Bradwell, St Peter's Chapel: What a Journey We Are

'Ma fin est mon commencement'/'My end is my beginning' - Guillaume de Machaut

 
Essex is all too often labelled with some very demeaning stereotypes, but it is, nevertheless, a county with some extraordinary riches in terms of its historic sites. On Saturday 11th September 2010 I travelled with my friend, Jon, to St Peter's Chapel in Essex. Built from the ruins of the Roman Othona fort, this Anglo-Saxon chapel is located in a bleakly beautiful setting, looking out from Dengie peninsula to the open sea. Founded by St Cedd, this was a typically austere setting for a Celtic 'missionary' church. At the time of visiting, I wrote: 'How appropriate it is that the track leading up to the chapel is named, 'East End', as here you reach the end of the land.'

I find this place - this sacred landscape - calling to me. As it beckons me to return, I find myself reflecting, not so much on the destination in the form of the chapel, but on the journey - especially, the approach along the well-worn track. I want to walk in the footsteps of 1,360 years of pilgrims who have gone before me. How small my life is in this context. How wonderful small my day-to-day concerns seem within a landscape such as this. This journey is also about nearly fourteen years of life I have experienced since the day that blurry photo was taken and I have ended up where I was meant to be:

A small boy walks to school on a clear frosty day on a path so treacherous and slippery that he arrives late for his class. Upon arrival, his teacher asks, 

'Why are you late boy?'

The boy explains that, because the path was so slippery, for every step he took forwards, he slid two backwards. 

The teacher considers this explanation for a moment, before asking,

'So, how did you get here?'

The boy answers,

'I turned to go home.'

The Fallible Flaneur <*(((((><(