Tower and Town, November 2025 (view the full edition)Clergy LetterDuring the wistful first week of September, just before our youngest departed for university, we took a week's holiday in North Cornwall, to revisit a seaside haunt much enjoyed in their childhood. The high-baked summer heat finally giving way to that more familiar British blend of showery spells and sunny intervals, we eschewed the beaches in favour of the ruined splendour of Tintagel Castle, situated on an almost-island along the headland from our cottage. Since 2019, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur has been connected to the coast by an elegant suspension bridge, the crossing of which offers giddily magnificent views. Perhaps helpfully, pedestrians can't see the rocks beneath them but for a 40mm gap, halfway across. The bridge is constructed in two sections, each drilled into its own side of the yawning chasm. The inch or two between them is, I learned, both structural and symbolic - representing the space between past and present, myth and reality. A lovely touch, I thought. In the Christian year, Autumn's mood is one of gratitude and remembrance - with Harvest, All Saints and Remembrance Sunday each inviting us to look back and consider what we have received. In so doing, we find in Jesus Christ one who bridges the ages, reconnecting us both to God and neighbour. At times this year it has felt as though the gap between us - as individuals, cultures and nations - is growing ever wider. We launch out from our separate sides and find it ever harder to meet in the middle. Christians are not immune from any of this (and can even be guilty of widening the divide) but we follow one who offers true peace: within ourselves, with each other and with God. Whatever lies before us this winter, may we walk in his way. Bishop Andrew Rumsey |