subject: What to do in England -- Canterbury [print this page] If you are like I am, you will probably arrive in Canterbury via train from London's bustling Victoria Station. And if you're a romantic like I am, as your train nears the Canterbury station, you will see the spires of the town's magnificent cathedral looming up above the relatively flat landscape, just the way the pilgrims saw it beckon to them hundreds and hundreds of years ago, as they made their way to that religious shrine.
Plenty of things to see in this cozy town. Why not start with the imposing Canterbury Cathedral? I'm certain that is why most of you will visit.
The cathedral has been altered and revised many times over the centuries and thus represents many examples of Medieval architecture. My personal favorite part of the church is the circular Corona Chapel, which is impressively buttressed all around and best admired from its exterior.
Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket was famously murdered in the cathedral. His remains were buried there, and the Shrine commemorating that ghastly event became a place of pilgrimage for years and years, and this has been charmingly recounted by Geoffrey Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales.
St. Augustine's Abbey was already 600 years old by the time of Becket's murder. It lies a couple quiet blocks from the rear of Canterbury Cathedral. You will find the tombs of many early Archbishops of Canterbury, including that of Augustine itself. It was left mere ruins by Henry VIII. The tiny church St. Pancras consists of Roman bricks.
Christ Church Gate, standing not far before the main entrance to the cathedral, dates to the 16th century. It is elaborately painted and gives one an idea of how colorful the city must have been way back when. The turrets are recent, dating back only to the 1930's. My family had our first fish and chips beneath the shelter of this gate while we waited out a drizzle. Where could we have found a nicer setting for our quick meal?
You will make many other discoveries all your own along your way and cherish the memories for the rest of your life. Come to Canterbury. See you there!
