Dear friends
I hope that you have had a good summer, whether at home, or on holiday. We had a lovely break with family in North Yorkshire, where the weather was cool and the scenery beautiful.
Perhaps though, like me, you found it increasingly difficult to watch, read or listen to the unrelenting bad news during those summer weeks. News of the reality of climate emergency, of scorching heat and fire, of rain and flood. News of suffering due to human cruelty and ongoing war, and then, unthinkably, the deliberate actions of a nurse whose whole purpose should be the saving of life.
In the midst of this, the destruction of ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ might not seem of the highest significance, but it made a big impression on me, and I’ve been reflecting why. The 18th century ‘Crooked House’ pub in Dudley gained its tilt, and its title, due to mining subsidence. It was a local landmark and its destruction by fire, and summary (unauthorised) demolition, caused local anguish.
When we lived in Birmingham, Robin and I enjoyed exploring the area, getting to know our ‘patch’ as we have done through several moves around the Church of England. On days off we took walks around the towns and countryside of the Black Country, learning about its heritage of skilled crafts and industry, now often only found in museums. The Crooked House pub was a significant ‘place-maker’. It spoke of the now unseen heritage of mining, the ability of local people to soldier on despite adversity and of the power of humour to connect people. For this building to disappear in the way that it did, was shocking.
The destruction of the Crooked House touched me in two ways, first that buildings – of all sorts – are vital to our sense of place and community identity. The way that buildings express identity and place can be profound. Those of us who love church buildings know this. I’m deeply grateful to our forebears who have cared for our cathedral, over the years, and saved it too from subsidence. In this generation we will continue to do our very best to care, conserve and tell the stories of this wonderful place.
Secondly, the Crooked House pub highlights the importance of foundations. Mining deprived the historic pub of its balance. As Christian people, in times of trouble and challenge, we have a rock on which to stand, and to build, a firm foundation to hold us steady. Don’t allow yourself to be undermined. We are not called to be people of fear or despair but to be people of faith, hope and love.
I do hope that at all times, and in all places, the cathedral and its ministry can always be an encouragement to you. I do hope that you will continue to build your life on the foundations of faith, willing to serve others, and full of hope and growing in love.
I’ll close with a prayer by a former Bishop of Winchester, Lancelot Andrewes (1555 – 1626)
Lord, perfect in us all that is lacking of your gifts:
Of faith, to increase it,
Of hope to strengthen it,
Of love, to rekindle it,
And make us fear one thing only,
That we should honour anything more than you,
our Father, our Saviour, and our Lord.
Amen.
