The Via Beata Blog

Beccles exploratory walk

viabeata — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:40:15 +0000

We are planning to have an exploratory walk from Beccles, coming West and
taking in the newly completed way-station at Belsey Bridge, Ditchingham.

The walk will start at 10 am at Beccles Quay on Saturday 17th September.

All welcome. Bring a picnic lunch. I think it will be about
10 miles.

Artwork for Ditchingham waystation

viabeata — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:25:02 +0000

This triptych is for the waystation at Belsey Bridge Conference Centre at Ditchingham near Bungay. It was made by members and friends of the Via Beata, at a special ‘hands-on weekend’ in June 2011.

It is based upon events which took place after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He joined two of his grieving disciples as they walked from Jerusalem towards the village of Emmaus. They failed to recognise him and continued their gloomy conversation. Jesus explained from the scriptures how all the events of the previous days fitted in with what the prophets had foretold in the scriptures. Once they had reached Emmaus, they persuaded him to join them for supper. It was when he broke the bread that they recognised him (see Luke chapter 24).

At the same ‘hands-on weekend’ in June, the waystation shelter was installed at Belsey Bridge to house this artwork.

Via Beata Weekend

viabeata — Sat, 28 May 2011 10:05:10 +0000

The Via beata weekend at Rowancroft at the end of March was such a blessed time with wonderful talks by Phil Webb.

We concluded the weekend with a walk to the Monastery at Quidenham where we were welcomed so warmly.

Waystation at Great Moulton

viabeata — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:08:55 +0000

On Saturday 12th March a working party installed the way-station shelter at South Norfolk’s Guest-house in Great Moulton. It carries an artwork based on Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders.

Hay on Wye Update

viabeata — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:06:54 +0000

Will Spankie’s bench for Hay on Wye is now complete. We hope that it will be set in place during February 2011.

Relief panels at Brandon

viabeata — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:54:05 +0000

Members of the Full Gospel Church in Brandon made the originals for these relief panels. They were then cast in reconstituted Portland stone.

They have now been fixed to a wall in the garden which is being established in the grounds of the Church, and will become a way-station for the Via Beata where walkers can sit and enjoy the garden while they meditate upon the message of these panels.

Our thanks to The Church for hosting this way-station, and to Ken and Vic and Brian for their expert help in fitting the panels.

We are planning to wait until the spring for an opportunity to have a formal opening of this way-station. By then the garden will be looking at its best, and the wall carrying the panels can be finished off to better display the artwork.

Prototype waystation shelter

viabeata — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:33:43 +0000

Bob Wilkinson and Brian Watts at work doing some research and development on a waystation shelter, which will be able to be easily transported and erected on site. We hope that the first one of this type will be placed in Great Moulton.

Hay-on-Wye Update

viabeata — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:07:11 +0000

The town council at Hay on Wye has agreed for us to place a way station on the site of the old toll house near the bridge over the River Wye. This is great news.

Will Spankie is now in the process of making a stone bench as a way-station for Hay on Wye. This is a significant point in the Via Beata as it crosses into Wales. The bench will carry the words of Jesus’ disciples ‘Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life.’ It is to be sited in the Old Tollhouse picnic site by the bridge over the river. (See photo below)

Via Beata Update

viabeata — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:25:36 +0000

We are negotiating with the Moss family who run the guest-house in Great Moulton, to place a way-station there. It will carry a carving of Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders. The next one going East we are hoping to place at Quiet Waters in Bungay. For this reason we needed to find a safe way across the A140. We could see on the map that there was a right of way at the appropriately named Walk Farm, just about a mile north of the roundabout at Pulham with a good long view of the traffic. Miraculously we met Liz Chubbock on a trip to the theatre. She lives at Walk Farm and is a keen walker. She was able to show us a good route from Great Moulton to Walk Farm, we met there again on Saturday 29th May to make an exploratory walk to Bungay. It was a lovely walk through Harris Green and past Airfield Farm and Websdill Wood (a lovely stopping place for a picnic.) At Earsham there is a footbridge across the Waveney to take us back to Quiet Waters, where we had left the cars.

Over the weekend 13th – 15th June, Gill and Steve went across to Hay on Wye to meet Will Spankie, a sculptor from Sussex. (see www.willspankie.com ).He is eager to create something there. His father lives in the locality and was a keen walker until suffering a severe stroke three years ago. We found a good possible site for a artwork on a small picnic site by the bridge over the River Wye. It is strategically placed on two other long distance paths – Offa’s Dyke path and the Wye Valley Way. Due to one of those amazing ‘God-incidences’ that we have experienced in puirsuit of this project, we met the Town Clerk and the Mayor and were able to discuss things with them. So we prayerfully await a decision from the Hay on Wye Town Council. They meet on 5th.July, and say that they will give us a decision staight away. If we get the go-ahead, Will can set about designing something and include his father in the process.

Potential site at Hay on Wye for sculpture

Opportunities for Christian artists

viabeata — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:51:25 +0000

We are currently putting together an archive of Christian artistis upon whom we can call to submit proposals as and when commissions arise along the Via Beata route.

We are particularly eager to hear from artists who live and work within a few miles of the line or from those who feel particularly inspired by the concept of the project.

Please send a C.V. and up to 10 examples of your work together with a short statement of how your Christian faith relates to your practice as an artist.

Images should be on disc or on colour sheets no larger than A4 please.

Send by post to:

Steve and Gill Eggleton, Via Beata, Rowancroft, Kenninghall Road, Banham, Norfolk, NR16 2HE