The Lullingstone Secret
Jill Masters
Wakeman Press, 2021 (ISBN: 9781913133115, 97pp, £5.95)
Lullingstone Villa in Kent is a fascinating site to visit whatever one’s awareness of ancient history and is lavishly curated by English Heritage. Since its excavation in the 1950s the site has been of particular interest due to the early example of a Christian house church or chapel in one of the main rooms. In this short childrens’ story, Jill Masters takes creative inspiration from these ecclesiastical remains to imagine the family who lived here in the closing decades of Roman Britain. Masters, wife of the eponymous pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, has decades of experience in teaching Sunday school classes and knows how to tell a good story to keep childrens’ attention. This book, aimed at 7-11 year olds, gives an age-appropriate gospel message amongst its pages as different characters come to faith and share testimony. Perhaps a suitable stocking-filler for a younger relative this Christmas?
Edward Keene, Little Shelford
