PILGRIMAGE IN OXFORD TALK
MEMBERS' TALK PLUS OPTIONAL PILGRIMAGE THROUGH OXFORD
An exclusive talk for Members of the Ashmolean
With Dr Guy Hayward, Director of the British Pilgrimage Trust
In a place where so much 'green', earth-magic imagination – Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Dark Materials, Alice in Wonderland – has been borne, what is it about Oxford as a landscape that fosters this imagination?
This unique talk will detail Oxford’s history, religious significance, and geographies physical and spiritual, with guest speaker Dr Guy Hayward, Director of the British Pilgrimage Trust.
Guy's focus will be the prominence of St George, St Michael and Frideswide/Margaret as Green Men and Women of Oxford.
Guy will discuss St George as the human Green Man due to his associations with the Green Dragon (Earth or Water, depending on your perspective), Archangel Michael as his heavenly counterpart, and how Frideswide and her two assistants are depicted as Green Women on the Shrine in Christ Church.
Other highlights include the Green Woman/Dragon carving of Margaret at St Margaret's Binsey (the place of the Treacle Well of Alice) and St Michael's tower at North Gate. The old St Michael's Gate at South Gate (Folly Bridge), is also notable. Guy will also delve into the history of the red and white dragons and the formation of Oxford in King Ludd's time.
About the speaker
Dr Guy Hayward is the Director of the British Pilgrimage Trust, which he co-founded in 2014 to promote the practice of 'bring your own beliefs' pilgrimage in Britain. He has been leading guided pilgrimages since 2016 and has been interviewed about modern pilgrimage for Netflix, BBC2‘s 'Pilgrimage' TV series and Channel 4’s 'Britain’s Ancient Tracks', contributes to Radio 4 and writes for the national media.
Guy completed a PhD at Cambridge on how singing forms community, co-founded the Choral Evensong Trust with Rupert Sheldrake to promote Britain's sacred choral tradition, and is half of comedy singing double act Bounder and Cad.
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