South East London Encounter
February 7, 2012
On the green chain walk in South East London there is an 'inclosure' of deer – they look like they are white hart and roe deer.
8:14 'Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.'
4:5 'Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.'
The area they are in would have been part of the grounds of Charlton House. This house built in 1612 has many connections to the time. The Wikipedia page give many indications of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_House
The Mulberry tree link is interesting as we have our own Mulberry tree in Stratford-upon-Avon, in the gardens of New Place. It is said to have been planted by Peggy Ashcroft, from a cutting from the original tree in the same garden.
I live in South East London and am acutely aware of the resonance of all this across time. John Evelyn, the diarist and friend of Samuel Pepys, had his house nearby, and Christopher Marlowe was murdered about 100 metres from my front door and is buried in Nicholas Church about five minutes walk away.
by Struan Leslie
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