Ten
days ago, on Saturday, 4th August, I joined the group from Langley
Parish on a trip to Portsmouth. The
Christ the Worker congregation organised the hiring of a coach/bus for the
trip. Being unsure of how long I would need
to walk to the church, I left home about 7:50 am—to make sure I gave myself plenty
of time to get to the church by 8:30 am.
I need not have worried, because I was there by 8:10 am. A couple of ladies were already there, and as
we stood awaiting the coach, other parishioners joined us.  |
| My tour guides "Bea & Will" |
The
Maverick was busy at work for the day, so I attached myself to “Will & Bea”
for the day. They had previously lived
in Southport, which is fairly close to Portsmouth. They were very familiar with the south coast
and I felt like I had personal tour guides.
An
interesting fact about Portsmouth is that it is the birthplace of Charles
Dickens.
Some
people went off shopping down at the Gunwharf Quay, which is overlooked by the
Spinnaker Tower. Others went to the
historic dockyards to see the ships: the
Mary Rose which was King Henry VIII warship; Admiral Nelson’s flag ship, HMS
Victory and the first iron hulled warship, HMS Warrior. The Royal Navy Museum is also at the
dockyards. http://www.welcometoportsmouth.co.uk/index.htm
However, “Will
& Bea” and I went eastward along the beach front toward the castle ruins
and the D-Day museum.
 |
| Leading into the castle |
At
the castle/fort was a coffee shop, where we stopped for cappuccino. We
wondered around enjoying the wind, watching the boats, ferries and hovercraft
traverse the waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. “Will” filled me in on some of the history of
the area as we stood on the ramparts of the castle, overlooking the coast.
 |
| From post card of Panel 7 |
 |
| From Postcard of Panel 15 |
The
hi-light of the day for me was visiting the D-Day Museum, which houses the
Overlord Embroidery. It seems that the
Overlord Embroidery is one of those unintentional secrets from the public, as
most folk haven’t heard of it. This
impressive masterpiece of design and stitchery is massive—34 panels that reach
about 268 feet in length. Post cards of
the panels are available for purchase, which is probably the best way to get a souvenir
of it—or a book. I found myself wanting
to reach out and touch this beautiful work of art, and realised it was under
glass. A very good thing to keep it in
pristine condition.
Inspired
by the Bayeux Tapestry in France, the Overlord Embroidery was commissioned by Lord
Dulverton of Batsford and designed by Sandra Lawrence. Each of the 34 panels depicts a scene is the
story of the Normandy Landings on D-Day 6th June 1944. Each military leader is easily identifiable,
even though facial features are created with fabric and stitching. If you want to read more about the
Embroidery, you can go to: http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/
After the D-Day Museum, we went
for lunch and then headed west, toward the Mary Rose and HMS Victory. Although my walking routine has increased by energy
levels, I found myself getting tired as the board walk is miles long.
 |
| Portsmouth Catherdral Chancel |
Sunny, breezy and refreshing, we
made our way toward the docks. A group
of actors in period costumes were handing out brochures for a local theatre, so
that added to the character of the day.
Since “Bea” and I were flagging a bit, instead of the ships, we detoured
and went to Portsmouth Cathedral. As we
walked toward the Cathedral, we noticed a wedding group outside the
church. The bells were ringing,
signifying the wedding was over. We made
our way inside and found that there was also an art show in the foyer. That was truly a delight for me, as a holder
of a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree.
As
we sat for a few minutes resting, the bride and groom—a royal naval officer in
uniform—came back into the church for more photos. “Bea” surreptitiously snapped a photo of the
couple. I stuck to taking photos of the
chancel and stained glass windows. On
the way out I took photos of the foyer. http://www.portsmouthcathedral.org.uk/
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| Portsmouth Cathedral Foyer |
Since
we had to meet back at the dropping off point by 4:00 pm, we moseyed our back
to a bench and enjoyed the view from the hill overlooking the board walk. Finally we walked back to the board walk,
where I found a place to have hot miniature donuts. Yes, I did share them.
It did my heart and soul good to
be out, exploring, learning and fellowshipping with good friends. I know I’ll go to Portsmouth again, because
it is a beautiful place and there is so much of historical significance to
see. I’m now looking forward to the next
opportunity for an outing.
Serving
Jesus, Author of our faith,
“Lady Helene”
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