory, and around 320 of these are ‘ancient’. A veteran tree is one in its second or mature stage of life, whilst an ancient tree is one in the last third of its lifespan. The usual lifespan of a tree varies between species: an oak tree becomes ancient when it is more than 500 years old.
Pause for prayer
Creator God,
we give thanks for the beauty of creation.
With awe we acknowledge its diversity;
with wonder we marvel it at its complexity,
realising how little we know
and how much there is yet for us to learn.
Amen.
6. Follow the path along the southern edge of the Park to Robin Hood Gate
Robin Hood Gate owes its name to a pub of that name, long since gone. But the story of the counter-cultural hero still resonates with us. A nobleman skilled with both sword and bow, Robin Hood used his skills to stand up for the underdog, taking from the rich to give to the poor.
It is still true today that those with wealth and riches have greater power to determine their own lives and those of others around them – for good or ill. We might want to reflect how we as individuals and as groups, can readjust the balance of power between those with money and those without. To what extent do our lives and actions live up to the challenge of the values of God’s Kingdom as expressed in the Magnificat?
Pause for prayer
God of righteousness,
we pray for those who are marginalised by poverty,
for those whose life chances are limited by lack of money,
for those whose needs are overlooked by the market.
We pray for a restructuring of taxes and benefits,
of markets and opportunities
so that the divisions between rich and poor are closed.
Amen.
7. Leave the Park and make for St John the Baptist, Kingston Vale – and lunch
St John the Baptist has its own orchard and throughout the year holds ‘orchard church’ services.
Nearby Dorich House (now a museum) also has an orchard recently restored by the Orchard Project, whilst further afield in Kingston an allotment has been transformed into an orchard known as the Kingston Edible Forest.
From the story of creation in Genesis 2 we hear of the interdependency that God planned for humans, fruit trees and the soil. When we connect to the soil as tillers and guardians, and can eat produce of the tree we tend, then are our lives truly enriched.
In the aftermath of the English Civil War there was a radical movement called The Diggers. They believed that all men were created equal and that if the earth was treated as “a common treasury for all” poverty and oppression could be overcome. Their aims were first put into action at St George’s Hill, Weybridge, where they dug up and cultivated the common land to provide food for their newly formed community. Their success was short-lived as other landowners, feeling threatened, hired men to beat up the Diggers and destroyed their crops.
The Diggers were nevertheless pursing a philosophy that dated back at least to the Peasants’ Revolt in1381 when verse of the Lollard priest, John Ball, wrote the verse: ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?’
We may no longer all aspire to have enough land to grow our own food (although the sit com, The Good Life, set in Surbiton reflected such as desire), but we do now know how important it is for our mental and physical health to have access to green spaces. In January 2023 the Government set a target (now only an ambition) that everyone should be able to access a blue or green space within 15 minutes walk from their home. Again part of the problem is inequality as surveys show that people with low incomes, disabilities or from ethnic minority backgrounds have the least access to green spaces.
For further information on the Green Infrastructure Framework visit – https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/GreenInfrastructure/Home.aspx
Pause for prayer
God of green pastures,
we praise you for the wisdom and delight
with which you created the first garden
and the first gardeners.
May we reclaim our vocation
as those called to till and tend the earth.
May we ensure that that heritage is shared equally
so that all may benefit from the bounty of the earth.
Amen
8. Crossing the A3 and into Wimbledon Common
As we cross the main road notice the safe space that has been created for horses. The high wooden walls screen out the noise and flashing lights of the traffic which might spook them. Further on we are going to make another crossing – this time by a bridge over the Beverley Brook.
The climate crisis is going to lead to a greater number of climate refugees. How can their journeys be made less scary? How easily will they be able to cross borders? And how easily can they be integrated as citizens in their new homes?
Pause for prayer
Shepherding God,
be along side all those who travel
to new lands and new homes.
Guide those who feel lost.
Comfort those who are anxious and frightened.
And in Jesus Christ, be an example for us to follow.
Amen.
9. Follow the course of Beverley Brook along the bottom edge of Wimbledon Common.
The land that is Wimbledon Common was originally part of the manor of Mortlake and owned by the archbishop of Canterbury. During the reign of Henry VIII the land was given to the King. The land and it various properties was frequently bought and sold, such that it belonged at various times to members of royalty including Charles I, and to members of the aristocracy.
As a manor – which was effectively an estate – some of the land was farmed, some was sold off for the building of country residences, whilst other parts were held as common land. Such land belonged to the Lord of the Manor but gave certain local residents commoners rights – such as grazing and gathering firewood.
By the 19th century the Manor of Wimbledon belonged to Earl Spencer. He sought to buy out the commoners’ rights so that he could enclose the land and develop it for housing. This was opposed by some local residents who greatly valued the amenity of the Common, and legislation was brought in the form of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871 which states that it is to be used for the benefit of the general public for informal recreation and the preservation of natural flora and fauna. In recompense an annual annuity is paid to Earl Spencer, with a charge being levied on properties adjoining the Common.
It is not uncommon for people (or organisations) who own land and the people who use the land on a day to day basis, to have different desires and objectives. Owning land and property gives people power and the ability to raise capital through loans and mortgages. Do our current systems of tenure and inheritance laws, ensure a fair distribution of land and resources? Might it be better if more land and resources were held in common rather than being in the hands of a select few?
Pause for prayer
Generous God,
you created and gave to your creatures
a vast and beautiful planet,
with resources enough for all to share.
With grateful hearts, we thank you.
With contrite hearts,
we confess that have often put our desires
before the needs of others.
Renew our hearts,
that our actions may always reflect your generosity.
Amen.
10. Continue along the Beverley Brook
The name Beverley translates as “Beavers’ Meadow” indicating that beavers were once an important species for this stream. The South East Rivers Trust is working with the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, to recreate a more natural shape to Beverly Brook, including obstructing parts of it with woody material imitating the activities of a beaver colony. Such processes create a more diverse range of habitats that can support a greater range of species. These changes also slow the flow of the stream during periods of spate, whilst at the same time allowing the adjoining meadows to regain their character as water meadows, where excess water can be accommodated during and after periods of heavy rainfall. This can limit flood further down stream. As we walk along side Beverley Brook we will see this as first hand as we splodge through muddy patches and later cross on raised boards walks.
We might reflect on the importance of working together with different organisations and with different parts of the natural world to create and maintain accessible green and blue spaces with biodiverse-rich ecosystems.
Pause for prayer
God of all that is,
we give thanks for the resilience of the natural world,
that when our past actions have caused damage,
there is still the capacity for new growth and recreation.
May we be ever ready to help
and to love all our neighbours –
plants and creatures and human beings.
Amen.
Walking along the Beverly Brook as far as Beverly Meads, let us walk silence and enjoy God’s presence with us.
12. Walk up Copse Hill to our destination, Christ Church West Wimbledon
Christ Church West Wimbledon was built in 1859 at a time when the population of Wimbledon was growing following the arrival of the railway. That said, the landscape then would have looked greener than at present with a mixture, on one hand, of fields and market gardens, and on the other, of Victorian villas with large gardens.
Christ Church has its own green space – a well-tended garden – and a silver Eco-church award.
Reflecting back over our pilgrimage we can see how important it has been that individuals and communities stand up for, protect and enhance green spaces because they are vital to our well-being. May we to be inspired to be people and communities who are passionate about understanding themselves as an interdependent part of God’s beautiful, generous and vulnerable creation.
The Green Tau 