As Time Goes By – Canterbury, England

Like most high streets in the British Isles, Canterbury’s is packed with shops and restaurants. You can buy anything from clothes, music, and sausages to buckets and mops and then dine on fine foods in any one of the numerous restaurants or cafes. However, the real attraction of Canterbury is the history and sense of the past that surrounds the city. It is everywhere. From the medieval buildings, the cobbled streets, and the former ‘houses of sin,’ you cannot escape the past in Canterbury.

Digging, but not for potatoes
One of the best ways to get a real sense of Canterbury’s past is to view a live archaeological dig. The Big Dig (+44 (0) 1227 452943) located just opposite the bus station, enables you to do just that. From a viewing platform that overlooks the dig, a steward will guide your eyes around various parts of the dig informing you of what they have uncovered from Canterbury’s past. Highlights of the dig include medieval homes, Saxon huts, a Roman turret, the remains of the Whitefriars monastery and some mysterious Roman burials. At just £2 for adults and £1 for students, it is an unmissable, once in a lifetime opportunity to see Canterbury’s history being unearthed. Hurry though as it is only scheduled to be open until 4 August 2002.

Who You Gonna Call? Ghost Hunter!
If the temperature suddenly drops 13°C, and you feel an icy coldness across your back then there is certainly a ghost close by. Canterbury does not have any Ghostbusters but it does have ghosts and a ghost hunter. Join him on a Friday or Saturday at 8pm opposite Alberry’s Wine Bar in St. Margaret’s Street for a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, always informative and very spooky tour of Canterbury’s undead. Costing just £5 for adults, £4.50 for concessions, and £4 for children, The Ghostly Tour of Old Canterbury (+44 (0) 7779 575831) is an essential part of any visit to Canterbury. It is the only way to find the ghosts before they find you.

What’s New Pussycat?
Two exceedingly friendly cats keep you company as you tour through their home, Greyfriars House Chapel and Garden (Stour Street). Living in the only building now remaining of the first English Franciscan Friary, built during the lifetime of St. Francis of Assisi, they are quite happy to entertain you from 2 till 4pm Monday to Saturday (from Easter to the end of September). There is no charge to enter this eternally peaceful and very beautiful sanctuary away from the bustle of city life but all donations for the upkeep of the building are gratefully received.

Oh To Be A Pilgrim
To go to Canterbury without going to Canterbury Cathedral (+44 (0) 1227 762862) is like going to Mackinaw in Michigan without going to Fort Mackinaw. You simply have to go to the cathedral. It was established by St. Augustine in 597AD and has been integral to Christianity in England ever since. Visit the Martyrdom, the site of Thomas Becket’s murder on 29 December 1170; the tomb of ‘The Black Prince’ and simply marvel at the awe-inspiring stained glass windows and the beautifully carved Pulpitum screen. Entrance to the Cathedral costs £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for students. Extra charges for guided tours, audio tours, and photography permits mean that it is not the cheapest cathedral to visit in the world. However, it is definitely one of the most significant and beautiful.

The early centre of the England’s Christian movement, St. Augustine’s Abbey (Longport Street, +44 (0) 1227 767345), is another popular spot for pilgrims and tourists alike. With a free audio tour, explore the ruins of St Augustine’s abbey that stood for a thousand years from 598AD until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. Admission is just £3.00 for adults and £2.30 for children.

Tell Us A Story
After walking in the footsteps of pilgrims from the past in the cathedral, become a pilgrim on a medieval misadventure with Chaucer’s pilgrims at The Canterbury Tales (St. Margaret’s Street, +44 (0) 1227 479227, E-mail: info@canterburytales.org.uk). The unmissable audio-visual experience (with audio headsets available in several different languages) takes you on a journey from the Tabard Inn in London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket with Chaucer and his bawdy pilgrims. Admission costs £6.50 for adults and £5.50 for students.

Not Quite The Pentagon
Off the High Street in Butchery Lane is Canterbury’s answer to Washington D.C.’s Pentagon. Just like the Pentagon, the majority of the Canterbury Roman Museum (Butchery Lane, +44 (0) 1227 785575) is underground. Acting as a time machine into the past, the downward steps take you from the 21st century to the remains of the buried Roman town, Durovernum Cantiacorum. A combination of reconstructions, an archaeological finds gallery, a hands-on area, computer programming, and the remains of a Roman house with exquisite mosaic floors bring the ancient civilisation flooding back. Telephone for details of admission prices.

Has To Be Seen To Be Believed
Billed as a specialist cat shop, ‘run by cat lovers for cat lovers,’ Nothing but the Cat (1 Iron Bar Lane, +44 (0) 1227 787227) is definitely worth a look in the window. The comedy aspect is not to be found in the books on cats, baskets, toys, and other traditional pet shop items. The comedy aspect comes from the weird items that are just a bit too devoted to cats. At the time of writing (and I am sure that it will not be sold any time soon) they have a ‘Computer Cat’ in the window. This would be okay if the item was not a soft toy cat that has been cut into four and stuck on to a painted cardboard box. It certainly is an experience.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.

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