Gathering on the steps...

...of Westminster Cathedral on a glorious spring evening, the History Walk started with a good look at the  Cathedral, its Byzantine red brick glowing in the April sunshine, and memories of the visit of St John Paul the Great in 1982 and of beloved Papa Benedict XVI more recently...

...And then on down Ambrosden Avenue, with some stories of Cardinals Wiseman and Manning and Vaughan...and so on to the Horseferry Road. A ferry with a platform on which you could stand your horse  was an importrant feature of London's transport system in the old days, when there were were fewer bridges over the Thames and no buses or Tubes (or cars or bicycles). Most of London's bridges are fairly new, although London Bridge goes back to the days of Viking battles, and there were bridges at various points such as Kingston (where my father's regimental colours are laid up in the great parish church, where long ago Saxon kings were crowned...).

Down along Great Peter Street - named for our first Pope - on on to the Abbey and Parliament. We went into the gardens alongside the Victoria Tower, and a park keeper came up to tell us the gates were closing...but allowed us to continue our walk and unlocked the rear gate for us. He was nice, and we chatted as we walked along - he enjoys his job working in one of the most famous places in the world, though he  said it gets v. cold in winter...and so on to the Sovreign's entrance where we sheltered from the wind and talked of Lords and Commons and Parliamentary democracy...and thence to the Great Hall where Benedict XVI spoke so superbly back in 2010 and reminded us that democracy rests on spiritual and moral values and needs to be constantly nourished by them...

There is always a great atmosphere on these History Walks, and people are friendly and we finish with prayers for our country...

NEXT WALK: April 27th, a lunchtime walk. Meet at the 1.05pm Mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, London Bridge.

There's a overview of the History Walks here...

and you can find out about the John Paul walk to Walsingham here...

And book SUNDAY JUNE 21st in your diary: meet at 1.30pm for 2pm at St Sepulchre's Churchyard, near the OLD BAILEY (nearest tube: St pauls) for the annual MATYRS' WALK to Tyburn. All welcome: no need to book, just turn up - bring your friends, your family, people from your parish...