May  12,  2020

ST.  PANCRAS  LONDON

Today, May 12th, is the feast of Saint Pancras.

Talk to enough people and you find out folks

have places they hope to visit before they die. 

Mine was St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Reason: when we were practicing public speaking

there was one exercise that began: “Finding myself

before St. Paul’s, I went in. I mounted to the dome ….”

This was all before I got to St. Pancras in London.

For starters it’s one of the oldest places of worship

In England – going back perhaps the 4^th century.

Then I saw the red brick St. Pancras Train Station

and International Hotel. Different folks wanted it torndown – that is till John Betjeman, the poet, screamed.

Then I checked out the history of the church there. It’s

the place of dozens of parishes, churches going up and

churches going down – built and rebuilt - through the ages.

Then I read about the cemetery there – the names

associated with that place: for example the burial

place of Johann Christian Bach – the 18^th son of Bach.

It's also the burial place - listen to this - of Ben Franklin's
illegitimate son - as well as the place where Percy Bysshe
Shelley planned his elopement with Mary at his mom's grave.

Then there’s mention of Dickens mentioning it in
The Tale of Two Cities - the Beatles promoting, 
"Hey Jude" and on and on and on and on.

So check it out: put St. Pancras on your list of must see -
especially the train station - and by the way, St. Pancras
- is a by the way - a 14 year old kid killed for his faith.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2020