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Shooters Hill
Sr Margaret Shepherd lives in the
Shooters Hill area of London. She writes about the parish she belongs to and
the area she lives in.On May 1st, Bank Holiday Monday, it was the centenary of the Canons Regular of the Lateran's arrival in Eltham, South East London, which is my parish. I was pleased to learn from Fr John Fricker at Mass that morning a little of the history.
Apparently, the CRLs had come to Eltham all those years ago as they wanted a 'place in the country' near Kent for their students. Eltham is now a very busy shopping area and no longer exactly 'in the country', although a short distance away is Oxleas Wood, which I visit often, is one of the few remaining medieval woodlands in the UK and, on a clear day has a spectacular view over the whole of London, as far as the London Eye. Just down the road is Eltham Palace, where Henry VIII spent time as a child. The area also has strong associations with St Thomas More, as his daughter, Margaret Roper, lived here with her husband.
In the other direction lies Blackheath - yes, where the London Marathon starts from! - but also where Wat Tyler stopped with his Peasants Revolt on their historic march to London in 1381. Opposite Blackheath is Greenwich Park, with its Maritime Museum and the famous international date line. Nearby is Woolwich Arsenal, which dates back to Tudor times. A little further down the river is the ingenious Thames Barrier. Next door to me is the Royal Herbert Pavillion, visited by Queen Victoria - hence the 'royal' bit - which was designed by the nephew of Florence Nightingale as a miliatry hospital to receive wounded soldiers during the Crimea War. It has since been converted into luxury flats, rather like our original Bayswater convent! I really enjoy living here, with its mix of town and country and its very rich history.
When I first came to live in Shooters Hill six years ago, I was delighted to find that the CRLs ran the Eltham parish, as they also ran the Stroud Green parish where we have our Hornsey community, in which I lived for some time. My friends, Fr Anthony and Fr Paul, whom I had known at Stroud Green, had migrated to Eltham, so I felt I had come home! In those days, Fr John, mentioned above, had only just entered the Order, was in the CRL Stroud Green community at the time when Sion first moved to Hornsey. This year he will be celebrating the silver jubilee of his profession. How time flies! Margaret .
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