Canterbury

Canterbury is a city of historic and religious importance in the East Kent, on the Stour, by rail 62 miles South-East of London. Its straight line distance from London is 55 miles (88 km), and driving distance is roughly 60 to 61 miles (97 to 100 km). Canterbury is famous for its world heritage sites, medieval architecture, and literary legacy. It is the ecclesiastical capital of England, and the cathedral for which it is famous was founded A.D. 597 by St. Augustin.

The city is rich in old churches and ecclesiastical monuments. The present building belongs to various epochs, dating as far back as the 11th century. The oldest standing sections of Canterbury Cathedral date back to the Norman rebuild of the 1070s. Archbishop Thomas à Becket was assassinated (1170) in the north transept (known today as the Martyrdom). His magnificent medieval tomb no longer exists. In 1538, King Henry VIII ordered the complete destruction of the shrine during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Today, a poignant, solitary burning candle on a modern stone pavement in the Trinity Chapel marks the exact spot where his grand shrine once stood.

Economy of modern Canterbury is heavily driven by tourism, higher education (hosting the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University), and service industries.

The city is home to the Beany House of Art and Knowledge, which serves as its primary art gallery and museum. Christopher "Kit" Marlowe, the famous Elizabethan playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare, was born and baptized here in 1564. The city's prominent modern theatre—the Marlowe Theatre—is named after him.

Nearby pages
Canterbury in New Zealand, Canterbury Tales, Canticles, Canton, Canute