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Around Town Meets...
Stephen Platten
Bishop of Wakefield
By Brian Elliott
 In 1985 I had a brief but memorable meeting with David Hope, the then new Bishop of Wakefield, and subsequently Archbishop of York. I was also aware, in the 1990s, of his successor, Nigel McCulloch who was very active in his support of miners and mining communities in the aftermath of pit closures. I therefore looked forward to meeting the 12th incumbent, The Rt Revd Stephen George Platten, to find out about his role and the diocese during changing times. I was certainly not disappointed by our interview which took place in his large book-lined study at Bishop’s Lodge, an interesting period house set in its own grounds a few miles from the city.
Bishop Stephen had just returned from a pastoral day spent ‘in the diocese’, more particularly at St Magdalene’s, Lundwood, part of that disadvantaged area near Barnsley which has had a great deal of media attention recently during and in the wake of the Priest Idol television series; and where Father James McCaskell ‘is doing a great job, rooting people into the faith’.
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After morning prayer, James took Bishop Stephen into the community, meeting people and visiting schools, including pupils and staff at new Littleworth Grange. A call was also made to the Priory Campus of Barnsley College and lunch was taken at the Mill of the Black Monks pub, Burton Grange, near to Monk Bretton Priory. Bishop Stephen had just been given the good news of the award of a c.£50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund which would be used to promote the historic and educational aspects of the site. Later, Fr McCaskill was able to show Stephen the plans for the new St Magdalene church hall, ravaged by fire a few months earlier. ‘I feel sure its replacement,’ said Stephen, ‘will result in an even better church and community facility’.
In a practical sense, Bishop Stephen’s Lundwood visit was a good indication of the real role of a modern Church of England bishop: it was the parishes and their respective communities that were important. They were the foci of the diocese, and not the Bishop. Stephen told me that every priest and parish had a supportive visit from the Bishop or Archdeacon every couple of years - and one where the dialogue was essentially driven by the advice and needs of the incumbent and local people. Bearing in mind the very extensive geography involved, this was a somewhat surprising revelation to me. I guess, as a historian, I was more used to the very formal, and only occasional, inspection-like Visitations that took place under the old ecclesiastical regimes of the Archbishop of York and his entourage.
The Diocese of Wakefield is deceptive in its extent and also in the changing profiles of its varied communities. Stephen told me that the area stretched in the west from the old Yorkshire/Lancashire boundary at Todmorden towards Egborough in the east; and from Barnsley in the south towards Leeds in the north. Ethnically, the diocese includes significant urban areas of Asian immigration in places such as Huddersfield, Halifax and Dewsbury, with multicultural issues increasingly important. A strong rural feel also abounds, the mix of hill-farming moorland and the amount of both pastoral and arable land coming something of a surprise to Stephen when moved to the area in 2003. It wasn’t too long before he found himself standing on a picket line, giving support to dairy farmers whose income and way of life was being eroded under the increasing profit demands of the big supermarkets. A ‘Blessing of the Fleece’, inspired by Stephen’s international experience in Australia, is planned for later this year. Although the pit closures and their aftermath took place mainly during the tenure of Stephen’s predecessor, Nigel McCullough, some of the problems and the culture of former mining communities are still present, despite regeneration. The closure of the Selby mining complex has been a fairly recent occurrence.
As already noted, it is the parish priest who is at the centre of the modern diocese but bishops, like captains of industry and public service managers, certainly have both strategic and representative roles. For me, this was well illustrated quite recently when I attended a special service held at St Mary’s, Barnsley, in commemoration of Yorkshire miners killed in accidents and disasters. Bishop Stephen was not only in attendance, but his public comments were very much appreciated by all concerned on the unique and moving occasion.
Stephen was quick to dispel the old impression of the clergy of only being busy on Sundays and at holiday periods such as Christmas. As one would expect, the workload of a modern bishop is enormous and could not be tackled without delegation which Stephen described as ‘key’ to progress, saying that he considered himself ‘very lucky’ at having ‘such excellent diocesan staff’. When away, keeping in frequent contact with staff was also a necessity. We had a short but interesting discussion about the ethics of the church’s role in politics. He recognised that it would be a mistake for someone in his position to be ‘obsessively involved in one political party’s politics’ - the exception perhaps being a country where there was an oppressive regime. Stephen’s philosophy was straightforward: ‘We need to identify moments when it is clear that the Christian gospel says to us we can not avoid political comments’. He referred to the example of Bishop Nigel as being ‘right in wanting to make sure that the best interests of local people were supported’ and his own practical support of local dairy farmers. Stephen affirmed that he was not afraid to speak out against injustices in pulpit, picket and press as and when necessary. Stephen’s visit to Georgia resulted in an article published in the Yorkshire Post at a time when the polonium poisoning case and possible Russian involvement were also in the news.
Born and brought up in London, Stephen’s tertiary education began at Trent Park College of Education (University of London Institute of Education), specialising in Natural Science where he completed a B.Ed degree. On leaving school, however, his first job was with the multinational company, Shell, where he hoped that an interest in geology would have been a successful career asset. But after eighteen months he was unsure wether to become a teacher or put himself forward for ordination. The latter choice became more obvious half way through his teacher-training course in London.
At the University of Oxford (Cuddledon Theological College and Trinity College) Stephen completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Theology, and further research work followed. He was ordained deacon in 1975 and a priest in 1976, within the Diocese of Oxford. An interesting period at Lincoln Theological College followed (1978-82), where he was Chaplain and Tutor in Ethics. The next and ‘totally different’ experience was at the great naval port of Portsmouth where he could see, for example, The QE2 and HMS Hermes sail past, from his study window. It was at Portsmouth, as residentiary canon at the cathedral and Diocesan Director of Ordinands (responsible for the selection and training of clergy) that he co-founded the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics.
Stephen returned to London, working at Lambeth Palace as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs, very much an international role. It was a job which came ‘out of the blue’ following a persuasive letter from Robert Runcie which went on the lines of (and here Stephen gives a wonderful impression of the great man): ‘If you are the sort of person who likes to have breakfast in Tokyo, lunch in Tel Aviv and dinner with your family at home in Lambeth then this job might be for you...’ What followed, Stephen described as ‘an amazing experience...standing on the airport tarmac at Moscow or at a world capital city, in fact I often had to pinch myself wondering how on earth I ended up doing this kind of job - and also meeting King Husain of Jordan or great church leaders...it was extraordinary.’ Stephen also worked for Runcie’s successor, George Carey, briefing him on ecumenical matters, meeting Pope John Paul, and attending the World Council of Churches Congress at Canberra, Australia.
Stephen Platten was appointed as Dean of Norwich in 1995, an office he held prior to coming to Wakefield in 2003. Here he was responsible for the cathedral during an important phase in its modern development. The 900th anniversary of the founding of one of the finest Romanesque churches in Europe coincided with the first stage of a great fund-raising and new building scheme (recently finalised) in which a modern structure was integrated into the cathedral’s medieval setting. Stephen told me how ‘what a great privilege it was’ to be associated with the cathedral, city and diocese.
By the time of publication of this feature Stephen will have embarked on his first ever sabbatical, commencing with a week in Jerusalem. He spoke to me with great enthusiasm for his plans to undertake research on the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), friend of the Wordsworths but perhaps less known for his theological works; and also about the possibility of writing a popular guide to ordination. What of the future? Well, Bishop David will come back, to use his words, ‘energised’ and ‘refreshed’, bringing some new ideas - and, no doubt, there will be plenty more challenges to address.
Acknowledgement: I would like to thank the Bishop of Wakefield’s Chaplain and Communications officer, Revd Michael Rawson, for arranging my interview - and also the Bishop’s Secretary.
Published Spring 2007. All information correct at time of print
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