CANTERBURY

(stronghold of the Cantware, or people of Kent. The earlier British name for the settlement was Darovernon, meaning 'swamp fort'. The Romans adopted the name and called it Durovernum Cantiacorum.)

It's high time I covered what is undoubtedly the most important place in the history of the Church of England. Maidstone may be the County Town of Kent, but ask any stranger which is the most important, and the answer will be Canterbury.

Canterbury is such a complex city, with a history stretching right back to pre-Roman times, and historical buildings by the score, that this visit I could only cover a small portion of it. Romans, Catholics, Cathars, Huguenots, white friars, black friars, grey friars, Anglicans, have all left their mark on it, so it will take at least one more visit to cover it all.

I chose to not visit the Cathedral this time, as I really wanted to give an overview of the city this time round. However, if you would like a vision of how it looked in 1945, then ..................

The tomb of Edward, the Black Prince

Following his murderous death, the body of Thomas Becket was placed here, in the crypt. Almost immediately, there were reports emerging of miracle cures taking place there. Becket was declared a saint in 1173.

Canterbury was first a Roman city (Durovernum Cantiacorum), strategically placed on the Roman road (Watling Street, now called the A2) that led from the port of Dubris (Dover) to Londinium (London).

Later, it became a Saxon settlement, and then in 597AD, the site of the mission by St. Augustine to bring Christianity back to Britain. It was Augustine who founded the cathedral, as well as his now-ruined abbey, just across the road. This whole area, including the little church of St. Martin's (the oldest parish church in England still in use) has been designated a World Heritage Site.

Right so on to the colour stuff.............

Let's start with the city walls. Sadly, large portions of the city walls have gone, and only one of the main city gates still exists, even though the others exist in the names of the areas where they stood. (Northgate being the best known.)

This is the Westgate, with its enormous defensive towers. This stands where the main road from Dover exited the city towards London.

West Gate Tower was erected by Archbishop Sudbury in 1380. It did nothing to increase his popularity; he was murdered by rioting peasants the following year. The West Gate is historically important as it represents one of the first defensive structures built with the use of gunpowder and artillery in mind. It uses keyhole gunports to create opportunities for cannon fire from a well-defended position.

The above picture shows the famous inn that lies just outside the city walls - the Falstaff Inn. It was built in 1403 as a hostel for wayfarers. In 1783 it took the present name after Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff. 

Originally the inn was used by pilgrims who arrived at the city gates after curfew, when the city gates were closed for the night.

In the Second World War, the inn was hit by 26 incendiary bombs. Only one penetrated the roof, but found the iron-hard beams too tough to compete with, only a small amount of damage being done.

For many years the West Gate served as the town prison, connected by a walkway to the police station next door. Above the portcullis slot is a 'condemned cell', where prisoners awaiting execution were held. The prison has now been converted into an atmospheric restaurant, and the prison cells are beautifully-furnished booths.

A bronze 18th-century medallion was found beneath the floorboards of the prison floor during recent repairs.

The upper floor of the gatehouse is given over to a small West Gate Museum. Here you will find armour and weapons used by defenders of Canterbury from the medieval period to World War II. Children can dress up in replica armour, and see the old prison cells within the gatehouse tower. You can climb to the top of the tower for amazing views over the city and down onto the River Stour.

It is remarkable to think that several 19th-century prisoners managed to escape from the West Gate Tower by leaping from the roof. It's not something I'd like to try!

Almost everything of importance is contained within these walls. Outside stands the Abbey of St. Augustine's, two universities, the Kent County cricket ground at St. Lawrence, and a small suburb called Thanington Without - meaning Thanington outside the city walls.

You very quickly realise that the whole city is divided into areas names either for a religious order that had its' church there, or a saint who was relative to Canterbury.

Thus you have Greyfriars, Whitefriars, Blackfriars, St. Augustine's, St. Martin's, St. Gregory's, St. Dunstan's, St. George's, St. Peter's etc.

The Stour is divided into two arms which flow through the city. One arm flows outside the city wall, forming an extra defence, and the other flows right through the middle of the city

The main shopping area is not just the High Street, which is actually quite short, but St. Peter's Street and St. George's Street, which traverse from the Westgate Towers in a straight line across to where the Eastgate used to stand - now just a gap in the wall, as is the area of the Southgate. At Northgate, the wall has disappeared all together.

This is St. Peter's Church, which dates back to the 12th. century.

The Weavers house stands on the banks of the other arm of the Stour, and claims to date back to 1500. There was an influx of Flemish and Huguenot weavers who settled in the area after fleeing from religious persecution during the 16th and 17th centuries. Elizabeth I granted the Flemish weavers the right to establish their businesses in Canterbury, and they are known to have used this and other similar buildings nearby.

Despite the date 1500 which can be seen prominently displayed above the door, this house probably dates back to at least the 14th century. The current building largely dates to a reconstruction in the second half of the 16th century, not the first, as you might assume by the sign! Originally built as one house, it is now divided into three.

At the rear of the Old Weavers House is a medieval ducking stool, jutting out over the river. This ducking stool was historically used as a method of punishing 'scolds' - women accused by their husbands of talking back too much! The stool may also have been used as a more severe punishment for suspected witches. The suspected witch was dunked under the water and held there for several minutes. If she (it was usually a female) did not drown, she was proved a witch. If she drowned, at least her name was cleared!

Pilgrims began descending in large numbers on Canterbury in the decades immediately following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. So many pilgrims, in fact, that Edward FitzOsbern was moved to establish St Thomas Hospital on the East Bridge on Canterbury's busy High Street.

The link to Becket did not stop there, for the first Master of the Hospital was probably Becket's nephew, Ralph.

The Hospital declined over the next century or so until it was re-founded in 1324 by Bishop Stratford. The next century saw St Thomas's prosper, and at the time of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales it was at the height of its wealth. The Master of Eastbridge Hospital was not just responsible for running the Hospital, he also had to maintain East Bridge itself.

The Eastbridge, or the Hospital of St. Thomas the Martyr, Eastbridge to give it its full name, is not a hospital as we use the word today. It was, and is still a hospital in the original sense of the word, a place of hospitality. 

The Dissolution of the Monasteries indirectly affected St Thomas, when Becket's shrine was destroyed and the number of pilgrims dropped.In 1569 a school was established at the Hospital, and this continued for almost 300 years. 

Then in 1584, an act of Parliament changed St Thomas's remit completely; it was ordered to offer accommodation for 10 poor residents of Canterbury and to provide a dole payment to 10 more.

The Eastbridge Hospital still continues as an almshouse to this day and houses elderly people with a strong connection to Canterbury.

The Beaney Institute, or the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, as it is now known,  is the central museum, library and art gallery of the city of Canterbury. It is housed in a Grade II listed building. Until it closed for refurbishment in 2009, it was known as the Beaney Institute or the Royal Museum and Art Gallery.

Queen Elizabeth's Guest Chambers. All visitors to Canterbury should visit these historic rooms with their beautiful Renaissance ceilings. Open to the public for free. The ornamental plasterwork on the front of the building was done in 1698. The date of 1573 on the front of the building, refers to the time Queen Elizabeth I reputedly stayed here

You see people walking down the street here, busy looking at their mobile phones, and never looking above their heads at the wonderful details they are missing...............

The Buttermarket, and the City War Memorial. 

This square is more than 800 years old. The name Buttermarket was first used about 200 years ago, previously the name was `Bullstake'. Bulls were tied and baited with dogs, both for fun and also because it was believed that it made the flesh more tender. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury in 1921, who dedicated the War Memorial, was Randall Davidson.

There are so many listed 'Historic Buildings of Kent' in Canterbury. This is no.8 Palace Street, a 13th-century building with later additions. It may have been built as the rectory for the nearby church of St Alphege. The exterior is beautifully carved, with intricate floral and geometric designs rimming the jetties. The most intriguing features, however, are the carved brackets that support the jetties. These are in the shape of grinning demons, or grotesques, holding their bulging breasts in a pretty suggestive manner. Though one may be a female figure, the other is most definitely male

The Sun Hotel, formerly, in Dickens' time, the Little Inn. It was built in 1503 and stood empty for 40 years until Debenhams restored it.

Conquest House. On 29 December 1170 four knights, Reginald FitzUrse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton, met at a house near Canterbury Cathedral to plan what they would do on the morrow. Whatever plan they discussed, the result was the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, a deed which changed the course of history and certainly changed the fortunes of Canterbury itself. The place where the knights met is reputed to be Conquest House on Palace Street.

At that time Conquest House was owned by a man called Gilbert the Citizen. The knights initially left their servants and weapons in Conquest House while two of their number entered Bishop's Palace by force and remonstrated with Becket, trying to get him to remove the excommunication he had placed over several of the king's supporters.

It was a lost cause from the start; Becket was too strong-willed to succumb to their threats. The knights returned to Conquest House and gathered their weapons. In the meantime, the archbishop's servants convinced him to retire to the cathedral. It was no use; the knights entered the cathedral, and after a further argument, killed Becket in the area now called The Martyrdom.    

Part of the King's School. King's is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils)It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's oldest public school; and is arguably the oldest continuously operating school in the world, since education on the Abbey and Cathedral grounds has been uninterrupted since AD 597.

Initially, that school would have served primarily to train priests, but by the late 7th century the school had attained a reputation for learning that drew scholars from across Britain.In 1538 Henry VIII dissolved the abbey of St Augustine and Christ Church priory at Canterbury Cathedral. But in 1541 Henry established a new school, housed in many of the former monastic buildings surrounding the cathedral

Among the famous students who have attended King's School over the years are William Harvey, W. Somerset Maugham, Hugh Walpole, Christopher Marlowe, and John Tradescant.

Sir John Boys House (sometimes known as the Crooked House, King's Gallery, or Old Kings Shop) is a delightfully skewed 17th-century half-timbered building at the extreme end of Palace Street, with projecting jetties onto Palace and King Streets.

The house is named in memory of Sir John Boys, an MP and the first recorder of Canterbury (d. 1612). The most noticeable feature is the front door, which has had to be built with severely skewed corners to fit the door frame.

The house reputedly gained its markedly skewed look after alterations to an internal chimney caused the structure to slip sideways. Attempts to rectify the slippage actually caused the whole structure to skew further sideways, though now the building is stabilised internally by a steel frame

The Bell And Crown, opposite King's in Palace Street has apparent scant regard for the staff of King's!

Henry III granted the Black Friars land on an island in the River Stour. Here they built their new friary. There are only two buildings of the friary remaining; the guest hall and the former rectory, this, which is now used by Kings College art centre.

Henry III granted the Black Friars land on an island in the River Stour. Here they built their new friary. There are only two buildings of the friary remaining; the guest hall and the former rectory, this, which is now used by Kings College art centre.

Blackfriars consists of the remains of a 13th-century friary on the banks of the River Stour. Blackfriars was founded around 1237 by Dominican monks, whose black surcoat gave them the popular monicker 'Black Friars'. Henry III granted the Black Friars land on an island in the River Stour. Here they built their new friary. There are only two buildings of the friary remaining; the guest hall (this building) and the former rectory, which is now used by Kings College art centre, features elsewhere in this article.

Picture taken from the bridge between the Marlowe and the Friends' Meeting House (Quakers). The minaret-looking tower in the centre of the picture, is called the Alchemist's Tower. You can only get to the outside of it by boat, but the interior can be reached from an old shop in Best Lane. 

Although 'improved' by the Victorians, it actually stands on a Roman site, and has medieval foundations.

It is actually a chimney, and inside you can still see the hearth. 

The Cathedral towers above the city, and the City Council has wisely not permitted any high-rise buildings to obscure it. 

This is a statue of  lovely Dave Lee, a long time starring dame in pantomimes at the Marlowe. He sadly died at the young age of 64, having made over two million pounds to give disadvantaged children in Kent and their families a holiday. He was awarded the Freedom Of The City posthumously, so if you see his ghost wandering the streets, have a laugh with him! He'd enjoy that!

This is the Bulkhead statue by Rick Kirby

The Marlowe theatre. It's not a very big auditorium, and some areas have viewing issues, but the acoustics are good. We go every year to the concert by Jools Holland's R&B Orchestra, and delight in the amazing Ruby Turner as she rocks the roof off!

The statue to Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights being Shakespeare’s most important predecessor in English drama, who is noted especially for his establishment of dramatic blank verse. 

In 1593 Marlowe was killed by Ingram Frizer, in the dubious company of Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley, at a lodging house in Deptford, where they had spent most of the day and where, it was alleged, a fight broke out between them over the bill.

The Sidney Cooper Gallery. What's it famous for?

Well, see this plaque; and if, like me, you grew up when Rupert was more famous than Paddington, you'll be thankful for the Sidney Cooper Gallery! 

The Masonic Temple - just a very ordinary building

just random  views................

Geoffrey Chaucer held a number of Government posts in his lifetime but is, of course, best known for The Canterbury Tales, a bawdy collection of 24 stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. 

This page from a medieval book, is the beginning of the 'Knight's Tale'

On the base, is a list of the actors who appeared in the film of the 'Tales' The 9th. one down is a local boy made good!

These two road signs go back to when the A2 road from Dover to London ran right through the middle of the city. Somehow they got overlooked and never removed. They're now a permanent part of the city history

Another war memorial - this one is specifically for the men of the Royal East Kent Yeomanry

Mercery Lane, which would normally give an impressive view of Christ Church Gate, the main entrance to the cathedral precincts. However. that's being refurbished at the moment. It is a rather nice sheet though!

This was formally St. Margaret's Church for the Deaf. Now it houses the Canterbury Tales Experience. All vey bawdy and naughty, but you do it with headphones on, and they have a dumbed down version for kids

Butchery Lane, where the name speaks for itself.

He's watching you...........................

This lamp hangs in the middle of Mercery Lane

Right, now to my favourite part of the City - the wonderfully peaceful Greyfriars. All that's left of the priory is the small chapel spanning the river. The rest has been turned into an amazing medieval garden, which features fruits such as quince and medlar, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. The lady gardener that was there today, was only too pleased to chat and discuss the plants. It's an area of  medieval history I'm really keen on.

St. Francis of Assisi - who was not the founder of the Franciscan order. The founder was one Francesco Bernadone, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. Greyfriars in Canterbury was the first Franciscan house in England, founded in 1224. 

Greyfriars Chapel is the only remaining part of a Franciscan friary established in 1267. Greyfriars (named for the grey habits of the Franciscan order of monks) was the first Franciscan monastery in England. The friary was established on an island site granted by the master of Poor Priest's Hospital. In 1263 a further grant of land on the far bank of the river allowed the friary to expand, and it eventually grew to take in 18 acres.

It is not clear what the original function of the two-story chapel building was; it may have been an infirmary or residence, but despite the name it was almost certainly not a chapel. It has, however, become a consecrated building and now hosts regular services. In 2003, fully 465 years after they left, Franciscan brothers returned to Canterbury, and today they live in nearby cottages and work in the city centre parish and Eastbridge Hospital, and worship in this old chapel building.

When I lived in Canterbury, all those years ago, reyfriars was accessed by a path that ran through the Postal Sorting Office, and it was free to all. Sadly, it was much abused and the little chapel suffered severe vandalism.

You now have to access it from a little shop in St. Peter's Street, and access will cost you £6. You do get a nice little visitor guide, and the money goes to the upkeep and regular patrols by a security firm. £6 is really not a lot to pay to ensure that the work they are doing will preserve some important historical knowledge

The Visitor guide is a mine of information - way too much to repeat here. Go to Canterbury, pay your £6, and get a copy for yourself!

Back to St. Peter's, and high up on one corner is a plaque marking the site of the long-gone Black Friar's Gate, which presumably was the entrance to the Blackfriars priory

Martyrs Field. During the reign of Mary I - known primarily as 'Bloody Mary' - she went on a mission to eradicate her father's religion, the Church of England. Anybody who wouldn't renounce that faith and return to catholicism was arrested and burnt as the stake as an heretic. 

Kent wasn't exempt from this barbarism. There were two martyrs in Ashford and two more in Wye. There were 41 in Canterbury - the very heart of the Church of England. In a little street in Wincheap, just outside the city walls, an impressive monument stands on the site of the ghastly fires.

The 41 men and women who bravely stood firm for their faith are listed on the base of the cross that stands in the small Martyrs Field Memorial Garden.