Pleasant surprise in Bath

Bath is reached from Paddington by the Great Western Railway, an engineering triumph of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Between Chippenham and Bath, the train goes through the Box Tunnel which is nearly two miles long and descends with a gradient of 1 in 100. I managed to get a glimse of the western portal. Apparently the work was begun from both ends and when they met, there was an error of less than 2 inches in alignment.

Having arranged to arrive in Bath a few hours early, I had the opportunity to visit the Roman Baths and take some photographs. On the way from the station, I passed a large Victorian Church but did not bother to photograph it. On the way back to the station to get a taxi out to Fr Bill, I took a closer look and was amazed to find that it was a magnificent Catholic Church. It is very well kept and has not been "wreckovated" in any way. The pulpit and High Altar are intact as are the screens.

While walking round Bath, I got chatting to a couple who are living rough. They told me that a pair of peregrine falcons were nesting in the Church spire. I later managed to get a photo with the help of a bird watcher who was looking at them with his binoculars. The couple told me that the priest at the Church gave them a cup of tea at seven in the morning. I told them he was a saint. It was only later that I found out they were talking about a Catholic priest.

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