Canterbury Cathedral

The Precincts, Canterbury , Kent, England, United Kingdom - Phone: 01227 762 862

TravelPod Member ReviewsCanterbury Cathedral

  • Canterbury Cathedral

    5

    tvordlj 8 contributions Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada Mar 22, 2008

    Rather than going to Canterbury on our own, we decided to book a bus tour out of London using one of the major tour operators. They all offered similar tours for about the same price. Our first choice was not available for the date we needed so we took the next company on the list. The first stop was Leeds Castle (see other journal entry). From there, we drove about an hour to the old city of Canterbury to see the Cathedral.

    St. Augustine founded a cathedral here in 597 and the present gothic cathedral has been on this site since the early 12th century. It's most famous for being the site of the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket. He'd been clashing with King Henry II over the powers between the church and the state and, well, he lost. The king didn't order his death but four knights decided to help the king who was frustrated with the whole situation.

    The day we went, the cathedral was decked out in Easter lilies which scented the nave. The ceilings are almost impossibly high and vaulted. This Gothic nave dates from the 14th century. Some of the stained glass in the chapels and transepts are medieval and absolutely exquisite. There is a small modern altar in a little nook off to the left of the altar. This is the Martyrdom, the spot where Thomas was killed. It's just to the side of the entrance to the crypt. The Quire is dark and peaceful and the Trinity Chapel in the back of the church glows with sunlight through the blue stained glass.

    This is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've been to and my mother's first "proper" medieval cathedral. Her jaw dropped. There are elaborate effigies and tombs for a few past Archbishops but the two that interested me the most were the one for King Henry IV and his queen and the one for Edward the Black Prince, complete with (marble) armour on his effigy. There are guided tours available as well. The gift shop is how you must exit the cathedral close (convenient, eh?) and it has quit a lot of items to look at.

    There are entrance fees of £7 for an adult, less for concessions, groups. There are some facilities for the disabled. You can take photos everywhere except in the crypt. You can also buy a "passport" for a higher price that will cover the fees for the Cathedral, The Canterbury Tales attraction, St. Augustine's Abbey and one city museum. See the website for downloadable brochures as well. http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/

    This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Visited this Attraction Canterbury Cathedral

  • 1

    Lots of walking, sights and new places

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    My last night in London.

    It's been an interesting couple of days. I went on a day tour down to Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral and Dover. Dover was very ordinary - but Canterbury was lovely. The tour guide had an amazing knowledge of history and I learned a lot from his very detailed historical stories during the bus trip. Paul has a …

  • 2

    Cathedrals in Canterbury

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    Friday 9th March

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  • 3

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    Saturday was a long day but one of the highlights. A few of the things we saw are detailed in other tips. We had booked a day tour with Evan Evans company for about 60 pounds per adult. This included all entrance fees to Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral and also included afternoon tea at an old pub in the village of Denton in Kent. Very good …

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