own by night, crafting dishes made
entirely from market-fresh ingredients.
http://www.thegoodsshed.co.ukEat like a pilgrim
The Corner House restaurant is set within
a 16th-century coach house next to the city
walls and one can almost imagine weary
Tudor pilgrims resting here. Chef Mark
Cragg’s menu goes big on local favourites
like Romney Marsh lamb and Kent Gypsy
Tart, a sweet pastry dish with an evaporated
milk and muscovado sugar filling. Four
hotel rooms include The Chaucer Suite.
http://www.cornerhouserestaurants.co.ukNight
Sleep under spires
Nobody is checking into the Canterbury
Cathedral Lodge for the pristine yet plain
rooms – it is all about the location. The main
lodge’s 29 bedrooms offer uninterrupted
views of the cathedral, while all hotel
residents get a free ticket and the chance
to walk around the grounds out of hours.
http://www.canterburycathedrallodge.orgBook in with Dickens
If you prefer a more atmospheric room,
book a stay at The House of Agnes. This
city-centre B&B is in a grade II* listed,
Tudor-era house that Charles Dickens used
as inspiration for Agnes Wickfield’s house
in David Copperfield. A hearty breakfast
is served in the wood-panelled Quadrant. n
http://www.houseofagnes.co.uk- The Study is a cabinet of curiosities
with a narwhal tusk and a four-legged
duckling, while the Garden Room is
dedicated to paintings by local Victorian
artist, Thomas Sidney Cooper.
http://www.canterburymuseums.co.uk/beaney
Explore the ruins
The true depth of Canterbury’s history is
revealed at St Augustine’s Abbey, founded
in AD 598. It was used as a seat of learning
for almost a thousand years, until King
Henry VIII ordered its destruction during
the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Now in
English Heritage care, a new virtual-reality
guide brings the ruined abbey’s story to life.
http://www.english-heritage.org.ukAfternoon
Find books on an angle
The Sir John Boys House truly lives up
to its other name: The Crooked House.
The slanted and enchanting 17th-century
half-timber building is perfectly safe,
despite the many impossible angles of floors
and walls warped over time. It’s now home
to Catching Lives Books, a second-hand
shop that supports a local homeless charity.
http://www.catchinglives.org/catching-lives-
bookshopTake tea in style
No self-respecting English city is complete
without a spot for afternoon tea and Tiny
Tim’s Tearoom certainly fits the bill. Set in
a 17th-century building styled like a 1930sparlour, the tearoom’s Kentish Cream Teas
are actually available all day long, while
a spicy Spitfire ale-infused rarebit sauce
livens up local favourites like cheese on
toast and Eggs Chaucer.
http://www.tinytimstearoom.comWorship the architecture
Canterbury Cathedral remains
the mother church of the Anglican
communion, yet even atheists are wowed
by the architecture, not least the 235-foot
fan-vaulted tower. Visit mid-week in the late
afternoon to catch evensong and the interior
lit up by a heavenly golden-hour light.
http://www.canterbury-cathedral.orgEvening
Catch a show
Canterbury boasts a healthy theatre
scene. The Marlowe stages travelling
musicals, opera, ballet and more, all
of a national standard, while the campus
-based Gulbenkian Theatre was founded
50 years ago this summer and favours
fringe theatre, world music and cinema.
http://www.marlowetheatre.com,
http://www.thegulbenkian.co.ukHave a market-fresh dinner
Adjacent to Canterbury West station,
The Goods Shed is a red-brick Victorian
railway building that now houses an
upscale farmers’ market, complete with
charcuterie, fishmonger, bakery and more.
VISIT CANTERBURY/MARCIN ROGOZINSKI/ALAMY The atmospheric restaurant comes into its