A Pilgrimage to Canterbury

Canterbury is a bit of a magic destination. It's not one of England's biggest cities, but its name rings everywhere. Its archbishop is the head of the Church of England, its cathedral was the goal of the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

The West Gate: built as a replacement during Chaucer's time, it's England's oldest and largest surviving medieval city gate.

But for 20th century travelers, it has a lure beyond religion or literature; its historic core is simply one of the most intriguing mixtures of modern life in a medieval town, with important streets still small and twisting, and old and new buildings mixed together in surprising ways.

We spent a day there last summer, visiting old friends, sightseeing the cathedral, and just wandering around and enjoying the sights. Here's a sample of what we saw. Another day, we'll get to the Cathedral, too.

The Royal Museum and Library (and today, information center) is a Victorian fantasy of what medieval might have looked like in other hands. But you have to love it for its own.

Moving closer to the center, and off the wider street, we found ourselves heading toward the Cathedral Close, whose opening is at the end of the block. The Cathedral, with the tomb of St. Thomas a Becket, was the goal of the Chaucer pilgrims, and was extensively rebuilt in Chaucer's 14th century lifetime.

The entrance way to the Cathedral's inner neighborhood, or close, is quite impressive...at least from the outside. From the inside, third picture, it just seems quietly peaceful, unlike the areas around cathedrals that have lost the land around them to building.

After our visit to the Cathedral, we continued strolling in the city, coming after a while to Buttermarket Square. You have to love a place that gave over a whole market to butter!

Which brings up the matter of food. As a city that gains a great deal of its living from catering to tourists, you'd not be surprised to note that it's rich in places to eat, with every taste catered for. Cozy inns, Indian and pan-Asian takeaways, Pret a Manger and even an 'authentic' New York diner. No comment, sorry.

Our lunch came not from Elsie Mo's, but from a pleasant place with a garden along Canterbury's river, the Stour. Actually a branch of it, and not a large one; the part that runs through downtown is almost invisible unless you're on it.

The timbered houses along the river, by the way, date to the 14th century, and are called the Old Weaver's Houses because in the 15th century, French and Flemish Huguenot weavers, fleeing from persecution were granted the right to stay and work in Canterbury.

Our long lunch break came complete with avian entertainment. The pub's garden is right on the river, and we not only had the usual pigeons, but also an entertaining duck or two.

And then, time to wend our way back to the station for our train to London, but with more sights along the way, most notably this, the Pilgrim's Hospital of Saint Thomas. Originally established as a hostel for 12th century pilgrims to the grave of Thomas a Becket in the Cathedral, the building continued on in various uses, including a school that operated there into the 19th century.

Today, it is operated by an Anglican Franciscan community and serves as a public almshouse for elderly citizens.