St Cuthberts Mill : Why are we called St Cuthberts Mill?

Reverend Gill Sakakini
at St Cuthbert's Church

Reverend Gill Sakakini is a priest and artist who works in a pioneering role in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. She creatively encourages spiritual exploration in the area local to St Cuthberts Mill, and leads art workshops and community events. Earlier this year Gill was an Artist in Residence on Holy Island /Lindisfarne where she brought full circle the shared connections between our local St Cuthbert’s Church, St Cuthbert’s School, and St Cuthberts Mill.

To give some background, St Cuthberts Mill is located just outside Wells in the beautiful county of Somerset. The mill resides in the church parish of St Cuthbert’s Church, a medieval church located on St Cuthbert’s Street, Wells, that was first built in the 13th century. Legend tells an old mill owner was out walking when he heard the church bells ringing from St Cuthbert’s Church and decided to name the mill after the local church.

Gill’s residency saw her travel to the very North East of England visiting Holy Island /Lindisfarne. Holy Island is where the man we know of as Saint Cuthbert spent most of his life as both a hermit and a bishop.

We interviewed Gill about the residency, and the resulting work exhibited at St Cuthbert’s Church, in association with collaborative work with local primary children from St Cuthbert’s School and St Aldhelm’s School.

Holy Island is not local to us in Somerset and your residency started with a long trek. Can you tell us more about the journey getting to the residency?

Yes, I decided to make a pilgrimage to my destination by walking the St Cuthbert’s Way which began at the Abbey in the Scottish border town of Melrose and wove through others such as Jedburgh and Kirk Yetholm. I walked in the company of good friends and we paused to say prayers and read writings from the Celtic saints along the way. We followed some of the routes Saint Cuthbert would have walked as he spread the good news about Jesus Christ. The final part of the 62 mile pilgrimage path was over the sands at low tide as Holy Island may only be reached when the tide is out. While there is a causeway for vehicles, the pilgrim path follows a series of guiding poles and there is one tall place of escape should someone have misjudged the tide times! We crossed at 5.30am after about an hour and a half and were welcomed by the very eerie and ghostly sound of seals!

How did you work with the local children in the preparation for the residency?

I worked with the staff of St Cuthbert’s Junior School in Wells, in particular with the RE lead teacher. Together we created a half term’s worth of interdisciplinary curriculum across Art and RE which is now available for other schools nationally. Each week all the children explored aspects of Celtic Christianity through art. The children responded to the famous Lindisfarne Gospels which are one of the most well preserved examples of an illuminated manuscript of this kind — now in the British Library. Each child used a stencil to create the first letter of their name which they decorated in ink and crayons to 'illumine' something about themselves. In another lesson the children encountered a coracle; the small boat used by the saints to travel. The children made their own designs and printed them, some on tissue paper, evoking the fragility of traveling that depended on the wind. They learned how Saint Cuthbert and others depended also on the wind of the Holy Spirit to guide their journeys.

What were your experiences at Holy Island?

On Holy Island I was based at the St Cuthbert’s Centre (the island’s church). I stayed in a bothy on the premises which is available for hire. St Cuthbert’s Centre was a former Presbyterian Church built in the late 1800s largely, as a place of worship for the fishing families. The roof structure itself resembles a boat upside down and this was significant inspiration for the work I produced. The church became a United Reformed Church subsequently, and was re-ordered to create a light, bright venue both for weekly prayer and art making and exhibitions. On a daily basis, pilgrims, tourists, island inhabitants, and visitors flowed through the doors. I led a collaborative piece of art that all were welcome to participate in. My work was focussed on this community and I made my own art which responded to Holy Island; its people, geography, spirituality, and connections with Saint Cuthbert in Wells. I spent part of each day out and about sketching, joining in the many opportunities for prayer on the island, and I returned to focus my attention on making folded books, which was the theme I chose for deepening my arts practice.

What was it like on Holy Island?

The place has a distinctive character and people come to visit with an expectation that they may sense something holy, numinous, or perhaps perceive they mystery of what is known as a ‘thin' or 'liminal' place where the veil between this world and the next is most transparent. Certainly, it was wild and windy, yet deeply peaceful, and the horizon pulled my gaze. There were ancient stones and ruins and sacred places where many prayers had been offered, some in trepidation of Viking marauders in the 700s. The indigenous population is around 150 and many who grew up on the island return in later years. I sensed a bit of unease between the residents and the many, many visitors (up to 4,000 a day at the height of summer on an island that is only 3 miles long). Holy Island was beautiful, the sea a deep blue, the wildlife extraordinary and the sacred rhythms were tangible.

Can you tell us about the work you created at Holy Island?

As I mentioned above, the intention was to learn more about book making and the role of a non -traditional book. I was grateful for the opportunity to consolidate some of my prior learning and have unlimited time to try out, re-work, and begin again if necessary. As part of this, I sought to include the art created by the school children and that of people in other drawing groups in Shepton Mallet (a small town close to Wells) and make something new. I arrived with few plans other than these, as I wanted to be open to the environment in which I found myself. I completed a range of books and was pleased with the outcomes.

I enjoyed making new art from existing art, and I was drawn to the upturned boats that had been made into small dwellings, shops or storage spaces from the old fishing boats. This spoke to me of the excitement of re-imagining something for a new purpose, and is often a feature of the art I make. It reminded me of resurrection themes; renewing and remaking from what’s been discarded and left behind.

You’ve specialised in making artist books for the exhibition, how did you get on with the paper you chose for the project?

I really appreciated using the paper from St Cuthberts Mill, both the Somerset and the Bockingford, which were ideal, respectively, for the watercolour inks I used and for printmaking. It was a joy to be able to offer such good quality paper to the children in school, as they gained an appreciation of quality and how the inks settled into the paper and didn’t buckle. The paper seemed to know what I was about to do with it - in a curious way! I enjoyed working with it and feeling the natural folding grain. I was able to let all the visitors know that the communal piece was on very special paper connected in its special way with Saint Cuthbert via St Cuthberts Mill.

Did you unlock the mystery of why there’s a church in Somerset dedicated to a northern saint?

As I set about finding a connection as part of the early preparation for the residency. I needed a story and an answer to this question, as it seemed impossible that Saint Cuthbert had physically travelled this far south in the 600s. After some research a connection emerged and is documented in the Chained Library in Wells Cathedral. When King Alfred (849-899) was hiding in battle in the Somerset marshes near Wells, allegedly disguised as a pilgrim, fearful and hungry, Saint Cuthbert appeared to him in a vision and advised and comforted him. As was common in history, Christians often gathered around a cult of a saint who they thought embodied their aspirational spirituality, so it may have been that the life and faith of Saint Cuthbert inspired them, and therefore the dedication to this saint was given to the Church in Wells.

Can you tell us more about who Saint Cuthbert was?

Yes, Saint Cuthbert’s dates were 634-687AD and he was born in Melrose (where the pilgrimage began). Saint Cuthbert was known as a man of great faith whose life was marked by prayer, often for long hours in the rising tide during the night! One story tells how the otters came to warm him in the morning. He was known for his compassion for all creatures and helped to preserve wildlife, particularly the Eider Duck, which is affectionately known as the Cuddy duck (Cuthbert’s nickname and the title of the residency). The children at St Aldhelm’s School in (the local village of) Doulting created lots of Cuddy Ducks as part of the residency, which have been made into postcards. Cuthbert was responsible for the spread of Christianity in the North of England and many stories document visions, miracles, and encounters with spiritual seekers. Even after his death many miracles were reported at the site of his shrine in Durham Cathedral. He was made a saint in 698, 11 years after his death, when amazingly his body hadn’t perished in its coffin after all those years.

Your exhibition was called ‘Cuddy Connection’, can you tell us the inspiration of the show’s name?

I mentioned that Saint Cuthbert’s nickname was 'Cuddy' but it was also mine at school too, based on my name - Cudmore. I sensed an affinity with Saint Cuthbert when I discovered this, and it was yet another link between places, faith and people.

Footnote - about the St Cuthberts cross:

The emblem of St Cuthberts Mill is inspired by the cross found in Saint Cuthbert’s tomb in Durham Cathedral. The Anglo- Saxon relic is a ‘pectoral’ (worn on the chest) cross found in the saint’s coffin when opened 1827. It is thought the cross was either buried with him in 687 or placed in his coffin in 698, when Saint Cuthbert’s sainthood was recognised. The original cross is made of gold and set with garnet and small pieces of shell. In additional, the St Cuthberts Mill symbol is also decorated with lions, referencing the stone lion statues on the mill roof that oversee the mill with their watchful gaze.