Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer History Pilgrims Canterbury Kent UK

The Canterbury Tales Canterbury

Conveniently close to Canterbury Cathedral on central St Margaret's Street, The Canterbury Tales is actually one of Kent's most visited attractions. An excellent choice for families, and a good introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for younger visitors particularly, this audio visual extravaganza is well worth a visit.

Exhibits guide you through a modern take on some of Geoffrey Chaucer's most popular pilgrim tales including the Knights Tale, the Wife of Bath's Tale, the Nun's Tale and the Miller's Tale. The exhibit has good disabled facilities too with both ramps and adapted toilets. Open daily throughout the year except the key Christmas days, check the Canterbury Tales webguide right for more details and photography.

Canterbury Tales, St. Margarets Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TG. Tel. 01227 479227. (webguide right for details)

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Geoffrey Chaucer Biography History

It's not exactly known where and when Geoffrey Chaucer was born, but most point to some time between 1340 to 1344 (usually around 1342), and as his father John Chaucer was a resident Merchant in London, Geoffrey was probably born in the city.

Geoffrey Chaucer was fortunate to have been born into a family with money and profession. Merchants did rather well and John Chaucer (as did Robert, Geoffrey Chaucer's grandfather) had some links with the King as deputy butler. A butler during Chaucer's time was essentially responsible for the King's wine cellars so had influence over the country's wine industry. Early childhood saw Chaucer attend one of the three most prestigious elementary schools in London (probably St Paul's Almonry). He then went on to become a page to the Countess of Ulster, future Duchess of Clarence and husband Lionel, third son of Edward III. To be a Page in such a household was a blessing indeed, and here he would have received the best of education in good manners. Many Page's went on to become Knights, and Chaucer did see some time in battle, sent to France in 1359, but he was captured. A ransom was swiftly paid for his release, to which the King contributed - such was the extent to which Chaucer was valued.

Influences on Chaucer, which saw him begin to write poetry probably after his return from France, included the Amour Courtois French poetry and later during a spell in Italy Chaucer took to Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch. Older ancient favourites of Chaucer's are known to have been Ovid, Seneca, Cicero and Virgil.

Chaucer's reputation as a courtier grew. Patrons and those he had served included the Duke of Lancaster (John of Gaunt) and the King himself. He proved himself extremely competent as a trading negotiator - essentially a Civil Servant. Later roles included Comptroller of customs and subsidies at London's Port. By 1385 he was the County of Kent's Justice of the Peace. He lost the role however in 1386 briefly when his patron John of Gaunt left the country on war commitments in Spain and the Duke of Gloucester took over, making Chaucer redundent. Leisure time can sometimes be a blessing, and it's thought Chaucer began the Canterbury Tales from 1386. His plan was for all of the pilgrims to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and two more on the way back to Southwark - a mammoth task and he never completed the work. Chaucer died on 25th October 1400 and lays buried not in Canterbury, but Westminster Abbey - one of the first to lay in the Abbey's Poet's Corner.

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The Canterbury Pilgrim Exhibition

The Canterbury Pilgrim Exhibition, free to enter, is well worth a look, particularly if you have children as you can expect plenty of reinactment here, plus dressed up Medieval maids serving English traditional fayre in the Pilgrims Cafe on-site. The illustrated Canterbury Tales drawings of pilgrims are rather impressive (see the Canterbury Pilgrim Exhibition's webguide right for a sample). Illustrations sit alongside artefacts found on the Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury and the story of Thomas a Becket's murder.

The Canterbury Pilgrim Exhibition, 19 St. Peters Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2BQ. Tel. 01227 786264.

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