wfn.org | Lambeth Conference takes day trip to London

["Lambeth98" <storm@indigo.ie>]

ACNS LC060 - 29 July 1998

Lambeth Conference takes day trip to London

by Katie Sherrod
Lambeth Conference Communications

The bishops and spouses of Lambeth Conference took a day off from
business, Tuesday, to have lunch at Lambeth Palace, tea with the
Queen at Buckingham Palace, and a boat ride down the Thames River
past the Tower of London and the Millennium Dome.

After much good-humored to-ing and fro-ing in the college car
parks as people found spouses, admired each other's hats and made
sure they had all the invitations they would need for the day, 40
coaches caravaned into London where they pulled up to the gates
of Lambeth Palace-and another invitation-checkpoint.

As the colourful crowd, dressed in purple cassocks, bright
dresses and hats, and various styles of national dress, entered
the grounds of Lambeth, nearly everyone took advantage of the
first photo opportunity of the day. With broad smiles, bishop
after bishop had his or her photo taken in front of the landmark
palace towers and/or the original Canterbury Cross. From there
they were gently shepherded by Lambeth stewards through gates and
into the splendid gardens.

A river of colour

The group spread out like a rainbow river, with currents of
purple flowing through and around colorful eddies of women's
frocks. Many strolled through the lovely kitchen garden, which
was started by Lady Rosalind Runcie, wife of former Archbishop of
Canterbury Robert Runcie, with donations of plants from the
Diocese of Milwaukee. Other guests walked past rows of fragrant
roses and espaliered trees. At the center of the rose garden an
engraving circling a bronze sundial warned, "Make time, save
time, while time last; all time no time when time is past."

The luncheon tent, at 78 by 278 feet the equivalent of almost an
acre, was draped in white. Round tables for 10 covered in linen
cloths stretched into the distance as ceiling fans circled gently
overhead. Musicians from All Souls Church, Langham Place, London,
were led by music director Noel Tredinnick in songs as people
found places at the tables.

Musicians made way as the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey
entered with Prime Minister Tony Blair, who addressed the group.
"I think this quite the most terrifying audience I have ever set
eyes on in my life," said Mr. Blair. "Are there really 750
bishops here?"

After the meal, Dr. Carey was presented with an icon of St.
George and the Dragon by the Diocese of New York signed with the
seal of Canterbury and the diocese.

A visit to Buckingham

Once more the coaches headed off, now to Buckingham Palace-and
another invitation checkpoint. Aboard one coach, a Kenyan bishop
referred to the colonial period as he remarked about the
Victorian-era government buildings, "We have our share in these
buildings."

The coaches rolled in through the front gates past excited
throngs of tourists, many of whom waved cheerful greetings. Bags
were checked by briskly polite palace attendants, after which the
Lambeth contingent moved on through the reception rooms, trying
not to gape at the splendor of the high, gilded ceilings and
grand furnishings. But all attempts at appearing blasé
disappeared as people stepped out onto the terrace overlooking
the grounds.

Spreading out before them were the 30 acres of lawns and gardens
of Buckingham. In the distance the placid water of a small lake
gleamed with the reflections of an arched stone bridge, a huge
willow and banks of flowering trees. Tea tables and chairs were
scattered across the lawn. A long tent stretching along one side
of the grounds housed long rows of serving tables offering tea,
iced coffee, and lemon squash and a huge selection of teacakes
and sweets. Two military bands played in different pavilions,
while off to the right of the lake, a smaller tented pavilion
housed the Queen's enclosure.

After the Lambeth guests began to spread out over the lawn, a
troop of Beefeaters entered. A palace attendant said, "The yeomen
are standing to." Two lines of men dressed in the familiar ornate
bright red and black uniforms with beribboned hats; shoes and
garters marched out on the terrace, down the stairs and arranged
themselves in a double line, creating an aisle. They carried long
spears and wore swords.

The arrival of the Queen

Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York
walked out of a small door and onto the terrace. Applause greeted
Her Majesty as she walked to the center of the terrace steps,
where she paused, flanked by Prince Phillip and Prince Andrew
three paces to the rear. A drum roll brought everyone to silence.
The military band at the end of the terrace played "God Save the
Queen."

As the music ended, the Queen walked down the steps and into the
crowd, greeting her guests, escorted by several primates, bishops
and staff members.

The Queen holds only eight tea parties a year, according to one
of the supervisors of the division of the metropolitan police
responsible for her safety. Usually the tea parties are for
groups of 6,000 to 9,000, and rope lines are set up to hold back
the crowd as the Queen moves through. The parties are given to
honor special groups, such as military veterans or National
Health Service workers. The Lambeth party was very unusual in
that it included fewer than 3,000 people. Several palace
attendants also remarked on the fact that the Queen and Prince
Phillip and Prince Andrew simply moved through the crowd
accompanied by equerries and conference members. The equerries
impeccable figures elicited almost as much awe as did the royals,
as they were the picture of the Perfect English Gentleman in
their exquisitely tailored suits, gleaming shoes, and elegant
umbrellas.

One could mark the progress of the Queen across the lawn by
watching the largest bubble of bishops, bishop spouses and staff
as it swelled and diminished before and behind her. People
stretched to catch a glimpse of her mint green hat or matching
suit. She shook hands and engaged several people in conversation,
as did Prince Phillip and Prince Andrew, each of whom had struck
out in their own direction and attracted their own smaller but
also excited bubbles of bishops and spouses. As Prince Phillip
walked up to yet another line of bishops he quipped, "I've hit
another purple wall."

The Queen took tea in her pavilion with selected guests from the
Lambeth Conference, the Compass Rose Society members and the
Church of England. Beefeaters guarded the entrances to the
pavilion. Those in the Queen's tent were offered gold-rimmed
china while the other guests were served on a simpler but also
elegant china.

The youngest guest at the party was Madeline Kowa, 4-month-old
daughter of Bishop Peter Elbersh Kowa of the Diocese of Kadugli
and Nuba Mountains, Episcopal Church of Sudan, and his wife
Susanna Marisi El-Grusu. Bishop Kowa said the Queen greeted
Madeline.

Viewing the gardens

Once again, people spread out through the gardens. Several were
drawn to a colorful perennial border while others strolled
through the extensive rose gardens. The gardeners among the
guests were easily spotted as the ones on their knees trying to
read the small signs identifying plant varieties. Another mark of
the gardeners was the looks of mingled awe and pain as they
compared the royal gardens to their efforts back home.

As a light rain began to fall, people took shelter under the tea
tents, under umbrellas and under the giant spreading trees. The
silvery light made a pastel vista of colorful umbrellas, purple
cassocks, and decorated hats that looked like a Restoration
painting.

And the hats. There were hats everywhere. Hats with veils, hats
with flowers, hats with scarves, hats with bows, hats with
tassels, hats with feathers, straw hats, silk hats, Carmen
Miranda hats, hats that looked as if they were having a party all
by themselves. Not all the hats were on feminine heads. Bishop
Arthur James of Gippsland, Australia, and Bishop Michael Hough of
Port Moresby of Papua New Guinea both sported jaunty caps as they
waited to board a coach.

After Buckingham, the guests again got on the coaches for a short
ride to the docks, where they boarded boats for a 10-mile ride
down the Thames. A small band of protesters from Outrage, a
homosexual rights group, staged a noisy demonstration at the
dockside as they boarded.

After a cruise past London landmarks, the tired but happy Lambeth
crowd was once again loaded onto coaches, handed a boxed supper
and headed back to Canterbury. As the coaches pulled away from
the docks, Archbishop Carey and his wife, Eileen, holding hands
and seated tiredly on a car park railing, gallantly smiled and
waved at every coach. The day in London was over.

For further information, contact:

   Lambeth Conference Communications
   Canterbury Business School
   University of Kent at Canterbury
   Telephone: 01227 827348/9
   Fax: 01227 828085
   Mobile: 0374 800212

   http://www.lambethconference.org