Pilgrimages
Pilgrimages
To be a pilgrim – to journey from your home to a place that has meaning, resonance and spirituality – this can be to recreate meaningful and important events in the past, to honour the place and people, and to create space for reflection and deliberation.
The Unitarian Pilgrimage to Great Hucklow
Over the course of all times within living memory the village of Great Hucklow in Derbyshire has established itself as spiritually significant to Unitarianism (both the movement and the people within that movement).
Over the decades Great Hucklow has been a place of gathering, a place of emotion, a place of meeting and a place of meaning.
In that village – and that is within the Chapel, the Nightingale, the Queen Anne, and the Barrel, in a field and on a walk… in that village of Great Hucklow there have been serious resolutions, discussions, agreements, songs, poems, verse, and yes simple greetings and heartfelt farewells. These exchanges have themselves been initial discussions before a subsequently significant decision, they have been the melding of friendships and indeed personal relationships including marriages and civil partnerships, campaigns on matters of social justice and public policy, and they have provided spiritual thought, reflection and yes materials for others to learn from.
Over the decades Great Hucklow has been a place of gathering, a place of emotion, a place of meeting and a place of meaning.
In that village – and that is within the Chapel, the Nightingale, the Queen Anne, and the Barrel, in a field and on a walk… in that village of Great Hucklow there have been serious resolutions, discussions, agreements, songs, poems, verse, and yes simple greetings and heartfelt farewells. These exchanges have themselves been initial discussions before a subsequently significant decision, they have been the melding of friendships and indeed personal relationships including marriages and civil partnerships, campaigns on matters of social justice and public policy, and they have provided spiritual thought, reflection and yes materials for others to learn from.
More than anything else – and this is the mission to this day – Great Hucklow is the Unitarian holiday destination of choice to escape the pollution and the pressure of urban living and to give children in particular a destination that would nourish their experiences, broaden their horizons, and nurture them as people and individuals.
With the hills, fields, and stone walls, with The Nightingale Centre, The Old Chapel, and more besides – Great Hucklow was chosen as the epitome and embodiment of all those things that we need injecting into our lives to give us encouragement, experience, and enrichment.
For these reasons and many more besides many of us who are involved in The Old Chapel (Unitarian) have been toying with the notion that Great Hucklow has a claim, and a very strong and sustainable claim to be one of the spiritual homes of Unitarianism within the UK. That there are very few other places anywhere in the country that has been so visited and gained such emotional significance.
With the hills, fields, and stone walls, with The Nightingale Centre, The Old Chapel, and more besides – Great Hucklow was chosen as the epitome and embodiment of all those things that we need injecting into our lives to give us encouragement, experience, and enrichment.
For these reasons and many more besides many of us who are involved in The Old Chapel (Unitarian) have been toying with the notion that Great Hucklow has a claim, and a very strong and sustainable claim to be one of the spiritual homes of Unitarianism within the UK. That there are very few other places anywhere in the country that has been so visited and gained such emotional significance.
Now after a period of restrictions on gathering and travelling we are looking to the future. What does Great Hucklow mean to the movement, and what place does the Chapel have in this.
With the lifting of restrictions, we can once again make plans to return to Great Hucklow and for many of us this will feel like a pilgrimage. As we approach the village our cares will ease, our spirits will lift and the simple act of returning to Great Hucklow will be an act of restoration and recharge of our Unitarian optimism and batteries. The Chapel – known to so many of you over many years and visits, and the host of so many important events and Rites of Passage – stands unflinching as a conduit and witness to the very fabric and body of our Unitarian Faith.
For those who have not been before, Great Hucklow will be known by name and by reputation. A place of joy, of beauty, of holiday and of learning Great Hucklow has a huge role to play in the lives of many yet to come as their tread the pilgrim path to this small Derbyshire village.
With the lifting of restrictions, we can once again make plans to return to Great Hucklow and for many of us this will feel like a pilgrimage. As we approach the village our cares will ease, our spirits will lift and the simple act of returning to Great Hucklow will be an act of restoration and recharge of our Unitarian optimism and batteries. The Chapel – known to so many of you over many years and visits, and the host of so many important events and Rites of Passage – stands unflinching as a conduit and witness to the very fabric and body of our Unitarian Faith.
For those who have not been before, Great Hucklow will be known by name and by reputation. A place of joy, of beauty, of holiday and of learning Great Hucklow has a huge role to play in the lives of many yet to come as their tread the pilgrim path to this small Derbyshire village.
So, in the context of centuries of worship of innumerable Rites of Passage and events, we reopened Great Hucklow Chapel on Sunday 1st August for regular worship and as a place of pilgrimage.
We are encouraging those of you who hold Great Hucklow dear in your hearts to engage with us as we start on this journey. Over the coming weeks and months as we plan our conferences, away weekends, walking holidays and meeting schedule so you begin the planning for your pilgrimage back to Great Hucklow. We will be throwing our doors open both, but also electronically and seeking to make the unique experience in this unlikely Derbyshire village understood, shared and accessible to all.
In medieval times and upon the completion of a pilgrimage it was traditional to purchase a badge, a token of your journey for your cloak, prayer book and perhaps your home. In that tradition, within the Chapel there will be available to any such pilgrim the chance to obtain a personal chalice from Great Hucklow as a constant reminder of its enduring positive impact upon our lives. Within the Chapel we are preparing materials and creating shared resources of stories, prayers, poems, and photographs that will illuminate the vast scale of impact that Great Hucklow has had upon so many people’s lives. Further, there are campaigns, issues if social justice and public policy that in part have a root and a home in the story of the Chapel. Poverty, paid leave from employment, women’s rights, the energy, and importance of the voice of young people, on LGBT+ equality, on the right of any two people who love each other to marry… on these and on so many more their story and how they have come about is the story of The Chapel and of the people who worshipped there.
We are encouraging those of you who hold Great Hucklow dear in your hearts to engage with us as we start on this journey. Over the coming weeks and months as we plan our conferences, away weekends, walking holidays and meeting schedule so you begin the planning for your pilgrimage back to Great Hucklow. We will be throwing our doors open both, but also electronically and seeking to make the unique experience in this unlikely Derbyshire village understood, shared and accessible to all.
In medieval times and upon the completion of a pilgrimage it was traditional to purchase a badge, a token of your journey for your cloak, prayer book and perhaps your home. In that tradition, within the Chapel there will be available to any such pilgrim the chance to obtain a personal chalice from Great Hucklow as a constant reminder of its enduring positive impact upon our lives. Within the Chapel we are preparing materials and creating shared resources of stories, prayers, poems, and photographs that will illuminate the vast scale of impact that Great Hucklow has had upon so many people’s lives. Further, there are campaigns, issues if social justice and public policy that in part have a root and a home in the story of the Chapel. Poverty, paid leave from employment, women’s rights, the energy, and importance of the voice of young people, on LGBT+ equality, on the right of any two people who love each other to marry… on these and on so many more their story and how they have come about is the story of The Chapel and of the people who worshipped there.
We will be returning specifically to the role of music with a particular offering that will bring together the vast range of Unitarian music – this is being carefully considered in all regards but is being started now as a direct consequence of the loss of David Dawson who would have been such a source of such knowledge. To this end we have sought help and advice from David Kent in understanding what we can do that is helpful, that is necessary and is otherwise absent.
So it is with great excitement, with considerable fanfare we reopened The Chapel on Sunday 1st August at 11am, and we will be declared ourselves open to receive unitarian pilgrims. In the aftermath of a global pandemic few things could better lift spirits than a pilgrimage to Great Hucklow. We have been serving the Peak District since 1796. We have been significant in the hearts and experience of UK Unitarians since the establishment in 1917 of the The Nightingale Centre (then a convalescent home for those wounded in conflict). And given the global pandemic we will from 2021 open Great Hucklow Unitarian Chapel as a spiritual home for UK Unitarianism and as a place of pilgrimage.
This is a complex, sensitive, and important story for Unitarians with many threads and branches. For many of us it will be a deeply personal matter woven into your memories and emotions. As we reopen the doors and allow the fresh air back into the Chapel, we ask for your help and support in our journey ahead.
To sign up as A Friend of The Unitarian Chapel Great Hucklow please email steve@helpwithadmin.com
So it is with great excitement, with considerable fanfare we reopened The Chapel on Sunday 1st August at 11am, and we will be declared ourselves open to receive unitarian pilgrims. In the aftermath of a global pandemic few things could better lift spirits than a pilgrimage to Great Hucklow. We have been serving the Peak District since 1796. We have been significant in the hearts and experience of UK Unitarians since the establishment in 1917 of the The Nightingale Centre (then a convalescent home for those wounded in conflict). And given the global pandemic we will from 2021 open Great Hucklow Unitarian Chapel as a spiritual home for UK Unitarianism and as a place of pilgrimage.
This is a complex, sensitive, and important story for Unitarians with many threads and branches. For many of us it will be a deeply personal matter woven into your memories and emotions. As we reopen the doors and allow the fresh air back into the Chapel, we ask for your help and support in our journey ahead.
To sign up as A Friend of The Unitarian Chapel Great Hucklow please email steve@helpwithadmin.com
Great Hucklow As A Place of Pilgrimage
Many believe that this Chapel, this village, is a place of pilgrimage
For over a century Unitarians have come to this village, bringing themselves, binging children, bringing families for the benefits of a holiday and retreat in Derbyshire. The mix of refreshing countryside, rugged hills, stunning views and all the embracing weather of the Peak District make this a special place.
These Chalices have all had former lives, most are simple and plain, some are large and more grand, a few have slight damage – much like us pilgrims in life. Please feel able to take one home and recall your journey to Great Hucklow Unitarian Chapel.
Pilgrimage is a journey where someone goes to find out about themselves, about nature and explore spirituality, the divine. Afterwards you return to your normal routines refreshed, renewed, and perhaps changed.
For over a century Unitarians have come to this village, bringing themselves, binging children, bringing families for the benefits of a holiday and retreat in Derbyshire. The mix of refreshing countryside, rugged hills, stunning views and all the embracing weather of the Peak District make this a special place.
These Chalices have all had former lives, most are simple and plain, some are large and more grand, a few have slight damage – much like us pilgrims in life. Please feel able to take one home and recall your journey to Great Hucklow Unitarian Chapel.
Pilgrimage is a journey where someone goes to find out about themselves, about nature and explore spirituality, the divine. Afterwards you return to your normal routines refreshed, renewed, and perhaps changed.
Since The Holocaust of WWII, Unitarians have used the Chalice Symbol as a light to both warm and warn – the power of fire and flame, the bowls to enable and support – but a lit Chalice as a means of focussing their reflections, prayers, and dedication
Great Hucklow Unitarians offer these chalices kas a reminder, token, a part of your pilgrimage today – take one, give it a home, light a candle, and bring to your home the positives of your journey here.
We are grateful and give thanks for your visit – we hope you can say the same.
In the garden behind the Chapel is a grave marked by a simple stone to a man who died outside the Chapel in the 1920’s. His name and age were unknown, and he is remembered as ‘A Passing Stranger’.
Great Hucklow Unitarians offer these chalices kas a reminder, token, a part of your pilgrimage today – take one, give it a home, light a candle, and bring to your home the positives of your journey here.
We are grateful and give thanks for your visit – we hope you can say the same.
In the garden behind the Chapel is a grave marked by a simple stone to a man who died outside the Chapel in the 1920’s. His name and age were unknown, and he is remembered as ‘A Passing Stranger’.
A Passing Stranger
I came to this this village following the footsteps of others
My life traces the footsteps of those who came before We take these journeys alone and with companions.
May my faltering steps gain confidence along the way May our companion friends gain solace from my presence May we see and include each other in this our story.
For we are all ‘passing strangers, on the path of life.
Let it be so.
My life traces the footsteps of those who came before We take these journeys alone and with companions.
May my faltering steps gain confidence along the way May our companion friends gain solace from my presence May we see and include each other in this our story.
For we are all ‘passing strangers, on the path of life.
Let it be so.
