Canterbury, 20 April 2015

Canterbury Cathedral has a tradition of visitor welcome that reaches back to the days of medieval pilgrimage.  In 597AD, Pope Gregory the Great sent a monk, Augustine, to England as a missionary.  Augustine established his seat and monastery in Canterbury and became England's first Archbishop.

The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and still very much a working, living church.  Services take place daily and for millions of Anglicans worldwide, the Cathedral is their Mother Church.

The Nave

Baptistry Font

 The organ of a much more recent date.

 The pulpit

 Stained glass windows were brilliant in color and detail.

The Bell Harry Tower is adorned with an exquisite fan vaulted ceiling.

The roundel with the old priory shield, IX, is a trap door which was used to transport building materials and the bell on top of the tower.

 From the Quire looking back through the Nave.

The Quire

 Magnificent architecture and murals fill the Cathedral with beauty and reverence.

 Canterbury Cathedral is also noted for being the location of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170.  After a long lasting dispute, King Henry II said to have exclaimed 'Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?'  Four knights set off for Canterbury and murdered Thomas here in this place that is now called the Martyrdom.

The Cathedral has many worn steps and uneven floor.

Outside the Cathedral, we walked around a busy area of the city in which it is located, inside the city walls.

This is a portion of the wall that is still in existence.  There were four gates, one on each side of the city when it was first built and today, only the west gate remains.  When we were here in June with Dennis and went to church, we drove through the west gate and did not know what it was.  Here is a view from 'inside.'

When you drive through the gate, there is an immediate round about and directs you to the right or to the left.  Traffic does not drive down this part of the street as it is used for foot traffic.

 This is the plaza right in front of the Cathedral grounds entrance.  There were many school groups on tour in the city.

This is a view looking at the Cathedral grounds entrance from the facing street coming off the plaza.

We found a frozen yogurt shop among the shops and eateries.  We did not try it.

The Royal Museum and Free Library.  Founded 1858.

We took a tour through the area in a boat on the River Stour.  Henry, in the corner was our captain.  He pointed out the yellow colored building on the right.  Note how short the doors are!

We purchased our tickets and left from the dock at The Old Weavers House, A.D. 1500.

Note the bridge in the distance.  That is the street that runs in front of The Old Weavers House.

 The river tour had many low bridges on it and we were always ducking our heads.

Yes, we did go under this bridge.

 What a surprise to see this mama duck and her babies scurrying out of our way.  How many can you find?

 A tree in bloom.

Buildings on the river's edge.

At the end of our tour, we saw the 'dunking chair.'  In medical times it was used for wives who talked too much and husbands that were a bit too rowdy with their wives.  If a person was so charged, they were strapped into this chair and dunked into the river for 2 to 3 seconds.  Now that doesn't seem very long, but you need to know that at that time the River Stour was used for sewage.  It was a perfect way for one to keep their mouth shut.  Talk about nasty!

You gotta love an English toilet.