Now where have we heard that speculation? There was a Welsh Bishop at the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign who had great hopes of such a move. Alas it came to nothing — for being chosen to preach before the Queen during Lent, he was unwise enough to speak of "advanced years." The Queen did not like to be reminded of her age, and the black mark against him outlasted Elizabeth. When Canterbury became vacant in 1604 on the death of John Whitgift the lot fell on Bancroft, and poor Dr Rudd stayed on at St David's until his death in 1615.
House and Courtyard Garden
In fact "poor" is not the right epithet for Anthony Rudd. He was very wealthy indeed, and the house and garden he created witness to his wealth. There is a great enthusiasm in Britain for recreating lost gardens. Heligan in Cornwall was exhumed from the undergrowth a few years back, and the latest to receive a makeover is in Wales. Despite dismal weather, we visited Aberglasney, and it was worth the effort. The house (remodelled twice since Bishop Rudd's time, and lately rescued from a ruinous state) is on a very grand scale, but it is the gardens which are most worth seeing.
What a parallel with the state of the church in England and Wales. Once so grand and powerful, now fallen on hard times and in many places ruinous. Maybe it takes the vision of someone looking at us from outside to see the possibilities and recreate our ruins into something productive and beautiful. It will never be the same as once it was; but if the Ordinariate can build on the best of the past, and capture people's enthusiasm and imagination, it may be that there will again be a church in these lands which will be acclaimed as stupor mundi, something worth travelling miles to see.
Jungle in the ruins
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