St Dunstan Chant Day, Saturday 17 May 2025 St Mary’s church, Iffley
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
As part of his studies, one of our younger Associates (Henry Darlison) presented a Paper on a section of the beautiful 13th Cent. Worcester Antiphonary, looking particularly at the hagiography, Lessons, and Chant surrounding St Dunstan. He has put forward a fascinating and convincing hypothesis regarding the monks’ emotional experience during a particular section of the Office (which we shall hear more about on the day), and we shall be singing some of this to explore it in practice.
We believe this Antiphonary to be the sole surviving receptacle of the Office of St Dunstan, one-time archbishop of Canterbury, and one of the best-known and popular English saints before the time of St Thomas Becket.
Our Regional Director Matthew Ward already has a warm relationship with St Mary’s Iffley, and we are holding a Chant Day under his direction at this stunning church on Sat 17th May (nearest day to St Dunstan’s feast day, patron saint of bell-ringers etc).
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
Cost
Owing to the generosity of a number of people, the cost of this event is £15, which includes course materials, a ‘thoroughly 21st Century tea in a 12th Century setting’, and other light refreshment during the day.
Students on student loan, please contact us; we’d prefer your musical contribution to your financial!
Lunch – we need to bring our own, or use the nearby pub ‘The Prince of Wales’ (booking strongly advised) https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/
Travel
Leave plenty of time for your journey!
St Mary’s church, Church Way, Iffley, Oxford, OX4 4EG
Public Transport; train to Oxford station (not ‘Parkway’), then bus:
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Oxford-Station/Iffley-Turn#r/Bus
eg 6-minute walk from railway station to Westgate Shopping Centre, the nearest stop for 3 and 3A buses (every 7 minutes) ; catch one in the Rose Hill direction, taking about 12 minutes to IFFLEY TURN; then it is a good 13-minute walk along Church Way to Iffley Church.
By Car; parking is difficult!; in the lane leading to the church, parking is limited to 3 hours.
Park&Ride is a good option; https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Thornhill-Park-and-Ride/Iffley-Turn
People who book to have lunch at Prince of Wales pub https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/ in Iffley village can leave their cars in the pub carpark all day until 4.30 or 5pm. By then the early evening pub-goers start arriving but we can then move our cars onto the controlled parking zone along Church Way. But PoW pub does urge people to share lifts if possible as the max space is for 12 cars.
| Timetable for the day
1) Arrive 10:45 at the church for session 11am-12.30pm Simple refreshments provided during this session 2) Lunch 12.30pm-1.45pm; we bring our own lunch. Or nearby pub The Prince of Wales, Church Way, Iffley (booking strongly advised) https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/ 3) 1.45pm-4.15pm Afternoon session in the Church Hall. 4) 4.15pm-5.30pm ‘Thoroughly 21C tea’ with scones and cake in the Hall, optional tours of the church and/or the newly opened up land to the west of the church on the slope down to the river and/or the belltower. The bellringers will ring a quarter peal from 5.15pm. 5) 6:00pm-7.00pm Presentation / service |
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
