In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer found fame with his stories of travellers to this cathedral city in Kent. Today visitors continue to come... By David Adams.

Canterbury Cathedral

The cathedral remains the most compelling reason to visit. Along with the ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey and the Saxon church of St Martin (the oldest parish church in England still in use, parts of which may be Roman), it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury it is also the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, a position it owes to St Augustine, who founded England’s first Christian See here in 597.

Within about five years, work began on a cathedral on the site of another old Roman church, the start of more than 900 years of building and rebuilding. The oldest part of the cathedral that survives today is the 11th-century crypt. The part that leaves the most powerful impression may be the Nave, built over 28 years in the Gothic Perpendicular style: a fabulous, stirring space, where elegant pillars soar up to the graceful curves of the ceiling 80 feet above.

The cathedral owed its wealth in the medieval period, still evident throughout in the incredible craftsmanship in stone, wood, metal and glass, to the cult of St Thomas Becket. On 29 December 1170, Beckett, having defied hot-headed Henry II once too often, was murdered by four of the king’s knights who believed they were carrying out his orders. Within days, stories began to circulate about Thomas performing miracles from beyond the grave and within two years he had been canonised. Over the next three centuries Canterbury became one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian world. Today, the site of the murder in the north-west transept is known as the Martyrdom and is marked by a simple altar below a sculpture of jagged metal shards that point to the spot where the knights’ swords split Thomas’s skull.

But while the cathedral is wonderful, there is much to see elsewhere. One of the best ways to discover more of the city is to join one of the excellent guided walking tours. Mine was led by Hugh Elsom, a retired teacher who loves the city (“a very easy place to live, absolutely full of history and interest”) and says his favourite view here is the one of the cathedral from his study window.

His tour began with a short stroll from the medieval Buttermarket square to the old High Street, a Roman road which slices south-east to north-west through the heart of the city from Portus Dubris (now Dover) on the coast, before swinging west towards Londinium (London) as Watling Street. Canterbury owes its existence to the bridge on this road that crossed the Stour, a strategic feature that required the protection of a fort in the early Roman period.

The Old Weaver's House on the River Stour

Our walking tour also took us past the buildings of the King’s School, originally a monastic establishment, but named after Henry VIII, who re-established it after the Dissolution. Famous old boys include the playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe, the writer W Somerset Maugham and the film directors Michael Powell and Carol Reed. Back on the high street we paused on the bridge over the Stour to admire the impressive black-and-white, half-timbered 17th-century Huguenot Weavers House and its large windows, designed to let as much light as possible into the workshops inside.

Among other points of interest on the high street are the West Gate Towers, the city’s last surviving medieval gate, which houses another museum and offers a fine view of the cathedral; and, at the far end of the street, a lonely church tower without a church. This is all that remains of St George’s, where Christopher Marlowe was christened in 1564. He’s also given his name to Canterbury’s main theatre, currently undergoing extensive renovation but still open.

Marlowe is just one of the writers associated with Canterbury. The strongest association is with Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, which is ironic, as he probably didn’t spend that much time here and the Tales are not really about Canterbury. But that’s not to detract from Chaucer’s achievements, and you can find out about him and the world his characters inhabited at the Canterbury Tales visitor attraction on St Margaret’s Street.

There are also several mentions of Canterbury and the surrounding area in the works of Charles Dickens, who grew up in the Medway towns not far to the west. The recently refurbished Sun Hotel on Sun Street is certainly keen to make much of its connection with the author. He is said to have stayed here himself and used it as inspiration for the inn where Mr Micawber lodges in David Copperfield.

Canterbury also has a ruined castle, dating from around 1200, tucked inside the south-western curve of the city walls. The grassy areas around it form part of several areas of parkland inside the walls which have been partly restored, creating a battlement-level footpath. You can follow them round the city to inspect the imposing Dane John Mound, thought to have originated as part of a Roman burial ground, later used as the site of a windmill.

Finally, another noticeable feature of Canterbury is the sound of seagulls wheeling overhead, an indication that the city is only a few miles inland from the north Kent shoreline, and that it’s worth taking time to go and see the sea while you’re here. Herne Bay has swallowed the ancient village of Reculver, where the most dramatic landmark is the ruined medieval church perched perilously close to the edge of fats-eroding clay and sandstone cliffs. It stands within the walls of the Roman fort Regulbium, later one of the Saxon Shore forts of the late Roman period, which ultimately failed to defend the country against raids from the barbarians of northern Europe. As you stand here, looking out to sea, you may find yourself thinking again about the long history of this area; so intertwined over centuries with the lives of so many people from far away. It’s still very easy to feel the pull of this ancient corner of England.

For further information on where to stay and what to do in Canterbury and the surrounding area, please visit our accommodation and attractions section, Where to stay and What to see & do.