Bath and Bristol
Today has been much more leisurely than some of our days. We started with a short drive from our hotel to Kingswood School in Bath. John Wesley originally founded Kingswood in a poorer area outside Bristol (Kings Wood) for the purpose of educating the children of coal miners, and providing a boarding school for Methodist preachers who were moved annually. He thought that there was no purpose in the ever-mobile preachers being weighed down by their children, and what better place for the children to be than getting an education! After all, he and his brothers were sent to boarding school at an early age after their home-schooling. Plus, the miners and other poor workers didn't previously have access to education for their children. So, the school was founded to fill these needs. Over time, however, the industrious and frugal Methodists became quite successful in their work and edged up into the middle to upper classes of society. By the mid-1800's they were moving away from the poorer Kingswood area to the higher-class area of Bath, and so moved their children's school as well. Today, Kingswood is one of the most prestigious preparatory schools around... a far cry from the humble beginnings and intentions of John Wesley.
If you'll allow me a brief tangent: This engraved stone was on the grounds of Kingswood School, containing what to most of us is a common quote by John Wesley, "Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as ever you can." I recalled reading a few years ago that John Wesley never said this, or at least not directly. Here's an article that delves further into the origin of the quote, if you're interested: Quote Investigator - "Do All the Good You Can."
Tangent over. Back on the bus, we wound our way back toward present-day Kings Wood which is actually now absorbed into Bristol. Our next stop was Hanham Mount, where John Wesley preached outdoors to the coal miners, telling them that even they (common people) were included in the gift of God's grace. Today, the town has grown up around the place and it takes a bit of imagination to remove the power lines and pavement and houses from your line of sight to see what John Wesley would have seen. Standing on the mount, he would have seen a sea of black, sooty faces staring back at him... rather than house after lovely-English-courtyarded house.
Another tangent: what in the world are these beautiful bushes?
And here's a purple iris in someone's courtyard, for mom...
Some of you may wonder why we didn't go to the mineral baths when we were in Bath. You see, we're on a Wesleyan Heritage Tour. Although interesting, the baths are not related to our current tour. We are seeing some things that don't relate directly to Wesley, but for the most part we are singularly focused on the task at hand.
Pardon the third tangent.
Continuing on... to Bristol. Here in Bristol is The New Room, the oldest building built by John Wesley. It has not been in continuous use as a place of worship as the Chapel at Newbiggin has, but this is the oldest. It is now a museum, but prayers are held here daily. It's under renovation, with a great addition of welcoming museum space. We were allowed to see the new construction, providing we claimed personal responsibility if we sustained a construction injury. No injuries incurred, and the new entrance and center will be quite stunning when it's finished. The "new" can be seen below with the statue of Charles Wesley. The statue of John Wesley is in the courtyard where the current entrance is.
It was really sad to see that the cemetery has become a bit overrun in this urban area... although I guess the homeless have to exist somewhere and in a cemetery-turned-park is as good a place as any. The seagulls were also swarming the place, so it added to the aura of... well... the aura.
We finished up with our Wesleyan findings and were on our own for a good part of the afternoon to have lunch and shop if desired. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it has been 300 years since the Wesleys were around here. My preference for heritage over progress makes me chagrined to see office buildings and retail outlets overrun the places that are more significant to our history. But time marches on. This area of Bristol was heavily bombed in World War II, so it's understandable that much of the old would be gone, replaced by new buildings and stores. I'm just glad that somehow these Wesleyan sites survived the bombing and have survived the urbanization as well. Kudos to them for that. And, although this part of the city felt a little too urban for my liking, there was still beauty to be found in the raised flower beds along the roadside...
If you'll allow me a brief tangent: This engraved stone was on the grounds of Kingswood School, containing what to most of us is a common quote by John Wesley, "Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as ever you can." I recalled reading a few years ago that John Wesley never said this, or at least not directly. Here's an article that delves further into the origin of the quote, if you're interested: Quote Investigator - "Do All the Good You Can."
Tangent over. Back on the bus, we wound our way back toward present-day Kings Wood which is actually now absorbed into Bristol. Our next stop was Hanham Mount, where John Wesley preached outdoors to the coal miners, telling them that even they (common people) were included in the gift of God's grace. Today, the town has grown up around the place and it takes a bit of imagination to remove the power lines and pavement and houses from your line of sight to see what John Wesley would have seen. Standing on the mount, he would have seen a sea of black, sooty faces staring back at him... rather than house after lovely-English-courtyarded house.
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| Bruce doing his John Wesley impersonation |
And here's a purple iris in someone's courtyard, for mom...
Some of you may wonder why we didn't go to the mineral baths when we were in Bath. You see, we're on a Wesleyan Heritage Tour. Although interesting, the baths are not related to our current tour. We are seeing some things that don't relate directly to Wesley, but for the most part we are singularly focused on the task at hand.
Pardon the third tangent.
Continuing on... to Bristol. Here in Bristol is The New Room, the oldest building built by John Wesley. It has not been in continuous use as a place of worship as the Chapel at Newbiggin has, but this is the oldest. It is now a museum, but prayers are held here daily. It's under renovation, with a great addition of welcoming museum space. We were allowed to see the new construction, providing we claimed personal responsibility if we sustained a construction injury. No injuries incurred, and the new entrance and center will be quite stunning when it's finished. The "new" can be seen below with the statue of Charles Wesley. The statue of John Wesley is in the courtyard where the current entrance is.
Charles lived here in Bristol for many years, and so we also saw his home (which is also under renovation so we couldn't go in) and the cemetery where five of his infant children were buried. We trekked under the street, through a heavily painted / graffiti area where a dance troupe and some skateboarders were practicing their skills on this chilly spring Saturday. Graffiti and trash marked the front of Charles Wesley's home as well, but presumably the trash is related to the renovation. Hopefully the extra artwork will be painted over when all is said and done.
It was really sad to see that the cemetery has become a bit overrun in this urban area... although I guess the homeless have to exist somewhere and in a cemetery-turned-park is as good a place as any. The seagulls were also swarming the place, so it added to the aura of... well... the aura.
We finished up with our Wesleyan findings and were on our own for a good part of the afternoon to have lunch and shop if desired. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it has been 300 years since the Wesleys were around here. My preference for heritage over progress makes me chagrined to see office buildings and retail outlets overrun the places that are more significant to our history. But time marches on. This area of Bristol was heavily bombed in World War II, so it's understandable that much of the old would be gone, replaced by new buildings and stores. I'm just glad that somehow these Wesleyan sites survived the bombing and have survived the urbanization as well. Kudos to them for that. And, although this part of the city felt a little too urban for my liking, there was still beauty to be found in the raised flower beds along the roadside...
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