I’ve received an e-mail from a lady seeking advice on places she should visit in London with connections to the English Martyrs. Here’s my reply:
Apart from the places you mention, you should visit the following: Westminster Cathedral (the body of St. John Southworth on display); Westminster Abbey (St. Edward the Confessor); the Tower of London (make a point of visiting the tower in which some of the English Martyrs have written graffiti on the walls; if you contact the Tower in advance, you might receive permission to see St. Thomas More’s cell); St. Etheldreda’s on Ely Place (historical church with life size statues of many of the English Martyrs on the walls); other beautiful Catholic churches in central London include the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception on Farm Street in Mayfair (many literary connections); St. James, Spanish Place (beautiful and austere with wonderful liturgies); Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane (near Convent Garden, the actors church, associated with Sir Alec Guinness, Chesterton, Belloc).
Try to attend the sung Latin liturgy at Brompton Oratory at 11am on Sunday. Sublime!
Contact the sisters at Tyburn Convent in advance about getting a private tour of their numerous relics of the English Martyrs.
I hope this helps. Enjoy my homeland!
Wonderful recommendations, Joseph! My family and I visited London this past summer and stopped at all of these places of pilgrimage that you have mentioned. We particularly enjoyed our visit to Tyburn Convent, which houses a nice collection of relics relating to the English martyrs. Anyone making a stop there should be sure to note the memorial plaque to Tyburn Tree on a traffic island near Marble Arch. It is a bit hard to find, but worth the effort. Learn more at http://rcdow.org.uk/vocations/news/tyburn-tree-memorial-renewed/