Barnes' and Sherlock's Old Stomping Grounds

Around 10:00 this morning, I was greeted with a text from my parents saying they had landed at Heathrow, taken the tube (London’s subway) to King’s Cross train station, ridden the train to central Cambridge, hailed a taxi, and were on their way to Westfield House. Ecstatic, I hustled out to the front of the House to greet them.

After showing them around WH and Luther Hall, meeting many of my new friends along our way, I took them to see the historic colleges of Cambridge University. They were happy to see Trinity, Kings, and Gonville and Caius. But the one place my dad wanted to see more than anything in England was the White Horse Inn. This is the place where English Reformers met in the 1520’s to discuss Luther’s works and ideas. One of the men who led these meetings, Robert Barnes, was the first Lutheran in the British Isles. Since Henry VIII despised Luther and the ideals Barnes stood for, Barnes was burned at the stake in Cambridge. Today, there is a radio podcast entitled the White Horse Inn, in honor of what happened here in Cambridge. Unfortunately, in this very anti-Lutheran land, all that is there to commemorate this historic spot is a small, circular plaque with the name and a description on it. Nonetheless, my dad and I were happy to get a picture beside it.

Since we had already booked a hotel in London for tonight, we took the train back down to King’s Cross, checked in at the hotel, and made our way to my dad’s second and final must-see in England: 221B Baker St. This is where his favorite character in all of literature (and one that’s pretty high on my list as well) resided: Sherlock Holmes. We were able to get our picture taken with a “bouncer” dressed up like Detective Lestrade, each of us wearing either a Sherlock or Dr. Watson hat. The Sherlock Holmes Museum right next door was nice to browse through as well.

Now, as I type this up from our West London hotel close to Hyde Park, I see a magazine resting on the nightstand that says on its cover, “Welcome to the World’s Greatest City.” Eh… I wouldn’t go that far. In the couple of trips I’ve taken to London, I’ve seen a great deal and enjoyed a fair chunk of it. It’s certainly a historic and important city. But it’s not my place. I think it’s a bit more raved about than it should be, even though it’s a fine city. I’ll be coming back here a couple more times for sure: once on our flight back from Ireland in a week, once in passing on my way to Paris, and finally to fly back home. I enjoy London… But there’s a lot more to see on these islands.