Visit Canterbury England

River Stour, Canterbury England
2023 Geoffrey Sutton

 Millions visit the ancient city of Canterbury in Kent England. I'll post some photos and links to illustrate this beautiful place to walk through history whilst enjoying the present.

I arrived in Canterbury from London's St Pancras Station where I had alighted from the Eurostar from Paris around midday Saturday 29 April 2023. Whilst waiting for my room to become available, I wandered about the historic streets.

St George's Tower is on St George's Street in the centre of Canterbury. It's what is left from an old church honouring St George the Martyr.

There are a plethora of old churches in the UK. First up, St Thomas.

And next, St Paul's

I prepare my own breakfast and most lunches so I headed into Waitrose where they were ready for the upcoming coronation of King Charles III.

After checking in my room, it was time for some British nourishment. 

I headed off to the Two Sawyers Pub and snapped a photo of King's School.

King's school is Britain's oldest continuously operating public school dating to 597. As such, it may be the oldest in the world.

Below- Steak and Ale at the Two Sawyers.

Sunday 30 April

I head out early and checked out the old royal couple, King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha who welcomed St Augustine when he arrived in May 597.

If you enjoy, history, I recommend  St Augustine's Abbey.  Despite the ruins, it's a fascinating look at early religious and cultural life. There's a child-friendly museum and a fine place for a picnic lunch. The audio guide is also in a family-friendly version.

Visit St Augustine's Abbey

           

In the afternoon, I walked over to Canterbury Cathedral. The cathedral is home to the Archbishop of Canterbury but I missed him because he was in London for the big Royal do. Check out my photos of this grand example of architecture, beautiful stained glass windows, the resting place of kings and princes (Black Prince) and the incredible pilgrimage site of Thomas Becket-- the priest who was murdered in the cathedral. See my Canterbury Cathedral blog for more.

Canterbury Cathedral 2023

Geoffrey Sutton

I ended another day with fish n chips at the Seafarer and a waffle at Kaspas.

Monday 1 May 2023

I took a break from history to enjoy the seaside, which is only a few miles away. If you are up for sand and surf, check out my posts on Herne Bay and Whitstable.

2 May, Tuesday

Today I head back some 2,000 years to peruse the treasures in the Roman Museum. I recommend it. I put my photos in a separate post. And it's very child-friendly--you could hear them laughing and playing at art projects linked to old Roman ways.

I couldn't resist a photo of  that other Geoffrey- - Chaucer holding his famous Canterbury tales.

Then a stop at some old shops and a look at the Old Weaver's House

and a look at the canal where tourists gather for a boat ride.

Another place worth at least a quick look is England's oldest church. According to the old story, Queen Bertha worshipped at St Martins in the 500s. See my separate post for photos of St Martin's Church.

In the afternoon, I visited Westgate Gardens and the River Stour where I took way too many photos. It's hard to convey the beauty-- well done Canterbury! On a sunny day I joined the locals in relaxing and having my picnic lunch.

Tonight's fare is another fish n' chips-- this time at the Thomas Ingoldsby Wetherspoon. Tom (pen name for Richard Harris Barham) lived across the street and wrote the Ingoldsby Legends (1840) edited by Charlie (Charles Dickens).

Wednesday, 3 May 2023

At the western edge of the old town is the western gate aptly named, Westgate.

By the western railway station is an old Goods Shed. It's a farmer's market- worth a look if you're in the market for local goods, speciality foods, and a coffee.

Later, I returned to the nearby Canterbury Cathedral to visit a few places I missed on the first visit- The fabulous Chapter House and a small collection of treasures. They are included in the Canterbury Cathedral post.

4 Thursday

I walked to the westside railway station for my return trip to London.

Sponsor

Mind the Gap - a fun and educational guide to British Culture

Google Map of Canterbury

Please check out my webpage to see if any of my books on psychology topics might be of interest.

Geoffrey W. Sutton suttong.com

List of related Canterbury posts

Canterbury Cathedral

St Augustine's Abbey

St Martin's Church

Roman Museum - Canterbury

Herne Bay

Whitstable

Notes

Canterbury is an easy 1-2 day trip from London. Depending on the time and day, a train ride can take a little over one hour.

It was not very busy when I visited in early May.

I saved money on train travel using a Rail Card

I saved money on entrance fees with my English Heritage membership.

BritRail passes are available for Americans and include family plans.