Guided tour of St Cross
A group of discovery summer students have enjoyed a guided
tour of St Cross today in the Academic specials. St Cross hospital is Britain’s
oldest charitable institution that was founded over 850 years ago. The term ‘hospital’
in this context means ‘hospitality’. St Cross is a place where elderly
gentlemen (brothers) are offered a home and looked after. The brothers still
live in the grounds today and we were guided by John, pictured above, a brother of St Cross.
John took us to the Norman church within the grounds that
was built around 1135. The architecture has remained largely untouched,
creating a sense of awe and wonder inside the building. We were shown ancient
paintings, carvings and religious artefacts - including a baptisms table that
was over a thousand years old.
We
visited the gardens of the hospital, the kitchen and dining room. Brother John's broad knowledge of the area and
its history enabled us to gain a true understanding of the life of the brothers
and the ethos of the institution. We all
enjoyed the great excursion and were enlightened the best of British history.
Brother John continued the St Cross tradition of hospitality
by inviting a staff member to drink the ‘travellers doll’ – an offering to wish travellers well
on their adventures ahead. He was a great host who welcomed the students, gave
an excellent tour and bid us a warm hearted goodbye.
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