OUR CITY TOGETHER PODCASTS
As part of the City of London's Our City Together digital cultural season, the City churches have produced a number of podcasts about the history and traditions of City Churches.
Celebrating Christmas with the City Churches
In this episode Roger Hall, Chaplain at the Tower of London gives us a behind the scenes look at Christmas at the Tower, and Marcus Walker, Rector of St Bartholomew the Great reflects on the cadences of Christmas services ancient and modern.
The Church and Fashion
Katharine Rumens, Rector of St Giles Cripplegate in the Barbican reflects on fashion, female vicars and the fashion of the City and LauraJorgensen, Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate talks about the history and background of church vestments.
Mary Fillis and Samuel Crowther
In this episode Laura Jorgensen, Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate explores the life of Mary Fillis, baptised at St Botolph's in 1597 and Arani Sen, Rector of St Olave's Hart Street reflects on the life of the Right Revd Samuel Crowther.
The Great Outdoors
Paul Kennedy of St Vedast Alias St Foster and St Mary Aldermary takes us on his morning run with his dog, and Sophia Acland of All Hallows by the Tower talks about the extraordinary time a beach came to the Tower of London.
Saints and Poets
In this episode Sophia Acland, Associate Vicar at All Hallows by the Tower, reflects on the life of St Ethelburga and the role health and spiritual care played both in the seventh century and today. Celeste, a member of the congregation at St Botolph without Aldgate, talks about the enslaved African-American poet Phillis Wheatley, who was published at Aldgate.
Women at the fringes: the lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper
This month's episode focuses on the women killed by 'the unnamed murderer', the killer more commonly known as Jack the Ripper. Although these murders are linked with Whitechapel, the women did not come from Whitechapel and had full lives before their untimely ends. Laura Jorgensen, Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate, talks about Catherine Eddowes, killed in Mitre Square, and Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride's Fleet Street, reflects on the life of Polly Nichols who was born in her parish. We also hear from Josephine Knowles from Door of Hope, a project of Beyond the Streets, a charity working with women involved in prostitution on the City fringe.
Churches, Churchyard and Open Spaces in the City of London
This episode considers not just the architecture of the City Churches, but the spaces around them. Laura Jorgensen, Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate hosts the podcast with Laura Li, the Parish Administrator at St Andrew by the Wardrobe, talking about the origin of the curious name of the church and its history. Katherine Hedderly, Vicar of All Hallows by the Tower and Nick Motteshed from St Katherine Cree talk about churchyards and open spaces and Katharine Rumens the Vicar of St Giles Cripplegate reflecting on life in the Barbican during lockdown.
City of London Churches and the Blitz
In this episode, which reflects on resilience and the City Churches during the Blitz, we hear from George Bush from St Mary le Bow, Arani Sen of St Olave's Hart Street and Laura Jorgensen talks about her predecessor at St Botolph without Aldgate who moved into the church during the Blitz to save the building from incendiary devices.
Beating of the Bounds
On Ascension Day, the Thursday forty days after Easter, many churches 'Beat the Bounds'. In this ancient ceremony, clergy, young people, dignitaries and local people process around the boundaries of their parishes. In this episode we hear from three clergy in the City of London - Laura Jorgensen, Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate, Katherine Hedderly, Vicar of All Hallows by the Tower, and Roger Hall, Chaplain to the Tower of London - discussing the origins and meaning of the ceremony.
You can listen to the podcasts HERE.