Day 2, part 2 (Canterbury)

We ate a quick lunch and drove west to Canterbury.

The town of Canterbury has been around since at least 270AD when the Romans enclosed it with a stone wall. These walls were later enlarged and reinforced, but parts of the Roman wall are still visible.

About 600AD, St. Augustine converted the pagans, built a church here and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.



The cathedral the we see today was completed in 1498.

Let me just say that photos cannot show how amazing this cathedral really is. You just have to experience it. Here are a few samples of what we saw.

11th and 12th Century Stained Glass

Aisle of the 14th Century Nave



Ceiling of the Nave



Site of the Martyrdom of St. Thomas Beckett in 1170.
The original shrine built in his honor became a pilgrimage site until it was destroyed in 1538 on the orders of Henry VIII.



Quire screen



Bell Tower Ceiling completed in 1498



The high altar and St. Augustine's chair

Trinity Chapel with the tomb of Henry IV and wife



Closeup of Henry IV Tomb decoration

Tomb of the Edward the Black Prince

Some graffiti at the stairway to the crypt "T.L. 1650"



Worn stone steps

The Crypt
This is what remains of the 11th Century Norman cathedral (which was built on the site of the Saxon cathedral destroyed in 1067.) See how the arches are rounded and not pointed?

View of the Cloisters



A few of the hundreds of gravestones in the cloisters, some so old and worn that they are nearly erased.



The Bell Tower seen from the Cloister



Elaborate exterior carvings



See the faces?



Fading....It has been a full day!

We got Fish and Chips for supper and drove "home"



What a welcoming place to spend the night!