Adventures in London and Beyond: September 2013

A Trip Back in Time: A Visit to Canterbury Cathedral

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote

The droghte of Marche has perced to the rote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendre croppes and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,

And smale fowles maken melodye,

That slepen al the night with open yë

(So priketh him nature in hir corages):

Than longen folke to goon on pilgrimages.

From "The Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

If you'd like to see an online version, with side-by-side translation of the original into modern English, click here.

There's nothing like hopping on a train to lift the spirit. Especially when the destination is a spiritual one: Canterbury! We left on Saturday morning from Stratford International station, where we purchased our high-speed tickets, only to find that we still had to change trains in Ashford. This was not a problem, as it was a beautiful day, so we didn't mind the wait on the outdoor platform.

When we arrived at Canterbury's West train station, we walked about 10 minutes to the town center, past many attractive pubs, cafes and bars. Everyone had outdoor seating, as the weather has continued to be mild, and everyone wants to extend summer's warmth for as long as possible!

Canterbury, the town of legend and history, beckoned: there were shops and eateries galore, as well as street performers and sights to see. Each corner led to another interesting little discovery. Then we came upon this square:

Typical Canterbury Square

Gate to the Cathedral Precinct

This square is filled with shops and cafes, all businesses you'd expect in a town such as this. But there was something unusual about one building on the far side. Although it was integrated into the surrounding structures it looked, well, somewhat out of place. Take a look at the turrets and you'll see what I mean. It just doesn't seem to blend in (see above)

Beyond that large archway, however, we discovered another world: Canterbury Cathedral, home of the shrine of Thomas Becket

(c 1120-1170) and seat of the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury, its head.

The Cathedral has a long and storied past, from its beginnings as a Roman church, founded by St Augustine, which was subsequently built and rebuilt by Saxons and Normans, and was added onto and rebuilt over and again as the cathedral suffered from fire, war and decay over the last millenia.

What we see today is still undergoing conservation work, as the scaffolding inside and out prove. But this does not diminish the Cathedral's appeal: it simply demonstrates how this stately building is a living, breathing organism of faith and a testament to man's effort to engender light and air in stone.