Canterbury Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Canterbury Tales – all these titles define this city around the world as a centre of religion and pilgrimage. However, Canterbury is more than that. Before Christianity it was a Roman town and then a Jutish stronghold. Now it is a thriving modern city with two universities and a European focus.
Setting
It is situated in the county of Kent, in south east England. With a population of less than 45,000, Canterbury is small for a city, but has city status because of its cathedral. The administrative area governed by the city council includes the surrounding villages and also extends to the towns of Whitstable and Herne Bay on the north Kent coast, about ten miles away. The population then trebles to about 135,000. As the “capital” of the Church of England it cedes Kent county town status to
Maidstone.
It stands on the small river Stour which divides into two arms at this point, but there is no significant river frontage or river traffic. Although there was important coal mining in this part of Kent the city never supported any heavy industry and its economy is largely services-based. Tourism is a major employer: the cathedral receives over 1 million visitors a year.
History
Given its location in the corner of the UK nearest the continent, Canterbury has always been open to invasions and influences. First to arrive were the Romans, who created a pleasant provincial town of amenities at this point where Watling Street crossed the Stour on its way from the coast to London. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the influx of Anglo-Saxon tribes it was the Jutes who settled in Kent and built Canterbury into a Jutish stronghold. King Ethelbert was in power when St Augustine arrived in 597 and made this his base to spread Christianity across the British Isles. The king was baptised, St Augustine became the first archbishop and the foundation for 1500 years as a religious centre was laid.
This was not the end of the invasions, however. Viking raids were common through the Dark Ages and the Norman Conquest in 1066 brought a Norman castle to the city, as it did to many other places in England. The next significant date is 1170 when Thomas à Becket was murdered in the Cathedral. Canterbury became a major pilgrimage centre which lasted until the 16th century when Becket's shrine was destroyed by Thomas Cromwell during the dissolution of the monasteries. Many other monastical establishments in the city were also destroyed.
Apart from an influx of Huguenots fleeing from the Wars of Religion in France later in the 16th century, the city remained relatively undisturbed until the 20th century. In World War 2 it suffered in the so-called Baedeker bombing raids when heritage sites were targeted and sustained significant damage.
Attractions
With so much history Canterbury has much to offer visitors, but towering above everything, both in size and importance, is the
Cathedral. As with so many other great cathedrals it has had additions and modifications over the centuries but as a work of the master mason William of Sens it is one of the great gothic cathedrals. While the Cathedral represents the pinnacle of the spread of Christianity to these shores, its early beginnings can be seen at
St Augustine’s Abbey and
St Martin’s Church, the oldest English church in continuous use.
The importance of these three sites has led them to be designated collectively a
UNESCO World Heritage site. This early success and later the martyrdom of Thomas à Becket generated numerous other religious foundations (white friars, grey friars), many of which have now disappeared or been destroyed, but Eastbridge Hospital and
Greyfriars Chapel can still be visited together with the Franciscan Gardens. The hospital was built to cater for the accommodation needs of pilgrims to the city and still fulfils a similar function for the elderly.
Remains from other eras can also be seen.
The Roman Museum is below today’s street level and is constructed around original Roman floors. Little is left of the stone-built Norman castle, but the mound from the original motte-and-bailey castle is preserved in
Dane John Gardens, as is the name, from “donjon”. Visitors approaching from the south and west cannot fail to notice the medieval city walls, best seen at
West Gate Towers, and a map of the town shows the current ring road following the outline of the walls. For a review of all of Canterbury’s history right up to Rupert Bear whose creator is buried in St Martin's churchyard, there is the
Museum of Canterbury, and the recently constructed Whitefriars shopping centre (see below) was the occasion for a Big Dig which uncovered significant finds from Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval times.
Canterbury does not cover a large area and walking round the sites is perfectly practical. However, for a different perspective on the city
Canterbury River Tours offers boat tours on the Stour with a guide and commentary.
For wildlife rather than history, the ground-breaking
Howletts Zoo was created by John Aspinall in the grounds of his family home. It showcases rare and endangered species, especially gorillas with which Aspinall had a particular affinity, and the keepers form close bonds with the animals. There is a sister zoo about twenty miles away at
Port Lympne Animal Park in
Hythe.
Entertainment
The Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury and is commemorated in the
Marlowe Theatre. In March 2009 a multi-million pound upgrading of the theatre was announced, with reopening due in 2011. Out of the town on the University of Kent campus is the
Gulbenkian Theatre. It has a small auditorium which suits less traditional productions and the complex also includes a cinema and café. Close to the city centre in the former St Margaret’s Church a reconstruction of
The Canterbury Tales recreates Chaucer’s characters and life in medieval England. The cathedral, of course, hosts many recitals. The summit of the arts year is the two week long
Canterbury Festival which stages events at these and other venues.
With two universities there is a sizeable student population and a thriving nightlife. There are plenty of bars and clubs, the largest and best known club being
BaaBars.
Allberrys is a city centre bar which has various drink and food offers on different nights of the week. Having many tourists to cater for means there is a range of eating places. For a different cuisine
The Cuban offers traditional Cuban tapas, grills and seafood.
Shopaholics will enjoy the recently opened
Whitefriars Shopping Centre, while the High Street and many other city centre streets are pedestrianised.
Sport and Leisure
St Lawrence Cricket Ground dates from 1847 and is the home of Kent County Cricket Club. Spectators can see first class county matches and occasionally one day internationals. For those who want to play sport rather than watch,
Broome Park Golf Club about 8 miles outside the city is open to non-members and the complex also has tennis courts, restaurants and bars. Cyclists can follow the old raliway line to Whitstable along the
Crab and Winkle Way and walkers can follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims on a loop of the
North Downs Way which takes in Canterbury.
Accommodation
Canterbury has had to accommodate visitors for centuries so it can, of course, offer a range of hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments.
Chain hotels are represented in the four star
ABode, the three star
Best Western Abbots Barton and the two star
Express By Holiday Inn. The first two are in the city centre and Express By Holiday Inn is about 2 miles outside at Harbledown. Independent hotels in the city centre are mostly three star, such as the
Chaucer,
Falstaff and
The Victoria.
Visitors are fortunate in having a good selection of bed and breakfasts, which can offer comfortable accommodation. There are two five star establishments at
Thanington and
Magnolia House while
Harriet House has four stars and
Ersham Lodge and
Chaucer Lodge have three stars.
Conclusion
Canterbury is world famous, steeped in history and full of historical attractions. It is also a pleasant, bustling city, and not so large that it is overwhelming. For the visitor it does not disappoint.
