Mystery Worshipper: Cool Dude
Church:
Fulham Palace Chapel, Fulham
Location: London, England
Date of visit: Thursday, 4 June 1953, 4:15pm
The building
Fulham Palace sits on the site of a manor which the Bishops of London have owned since 704. Much rebuilt, it is today a brick built house arranged around two courtyards of friendly domestic scale dating from 1450, with additions of many periods since. The palace was the main residence of the Bishops of London from the 18th century until 1973, when the unromantic but practical decision was made to move to more manageable and easy-to-heat accommodation in central London, in the shadow of the bishop’s cathedral of St Paul’s. Without resident bishops, the chapel is now open to the public for private prayer, and on Mondays to Thursdays for afternoon evening prayer. The chapel, made of brick, was added in 1866. After bomb damage during the Second World War, the interior was whitewashed and adorned with contemporary murals of biblical scenes. I was sitting opposite a graphic rendering of the martyrdom of St Stephen. A striking crucifixion mural panel has two figures at the foot of the cross. These are not Mary and Elizabeth, as one might expect, but Elizabeth and Philip – that is, life-like portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, kneeling in prayer in their 1950s clothes.
The church
The seating is arranged collegiate style, down the sides facing each other, rather than facing the altar, as it common in small private chapels. Alongside the palace is the handsome All Saints Fulham, a parish church with a lively and flourishing congregation. It is they who, Monday to Thursday, say evening prayer in the small palace chapel. It suits the quiet evening office well, and is more intimate than their well-attended Sunday services in the much larger building nearby.
The neighborhood
Situated beside the Thames, Fulham used to be famous for its out-of-town market gardens producing food for the capital, and for its pottery works. These have long gone and the neighbourhood is now a prosperous inner suburb where houses fetch high prices. The world famous Fulham Football Club is a short walk away and the extensive grounds of Fulham Palace have been converted variously into an urban park with numerous tennis courts, extensive allotments where residents rent small patches to grow their own vegetables, and a large walled garden open to the public.
The cast
Two clergy, one man one woman, read the office and the readings.
What was the name of the service?
Evening Prayer.How full was the building?
There were four of us – that’s two clergy and two lay people.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
I arrived a little early and enjoyed the peaceful chapel with distant sounds from the park, and the rich afternoon sun streaming through the stained glass windows, casting gules of red and pools of yellow on the walls. Perhaps it is just years of conditioning, but that sight always puts me in a prayerful mood. At the appointed time the chapel was still empty and I assumed I had got the time and place wrong. Five minutes later, as I was walking out of the door, a young clergyman arrived and welcomed me and gave me a prayer book and a warm welcome. A minute later we were under way.
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes, It was old fashioned and comfortable. There were kneelers for those who can kneel and get up again. Sadly, I can no longer be sure of doing the latter.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
See above.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘O Lord, open our lips.’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
A well used copy of Common Worship, which contained all we needed: Evening Prayer in Ordinary Time for Thursdays.
The two biblical readings were spoken from an iPhone.
What musical instruments were played?
None. This was evening prayer rather than evensong.
Did anything distract you?
No. Before the service I was aware of planes passing at low altitude overhead, on their landing approach to Heathrow airport. And of a dog barking in the park outside. But relieved that I had not come to the wrong place at the wrong time I quickly surrendered to the mixture of familiar and less familiar that is the routine of Anglican evening prayer, and become comfortably enveloped by it. The distant dog barking in the park outside began to sound so considered that the animal seemed to be praying with us. The sound of of the planes flying over melted away and distractions didn’t get a look in.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Said evening prayer cannot get much further from stiff-upper-lip or happy-clappy. For me it betrays its roots in monastic offices and is more like a family conversation with God. We spoke the canticles and psalm antiphonally across the central aisle, two of us either side. The news that day was full of darkness and disaster, which was referred to in our prayers. Evening prayer is surely one of the great inventions of the Church of England.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
There was no sermon or address.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
All of it. Four people starting the wind-down of their bright summer’s day together in prayer.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Nothing. No… really!
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I chatted briefly to my fellow worshippers, who were welcoming, and I enquired of the two clergy present, why they were both wearing sparkling glittery tabs in their clerical collars where there is usually starched white. They had apparently come direct from the parish children’s afternoon tea party where sparkly collars go down a treat with the kids.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was none, and I think the four of us headed for supper – or in my case, a long journey home.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
8 — So sad it’s not nearby, or I should be back next week.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
It did. Evening prayer always does. Its such a good time of day to pray.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The late Queen and Philip in prayer in the mural. A few minutes later as I made my way through the jammed peak-hour traffic, a noisy motorcade with flashing police outriders held up the traffic as the present King’s car sped through. Calmed by evening prayer, I looked on the traffic congestion and the motorcade benignly.