Canterbury Cathedral History & Culture

Canterbury Cathedral Attraction

Canterbury Cathedral remains today the seat of the Anglican Church in Britain and forms part of the trio - Canterbury Cathedral, St Martin's Church and St Augustine's Church - which make up a World Heritage site in Canterbury. Pilgrims of the tourist kind flock here to Canterbury Cathedral today. The Cathedral is a hotbed of history around the first Archbishop and spreader of Christianity Saint Augustine who arrived here in 597 AD and established the first seat or Cathedral of Christianity here in Canterbury by special order of the Pope (although if Augustine turned back at one point but was reordered by the pope to continue his mission).

A cathedral has stood here on this site in Canterbury since 602 and Augustine's original building sits underneath the current nave - the Normans completely rebuilt it in 1070. Over the last millennium additions and rebuildings have resulted in a mish-mash of styles, but parts of Canterbury Cathedral including the quire and stained glass windows date from the 12th century. For a detailed history of the various sections including the 16th century Christ Church Gate and the oldest surviving part - the Crypt which dates from the 11th century see the history timeline on Canterbury Cathedral's excellent webguide right.

Other well known historic and literary names giving more credence and profile to Canterbury Cathedral include Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas a Becket was murdered in the cathedral in 1170 AD by King Henry II's knights. Becket had become a little too consistently critical of the King and an annoyance, so Henry had him duly murdered. The act made Canterbury Cathedral one of the most popular sites for pilgrimage in Northern Europe, with pilgrims flocking to pay homage to Becket's tomb within. Today all that remains of the tomb is an X marks the spot - Henry VIII had Becket's tomb removed.

Existing ornate tombs of notables include Henry IV with wife Joan of Navarre, the Black Prince son of Edward III and various Arch Bishops of Canterbury including the famous Henry Chichele. Alongside the tombs sit a spectacular array of monuments and look to the windows - the stained glass here at Canterbury dates from the time of Becket, and indeed some of it depicts his life and work.

The ancient pilgrimages to Canterbury Cathedral and Becket's tomb were cemented into both English history and English Literature by the father of English Literature Geoffrey Chaucer in 'The Canterbury Tales', Chaucer worked on the Canterbury Tales late in his writing career between 1386/87 until his death in 1400. Certainly Canterbury Cathedral is still a pilgrimage for many Anglicans across the world. Services and choral sessions are held regularly (Canterbury Cathedral's choir is world renowned!).

There's much to see within the Unesco World Heritage site, including one of Europe's most spectacular perpendicular Gothic Naves dating from the 14th century. Surrounding the Cathedral is its walled Precinct, and within are other medieval buildings including granary, bakery, brewery and Romanesque water tower. See too the Chapel House, one of the largest Chapel Houses in England, used once by Monks planning the running the Cathedral's business. Lookout too for St Augustine's Chair, on which Archbishops of Canterbury are still crowned.

Canterbury Cathedral, The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2EH. Tel: 01227 762862.

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St Augustine's Abbey & St Martin's Church, World Heritage Site Canterbury

East of Canterbury Cathedral outside the city's medieval wall sit the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey (see English Heritage webguide right for details). St Augustine founded it in 597AD as a site for burial of Saxon kings. Within the history of Christianity, St Augustine's Abbey is an important site, hence its World Heritage status. A museum is on-site, with free audio tour included.

St Augustine's Abbey, Longport, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1TF. Tel: 01227 767345.

Further east outside the Canterbury walls, and also with World Heritiage Status, sits the small St Martin's Church. St Martin's lays claim to being the oldest church in England still in use. Important notables buried in the churchyard include the Canterbury artist, famous for his cattle pastoral scenes, Sidney Cooper and Mary Tourtel the creator of iconic Rupert Bear. The exact age of St Martin's Church is a point of controversy, however what is clear is that this ancient Canterbury church was the private chapel of Christian Queen Bertha in the 6th century.

St Augustine most certainly would have preached here, and not by chance had the pope sent Benedictine monk Augustine to the Kingdom of Kent where Anglo-Saxon king Ethelbert had taken the Christian - Bertha as wife. Saint Augustine went on to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Further evidence points to St Martin's being a restored church from the Roman period, and Roman stones can be found within the building's walls. Find a detailed historic guide to St Martin's via the independent Canterbury Buildings weblink right. Entry is free, donations requested. Open October to March on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 11am to 3pm. You'll need to ring and request a visit at other times.

St Martin's Church, North Holmes Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1QJ. Tel. 01227 768072 . See also the 1000 year old St Dunstan's Church, 80 London Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8LS. Tel. 01227 463654.

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Canterbury Castle

Canterbury Castle and its history gets a somewhat lower profile than Canterbury Cathedral. Situated near Canterbury East Station to the south of the city centre, the castle is well worth a visit as it represents an important site in Kent's Norman history trail. The stone keep castle remains you see today date from the early 11th century, and replaced a previous motte and bailey castle situated on the Dane John Mount nearby. This motte and bailey original was one of three castles - the other two were at Rochester and Dover - built most probably shortly after the Battle of Hastings. All three of these Kent castles were strategiclaly placed along the route William the Conqueror would have taken in 1066 from Dover upto London.

The stone keep of the Canterbury Castle you see today heralds from Henry I's reign in the early 12th century. This building had a chequered history, becoming later a County Gaol and finally in the 19th century it fell into the hands of a gas company who used it for gas storage. During this period the building suffered unfortunately, and the top floor collapsed. Much survives however in the ruins including much of the walls, features such as fireplaces and evidence of reuse of Roman stone. For a full history of Canterbury Castle check the Canterbury Trust's weblink right.

Canterbury Castle, Castle Street, Canterbury, Kent, UK. Tel. 01227 378100.

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Eastbridge Hospital, Greyfriars and The Fransciscan Gardens

Founded in the 12th Century Eastbridge Hospital on Canterbury's High Street was originally a hospital catering for the many pilgrims to the town. A real slice of Canterbury history is this old medieval building. Today the building is open to the public as well as serving as an old people's home. A tour involves moving through the Chantry Chapel, the Undercroft with Gothic arches, the Refectory with an early 13th century mural and the Pilgrims Chapel.

Also in the tour, which is free with donations welcome for upkeep, are the ancient Greyfriars Chapel and Franciscan Gardens. Greyfriars is the last remaining building of the original Franciscan Friary built here in 1267. You can read more on Greyfriars history via the exhibition within the building.

Eastbridge Hospital, 25 High Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2BD. Tel. 01227 471688.

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