Report of the Trip to St Albans Cathedral and Knebwoth
30th September 2023
Our pilgrimage and educational trip to St Albans Cathedral and Knebworth House on 30th September was a great success. About 35 people took part in it, among them about half were members of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society. The event was a combined effort of the parish of the All-Merciful Saviour in St Leonards-on-Sea (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia), and the Society. We are grateful to our Trustee Father Aleksandr Groves, the Rector of the parish, who managed to organise all the logistics and the service at the Cathedral, where we venerated the true and unique relics of the first Martyr of the British Isles. Most of the people were Orthodox Christians but we were open to everybody and we were joined by the hosts, the Anglican Christians, and visitors of different backgrounds. We had a short service and sung hymns to the Holy Protomartyr Alban.
After the service we had the privilege of a guided tour especially designed for us by Anthony Lizotte, an official guide at the Cathedral and a parishioner of the London cathedral (ROCOR).
He outlined for us the history of the Cathedral (more than 900 years) and concentrated on the wall paintings and on the composition of the statues: the Martyrs of the 20th century on the Nave Altar screen with its sculpture of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth on the right side.… KEEP READING
Trip to St Albans Cathedral and Knebworth House – Saturday 30 September 2023
GDERS UK and Parish of All-Merciful Saviour, ROCOR
Contact Maria Harwood 07503213750, nd2315@gmail.com
MEMBERS of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society are invited to join a cultural, educational and religious trip to the places connected with the Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Tsar Martyr Nicholas II.
St Albans Cathedral is a unique Anglican Church where Saint Elizabeth’s sculptural image was placed in the nave altar screen. You will see this image and hear the story of its creation. The Romanov Cross on the Isle of Wight has the third image of St Elizabeth known in this country, after Westminster Abbey and St Albans Cathedral.
Knebworth House is where Grand Duke Michael lived with his family before the First World War. He was the nephew of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and a good friend of his English cousins. Michael was the Tsar of Russia just for one day after the abdication of Nicholas. He was murdered by the Bolsheviks and has been glorified by the Russian Church Outside Russia in 1981 in New York.
The Programme
| 8 am | Coach from St Leonards, 81 Pevensey Rd, TN38 0LR |
| 9 am | Coach from Tunbridge Wells, Train Station (parking) |
| 10:45 | We will start our visit with a short service of prayer to St Alban, the first martyr of the British Isles, at his shrine. |
Fifth anniversary of the Romanov monument on the Isle of Wight
THE GRAND DUCHESS ELIZABETH ROMANOV SOCIETY’S PILGRIMAGE TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 26th and 27th June, 2023
On 26th and 27th June the patrons of the GDERS, Father Alexander Groves, Maria Harwood (Chairman) and John Harwood (Hon Secretary) and members of the Society Paul Oxborrow, Marina Scirska and Matthew Cradduck travelled to the Isle of Wight to mark the 5th Anniversary of the erecting of the Monument to the Romanov Martyrs in July
2018 (you can read about this event here https://gdelizabeth-society.co.uk/marking-thecentenary-of-romanovs martyrdom-in-uk/). This was a major project of the Society dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of their martyrdom when Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Emperor Nicholas II and his whole family and other Romanovs and their servants were
savagely killed in Alapaevsk and Ekaterinburg. Other killings happened in Perm (Grand Duke Michael, Nicholas’s brother) and in St Petersburg. The creation and opening of the monument was enthusiastically supported by the local authorities and the public. The monument was blessed by Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe (ROCOR) in presence of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Major General Sir Martin White, and Prince Rostislav Romanov, who unveiled the monument.
The honorary member of the society from the Isle of Wight Lady Sally Grylls, and two prospective members attended the service of prayers to the Royal Martyrs and Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth.… KEEP READING
День памяти Романовых отметило Общество имени Великой Княгини Елизаветы Романовой в Великобритании
Мария Харвуд, председатель Общества
Марина Щирская, член Общества
Второго июля 2022 Общество Великой Княгини Елизаветы Романовой в Великобритании провело ряд мероприятий, посвящённых памяти Святой Царственной Мученицы Александры Феодоровны, чьё 150-летие со дня рождения отмечалось в мае этого года. (См. 5 номер журнала Общества «Romanov History UK») День начался с посещения дома княгини Ольги Романовой, внучатой племянницы Царя Николая Второго.
Мы ехали по красивейшим окрестностям графства Кент, погода стояла великолепная, и мы готовились окунуться в атмосферу древнего королевского охотничьего поместья (первое упоминание в 13 веке) под названием Провендер, где в 40х годах 20 века поселился старший сын Вел. Кн. Ксении (сестры Царя Николая), Андрей. Поместье принадлежало его британской супруге Надин Макдугалл.
В этом его позднем браке родилась горячо любимая дочь Ольга. Здесь Князь Андрей, уехавший из Крыма в 1918 году уже взрослым юношей, прожил последние свои годы в мирной идиллической обстановке и относительном достатке после многих лет эмигрантских мытарств. Ольга сохранила живые и тёплые воспоминания о своём папа и бабушке Ксении, которая доживала свой век в доме на территории Хэмптон Корт, предоставленном ей королевской семьей.
Ольга Андреевна поделилась с нами своими семейными историями, подкрепляя их фотографиями, портретами и памятными вещами. Один из самых запоминающихся предметов – дорожный сундук с британского корабля «Мальборо», который вывез из Крыма ольгину прабабушку, Вдовствующую Императрицу Марию с дочерью Ксенией и ее многочисленной семьей.… KEEP READING
Romanov Day organised by GDERS in Kent and East Sussex on 2nd July 2022
On 2nd July 2022, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society, U.K. organized a Romanov
Day dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born
on 6th June 1872, Neues Palais, Darmstadt; murdered by Bolsheviks on 17 July 1918,
Ekaterinburg).
That included:
- visit to Provender, the Kent residence of Princess Olga Romanoff, great niece of Emperor Nicholas II;
- garden party at St Benedict, headquarters of the Society in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex;
- prayers to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia at our headquarters;
- chamber music concert, performed by Alexander Groves (piano) and Henry Bristow (violin), and solo piano performance by Nazeli Manukyan;
- readings from the memoirs of the Alexandra’s Lady in Waiting Lili Den with comments by Dr Maria Harwood, Chairman of the Society;
- concluding words by John Harwood, Hon Secretary of GDERS;
- visiting newly built Orthodox chapel of the All-Merciful Saviour.
Report of the Society’s Visit to Provender, home of Princess Olga Romanoff
by Nadia Slepova, Member of GDERS
On the sunny morning of 2d July 2022 we arrived at the Provender House which is a breath-taking property
with a walled garden near Faversham in Kent.
Princess Olga warmly welcomed our group and we had a light informal chat in front of the house.… KEEP READING
Commemorative Events Celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary of the Glorification of Royal Martyrs and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna
With the blessing of Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe (ROCOR)
On 2nd – 4th July, 2021, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society, UK organized special events to celebrate the Fortieth Anniversary of the glorification, by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, of the Royal Martyrs and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, among the host of the New Martyrs of Russia.
The main ceremony took place on July 3 at the Romanov Monument at East Cowes (Isle of Wight) close to Queen Victoria’s residence, Osborne House. A solemn ceremony was held to lay earth from the places where the remains of the martyrs were found in the base of the monument and the installation of a memorial plate recording this. As it was mentioned by the chairman, “the Monument stands on British soil and now it has Russian soil inside, in its heart”.
The flowers and the cloth with Romanov insignia were presented by local people 
Representative of the British Legion 
Father Paul Elliott 
Placing of earth
Alexander Groves and Father Paul
Princess Olga’s speech
Three years after the Romanov monument (designed by Russian Sculptor Elena Bezborodova) was erected it became possible to organize the delivery of a small amount of soil to the UK.… KEEP READING