A Canterbury Tale....

I was fascinated by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales when I first came across them in University whilst I was reading English. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written at the end of the 14th century about a group of pilgrims travelling together on a journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at the Canterbury Cathedral.

So recently when in London on a business trip, I had the opportunity of visiting Canterbury over the weekend, I immediately jumped at the chance. Luckily for me, my cousin John and his friend Helena were able to join me, making the trip even more entertaining and enjoyable. It was surprising how many people I came across (including John and Helena) who had never been to Canterbury even though it was only a 90 minute train ride from London. Don't we all take our own country for granted?

We took the train from St Pancras station to Canterbury West (there is Canterbury East too and both stations are equidistant from the Cathedral). It lies in the district of Kent which is in the South East part of England. The cathedral dominates the town and is the most important site of the Church of England. It is also a place of pilgrimage after the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. This pilgrimage provided the theme for  The Canterbury Tales.

Many historical structures remain in the city, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and a Norman castle, and perhaps the oldest school in England, The King's School. Modern additions include the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, the Marlowe Theatre, and the St Lawrence Ground, home to Kent County Cricket Club. 

The first thing that greets you is the Roman gate with a quaint City Gaol Cafe! Then you wander through narrow cobble-stoned lanes with interesting tea shops, chocolate and sweet shops and pubs/restaurants with amusing names. The entrance to the Cathedral is quite ornate and is filled with sculptures. The Cathedral itself is quite huge and cavernous. The stained glass is one of its most important works of art. The tombs of the Black Knight and Saint Thomas Becket and all the Archbishops of Canterbury are also to be found within its precincts.

All in all, it was an interesting day trip.

The Roman Gate

The entrance to the cathedral

Amazing sculptures

The magnificent building

The cavernous interior

The beautiful stained glass collection

The cloisters

The bustling town square

Helena, John and myself having a vegan lunch

So typical of Canterbury!