Not just a place of Worship
Most people visit a church to worship.
On Lundy, people certainly still do. St Helen’s Church continues to hold a monthly service, just as it has served the island community for well over a century.
But today, many visitors come through its doors for a rather different reason. St Helen’s is the only place on the island where visitors can access Wi-Fi!
Walk into the church and you’ll often find people with bowed heads. At first glance it looks as though they’re deep in prayer, until the faint glow of a phone screen gives the game away. They’re catching up with family, checking messages or downloading the latest weather forecast.
For some, it’s a vital connection with home when something can’t wait. For others, it’s the perfect balance during a digital detox—just a few minutes online before stepping back into the slower rhythm of island life.
This June, however, people have been gathering for something altogether different.
They have been waiting for the Midsummer Moment.
Chasing the Light
Around midsummer, as the sun begins to set, its light streams through the stained-glass windows and at just the right moment, illuminates the cross before filling the aisle with warm coloured light.
It lasts only a short while, making it all the more special.
I tried to catch it myself, although work shifts in the Marisco Tavern meant my timing was a little unpredictable. I managed to photograph the illuminated cross, but chatting with Charlie Smith from Old Light Building Conservation, he showed me photographs taken in a previous year that were far more impressive than what I personally saw this year.
Why Does It Happen?
St Helen’s Church was completed in 1897 at the request of the Rev. Hudson Grossett Heaven, who funded its construction through a family legacy. Before that, worship took place in a simple corrugated iron chapel, although Christianity has been part of Lundy’s story since the sixth century.
It’s a large church for a small Island and on clear days it can be seen from the mainland. One feature of the church architecture is that. unlike most churches, St Helen’s does not follow the traditional east-west alignment.
Most historic churches are orientated towards the rising sun, symbolising Christ’s resurrection. St Helen’s instead sits on a northwest-southeast axis.
There are a few stories as to why this is the case. The practical explanation is that during construction in 1896, builders encountered a deep layer of unstable clay beneath the original site and adjusted the orientation to provide firmer foundations for the granite building.
But another theory has become part of Lundy’s folklore.
Some believe the unusual alignment allows the setting sun to shine directly through the church around midsummer, bathing the altar and cross in brilliant coloured light.
Whether this was carefully planned or is simply a beautiful coincidence remains uncertain. It’s yet another story in Lundy’s history.
Interestingly, observations suggest the effect can sometimes be seen in early June rather than exactly on the summer solstice. Since midsummer celebrations have pagan origins rather than Christian ones, any connection between the church’s orientation and the solstice may remain speculative.
June on Lundy
If you’ve never visited Lundy in June, I’d thoroughly recommend it.
The long daylight hours for me, mean that even after finishing an evening shift in the Tavern there’s still time for a peaceful walk across the island.
The crowds have gone, the light becomes soft and the island settles into an extraordinary calm.
Whether you’re standing amongst ancient standing stones or watching the sunset, with the extra light, the month of June offers memorable experiences.
It’s one of my favourite times of year, here on Lundy.