THE CATHEDRALS OF ENGLAND
Offered in partnership with St Paul’s Episcopal Church (Beaufort, NC) and the Reverend Tambria Lee
OCTOBER 2 to 11, 2022
$4050 DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
Single supplement $1300
Tour includes 9 nights accommodation, 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners, 1 high tea, all trip-related admissions and guides, private chartered bus and gratuities.
Cost does not include airfare, airport transfers or alcoholic beverages
ACCOMMODATIONS: 100 QUEENS GATE HOTEL, LONDON; THE CANTERBURY GATE HOTEL; CANTERBURY; THE CAMBRIDGE GRADUATE; CAMBRIDGE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2
Tour begins at 2:00 p.m. in the lobby of our hotel
One could say Westminister Abbey is Britain, bearing witness as it does to more than a thousand years of British history, be it sacred, secular or royal. We begin our time at the Abbey with a guided tour focusing on its architecture and secular history and end with the experience of the sacred, through Evensong
Afternoon High Tea
We’re in England so of course, we must partake of this most charming of customs as a fitting end to our afternoon.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3
After breakfast, we leave London in a chartered bus for Canterbury by way of
We visit Winchester to tour the Cathedral with special attention given to the extraordinary 12th-century Winchester Bible, one of England’s oldest surviving bibles. We then depart mid-afternoon for Canterbury where we will arrive in time for our first group dinner. Optional pre-dinner fun: a tour on the River Stour
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
We make the most of our limited time in this extraordinary sacred place convening in the Cathedral for Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist before breaking for a leisurely breakfast. Next, we gather for an in-depth guided tour of the cathedral as both a sacred edifice and an unparalleled repository of English history. After our lunch break, we reconvene for a guided tour of the Cathedral Precincts, including the dean and chapter houses as well as the extensive ruins of the site’s original Augustinian abbey. At day’s end, we meet in the Cathedral once more for Evensong.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
After breakfast, we depart for Cambridge arriving in time for a group lunch—weather permitting—outside along the River Cam. After lunch, participants are free to do some self-guided exploration or simply enjoy some leisurely downtime after our busy first few days
Late afternoon, by way of introduction to this ancient city on the Fens, we gather for that quintessential Cambridge experience—a guided punt down the Cam
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
The university, first granted a royal charter by King Henry III in 1231, now has 31 colleges each of which has developed its own rituals and traditions along with inhabiting some of the most beguiling collegiate architecture in the world. We take a guided tour of some of the most noteworthy of these before our final stop of the day
A spectacular example of English Perpendicular Gothic with its extraordinary and unrivaled fan-vaulted ceiling, King’s College Chapel is a profound and unique sacred space
We gather tonight for a group dinner to share some good fun and good food
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
‘The Ship of the Fens’, as Ely Cathedral has long been known, is a massive and mighty sight rising out of eastern England’s flat and verdant landscape. Ely is noted for many things—chief among them the spiritual devotion of its founder, St. Elthdreda, as well as for its architectural wonders including its octagonal lantern tower, vast painted ceiling, lady chapel and galilee porch entrance. We take our time today as we explore this ancient and enthralling sacred site before returning to Cambridge in time for Evensong at Kings College Chapel
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
We begin our day with a tour of Peterborough one of the great remaining 12th century buildings in England. With its distinctive Norman architecture including its magnificent tripled arched front facade and 12th century painted ceiling, it provides a marvelous chance to ‘compare and constrast’ its many signature features with Ely’s more massive styling.
Then it’s back to London in time for some self-guided Saturday night fun out on the town.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9
We attend services in a local London parish church to gain insight into contemporary English faith as lived experience—and in keeping with tradition, we will gather afterward for that most British of customs—the Sunday lunch!
Late afternoon will find us here enjoying one of their famed choral performances
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
We conclude our tours with a visit to Christopher Wrenn’s extraordinary 17th masterpiece on Ludgate Hill. We explore its neoclassical architectural grandeur before partaking of the spiritual sustenance of the midday Eucharist
We will then celebrate our time together with a fun and festive farewell dinner
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11
The trip ends after breakfast