The River Stour, flowing through historic Canterbury, is actually a bigger deal than it looks in these pictures; this is the smaller of its two channels in Canterbury; a larger (but not much) channel is outside the city walls and joins this one further down.
Historically a source of water and a mover of goods, it was also used by French and Flemish Huguenot weavers who settled in the area to escape persecution in Europe; the building in the top picture is the 'Weavers' House,' dating to the 15th century.
but today it's mainly used by recreational boaters and walkers. Tours are offered, and there's even a supposedly-authentic ducking stool. I'm told it was mostly used to punish "scolds" accused by their husbands of complaining too much. If that's so, its obsolescence is at least a sign of progress since the 15th century. And no, the duck below, on a garden wall along the river, is not meant as a pun.
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