Three days in Kent — Day 1

Day 1 – Canterbury Tales

Kent is the county in the far south east of England. Running from the far south east to London, it borders on the English Channel and the Thames River. To the south it forms the north side of the straights of Dover, with Calais, France, on the south side. Occupied since the Paleolithic era, Kent today is a major area of England, replete with lovely historical sites, towns and cities.

Before we get to visiting places in Kent, let’s touch on briefly the subject of accommodations. There are a good number of cottages for rent in Kent, as it is a major holiday spot for the British. In fact, in Victorian days it was considered quite a holiday treat to travel to Kent to participate in the harvest of the hops crop used primarily in the manufacture of ale. There are many websites that list available cottages in Kent, so if you do a search for “holiday cottages Kent” you will see lots of options. One place we stayed in is Hegdale Barn, a lovely renovated barn in the middle of Kent that is great for a couple. Here is a link to our article on Hegdale. Recently our family stayed in George’s cottage in Kent.

Getting back to Kent itself, covering it in just three days is going to be an adventure! Let’s get on with it!

Entrance Gate to the Cathedral from the market square. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Canterbury, the largest city in Kent, is home to the Canterbury Cathedral which is rich in church history. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Founded in 597 by Saint Augustine, the cathedral was completely rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. Augustine had been the abbot of Saint Andrew’s Benedictine Abbey in Rome when Pope Gregory I sent him to the area as a missionary to the Anglo-Saxons.  Although the Romans had adopted Christianity in the 4^thcentury, this area of the world was largely untouched by Christianity until Augustine arrived. In 1067 the cathedral was destroyed by fire. Rebuilding started in 1070 and use a design from a French church in Normandy where King William had come from to rule England.

Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury was murdered in 1170, in the north-west transept of the church by knights of King Henry II. Henry is said to have been frustrated with the strong-willed Becket and exclaimed, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Four knights took that comment literally and murdered Becket. Canterbury subsequently became a place of pilgrimage. Between 1387 and 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer wrote 24 stories that together are knows as The Canterbury Tales, allegedly tales told by pilgrims on the way to the Cathedral shrine to Becket to entertain themselves on the journey.

The shrine was removed and all of the treasure carried off in 1538 by Henry VIII as part of the break between the Catholic Church and what became the Church of England. As a result of this action, Henry was excommunicated by Pope Paul III. Although the shrine had been destroyed and the treasures carried away as part of the Dissolution, the body of St Thomas Becket was never discovered. Tradition holds that it was spirited away by the monks before the soldiers arrived.

Market Square outside the entrance gate to the Cathedral. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Today the Cathedral, while still a working church with three services each day, is a major tourist attraction. Surrounding the cathedral grounds the city of Canterbury also has a Roman Museum which contains artifacts dating back to 300 AD. Immediately outside the gate to the Cathedral is a thriving tourist area with shops, restaurants and pubs to satisfy the hunger and thirst of today’s pilgrims. Overall, Canterbury is a wonderful place to visit for a day.