Three prayer walks are happening on Monday or Tuesday evenings during May. Come along to see the sights of London, learn some fascinating history, and pray outside various buildings of major importance to our national life.
Wilberforce Prayer Walk: Tues 16 May, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
A walk that tells the remarkable story of the campaign to abolish the slave trade.
A Wilberforce prayer walk through the heart of the City of London, exploring some of the key places involved with the slave trade and its abolition. Sights include the Bank of England, St Mary Woolnoth, 2 George Yard, Jamaica Coffee House, the original Lloyds Coffee House, and Lloyds of London.
William Wilberforce fought an eighteen year parliamentary campaign to get the transatlantic slave trade abolished. And while the battleground for this fight was the House of Commons in Westminster, the vested business interests that Wilberforce fought against were based in the City. The West Indian traders based in Jamaica Coffee House and the officials of the East India Company were the ones who opposed the abolition, and it was they who Wilberforce finally prevailed against. Learn the incredible story of how a small group of friends took on the financial system of their day, and won a great victory for justice.
The walk begins outside the Royal Exchange (Bank tube station) at 6.30pm, and ends at Fen Court.
City of Westminster Prayer Walk: Mon 22 May, 6.30pm – 9pm
Explore 1000 years of English history, and the role of Christianity in our political system
A Westminster prayer walk through this royal and holy city, exploring the history of the English monarchy, the growth of the Westminster system of government, and an opportunity to pray for the current Prime Minister, Cabinet and batch of MPs. Sights include Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, St James’s Park, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.
Westminster began with a small church in the marshy area of Thorney, on the banks of the River Thames. Over time the church became a Benedictine monastery, and then an abbey. It received royal patronage when the royal family built a palace next door. And so this place of worship became the seat of royal power, and remains the centre of political power in the UK.
As the de facto capital of the nation, Westminster contains the headquarters of over 20 major government departments, of parliament itself, the Supreme Court, and the official residences of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It also retains its strong royal connections, with several royal palaces, and many sites of former royal homes.
The walk begins outside the main doors of Westminster Abbey at 6.30pm, and ends outside Buckingham Palace.
City of London Prayer Walk: Mon 29 May, 6.30pm – 9pm
Learn about 2000 years of trading and money making at the heart of the English economy
A London prayer walk through the historic core of the City. Travel back in time to Roman Londinium, Anglo-Saxon Lundenburgh, medieval and early modern London, right up to the modern, global financial centre that is the 21st century Square Mile. Sights include Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Bank of England, Guildhall, the Stock Exchange and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The City of London, also known as the Square Mile, is both the oldest and the most modern part of central London. It was first settled by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago as a trading centre on the River Thames. Abandoned for a couple of centuries by the Anglo Saxons, it was resettled by Alfred the Great as Lundenburgh, a fortified city to help fight off the Vikings.
In medieval times the City again became a place of business, with powerful guilds arising and protecting the interests of various trades. The City today is a major business centre, and an international capital of finance, insurance and banking.
The walk begins outside the main entrance to the Tower of London at 6.30pm, and ends outside St Paul’s Cathedral.