PROUDLY SUPPORTING CRANSTON HOUSE!

Former Maths Teacher and Head of Cranston House, Martin Russell (RGS 1975-2019), moved to Gloucestershire in 2021 and guess what he had his house name changed to…yep, Cranston House!

Most of us have heard of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; the story of a group of pilgrims who are travelling from London to Canterbury to see the shrine of the martyr St Thomas Beckett. To provide entertainment throughout the journey, each pilgrim tells a tale, with themes ranging from love and war to chivalry and womanhood. Despite being published in the 14th century, Chaucer’s work has stood the test of time, and is seen by many today as one of the greatest works of English literature. It was his story which would serve as the primary inspiration for our pilgrimage.

The original idea consisted of a sixtymile journey from London to Canterbury over the course of three days, aiming to arrive by Easter Sunday. During the planning process, we realised that the pilgrimage would present us with an opportunity to do some fundraising. Nick suggested that we should raise money for Surrey Care Trust, a local charity which provides opportunities for disadvantaged young people. We set up a GoFundMe page, where we raised £2,200 over the course of a few weeks.

The pilgrimage began on Maundy Thursday from St Paul’s Cathedral. Josh

Despite a brisk start, we began to suffer from fatigue as the journey wore on. To help, we took short breaks and drank plenty of water. Wetherspoons would be our primary stop for food and drink! There, we encountered many locals who were curious about our journey. Some people even donated to our cause! One pub offered complimentary food and drink to assist with our journey. At the end of each day, we would arrive at a pre-booked hotel, where we would rest, treat our blisters, and discuss the next day’s route. Despite the necessity for haste, we also took some time to explore the countryside, and visit some landmarks, such as Rochester Castle.

We arrived in Canterbury the night before Easter Sunday. The next day, we attended the morning mass led by the Archbishop, and received a pilgrim’s blessing at the shrine of St Thomas Beckett.

One of our initial goals was to understand the religiosity that underpins a pilgrimage, as well as what motivated medieval pilgrims to undertake such a journey. Pilgrimages are not easy. They can be gruelling, and require one to keep a constant, steady pace to arrive punctually at one’s destination. However, a pilgrimage allows one to discover new lands, meet interesting people, and form closer friendships. It can also cause one to undergo a spiritual experience, as you soak in the majesty of the world around you.

At the end of the pilgrimage, each of us had grown as a person and could all agree that it was one of the most meaningful things we’ve ever done. For two of us, being former RGS students, we couldn’t help but remember the times when we sang To Be a Pilgrim at Reigate Grammar School and marvelled at what we had accomplished as we endeavoured to truly be pilgrims.