First published: 23/05/19.

Clyde 2.5

Canterbury

Canterbury (Inscribed)

Canterbury by Clyde

I visited this WHS in May 2019. Even though I have visited my uncountable cathedrals and churches worldwide, I must say I enjoyed my visit to the Canterbury Cathedral and inscribed sites. Restoration works are currently in full swing covering most of the cathedral's exterior and the main nave inside, however the highlights of my visit inside the cathedral could be enjoyed easily, namely the cathedral choir (try to combine your visit when they are practicing), the colour frescoes in the Chapel of St Gabriel inside the crypt and the fan vaulted ceiling of the Bell Harry Tower (photo).

I parked my car at the very convenient pay per use Longport Car Park, just in front on St Augustine's Abbey. On purpose, I headed first to the 1400+ year old St. Martin's Church, the oldest church in English-speaking countries which is still in use. The wooden entrance to the small cemetery and the carved baptism font were worth viewing for free but special mention goes to the very kind, dedicated and polite old locals who take it in turns to make sure that the small church is at least open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 3pm and on Saturdays till 4pm (apart from the Sunday mass).

From this small church I followed the Queen Bertha's Walk which links the three components of this WHS (there are iron UNESCO signs on the floor in front of each inscribed site and a new inscription plaque just before the entrance to the cathedral - past the ticket booth). The walk is named after Bertha, Queen of Kent, who is believed to have kept alive the flame of Christianity through her daily worship at St Martin's Church. Together with King Ethelbert she welcomed St Augustine to Canterbury in AD 597. Next I visited St Augustine's Abbey which has nothing worth mentioning apart from the ruins which are like many other around the UK. To my surprise, a separate entrance ticket is charged by the National Trust and there is no combined ticket available.

A rather unique building within the cathedral area is the water tower, just opposite the herb garden. Even though the scaffolding obstructs the view to the main central nave, the north and south apses were lit and easily visible from the choir. I'm glad I visited but apart from its importance for Christianity in the UK, I wouldn't say it is any more special than other beautiful uninscribed cathedrals in the UK such as York, Exeter or Salisbury.

 

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