Make the most of a pilgrimage to the Kent cathedral city
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CANTERBURY
Canterbury began life as an Iron Age
settlement before the Cantiaci settled here
in 1st century AD – the city’s name was
derived from that of the Celtic tribe. They
were quickly uprooted as Romans invaded
in AD 43, imposing a grid structure on the
streets, and, later, building the city walls.
When the Romans left Canterbury in
AD 407, it was largely abandoned until
St Augustine arrived two centuries later, keen
to convert local Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.
St Augustine’s Abbey, collectively with
St Martin’s Church and the cathedral, was
designated as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1988 and Canterbury now attracts
more than a million annual visitors.
Modern tourism suits the city, however,
given that pilgrims have been visiting
for centuries. When the Archbishop of
Canterbury Thomas Becket was murdered
by followers of King Henry II in 1170, he
was subsequently canonised, and visitors
increased sharply. The 14th-century author
Geoffrey Chaucer, dubbed the “father of
English literature”, used a pilgrimage to
Becket’s shrine as the framework for his
classic book, The Canterbury Tales.
The city was also part of an important
route between London and the ports along
the Kent coast, so French goods were
common here in the Middle Ages.
Clockwise, from right:
View of the cathedral
from Butchery Lane;
St Augustine’s Abbey’s
ruins; the Marlowe
Theatre; the Beaney
House of Art and
Knowledge; the city
in Roman timesMorning
Make a grand entrance
Approach the city from the west and
you can’t fail to miss the Westgate Towers
Museum. Built in 1380, this is the largest
surviving medieval gateway in England
and now home to a museum with displays
on local history, wars and crime. Views
from the top of the tower overlook the
adjacent Westgate Gardens, a pretty
landscaped area beside the River Stour.
http://www.onepoundlane.co.ukBrush up on local knowledge
Stroll down the High Street to the Beaney
House of Art and Knowledge, built as an
“institute for working men” according to
the will of Dr James George Beaney inVIST CANTERBURY/CANTERBURY MUSEUMS/TIM STUBBINGS PHOTOGRAPHY