Canterbury Tour

1. Christ Church Gate This magnificent gateway through which you can glimpse Canterbury Cathedral was constructed in 1520 as a memorial to Prince Arthur, the older brother of King Henry VIII. He died aged just 15. The gate features a fine display of Heraldry. These centre on the Royal Tudor Coat of Arms which features the Tudor rose and a Tudor Port Cullis, or gate. The other Coats of Arms are those of friends of the Prince. The central statue of Christ is a much more recent addition to the Gateway and it was designed by the sculptor Klaus Ringwald in For more than 300 years, there was no Christ figure. The original was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's men in 1643, during the civil war. Canterbury also has much more ancient history. The romans were here from around 44 AD and the Christian history began in the 6 th century AD. To continue your tour, turn right into Burgate. Audio Point 2 is several hundred metres along the right hand side of Burgate, outside St Thomas’s Church.

2. St. Thomas’s Church In relation to the it’s surroundings, St. Thomas's Church is rather modern and it has a stark contrast to the magnificence of Canterbury Cathedral. This area was heavily bombed in WW2 and almost ¼ of the ancient city was destroyed. Miraculously, the Cathedral survived these bomb attacks thanks to the effort of the fire department. The church, dedicated to Sir. Thomas Beckett, was built in the 19 th century and was extended after WW2. There a sculpture on the wall to the right of the church, celebrating the arrival of Saint Augustine, more than 1400 years ago. A reminder of how this ancient tour has evolved over the centuries. To continue your tour, carry on the right side of Burgate, crossing Canterbury lane and stopping at the end of the road where you will see a section of the city’s walls.

3. The Old Wall Canterbury became a walled city in roman times, with the entire city sitting within a roughly circular border. Included within the walls were an amphitheatre, a forum and public baths. Over the centuries, the wall has been rebuilt in places, reinforced and maintained within the same circle. The wall has long served as a defence mechanism for the city, thwarting attackers. (There is a plaque on the wall which you should read to the students.) To continue the tour, you’ll need to cross lower bridge street, turn left and walk along the right hand side of the road for about 200 metres. Audio Point 4 is at Lady Wootton's green, a small park dominated by 2 statues.

4. Lady Wootton’s Green The pair of statues, which were unveiled in 2006, depict King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha who were pivotal figures in Canterbury’s history. Ethelbert became King of Kent in 561 AD and reigned for 56 years. St. Augustine arrived in Canterbury from Rome in order to reconvert England to Christianity and was welcomed and given lands to build an abbey and a cathedral. If you look to the right, back across Lower Bridge Street, by the walls, you will see the remains of the Quenin Gate. This was one of the original Roman gates. To continue your tour, walk towards Finden gate, cross Monastery Street, turn right and walk along the left hand side of the road. After about 200m, the road bares left and heads into the Longport area. Follow the ancient walls. Stop where the wall turns to modern red bricks and you will be able to see the remains of St. Augustine’s Abbey. This is Audio point 5.

5. St. Augustine’s Abbey As mentioned before, the land on which the Abbey is built was given to St. Augustine by King Ethelbert. The earliest Abbey was dedicated to St. Paul and St. Peter and soon became the burial place for the earliest archbishops as well as kings and queen of Kent, including Ethelbert and Bertha. It was only later, in the 900s, that the abbey was dedicated to St. Augustine himself. In the ground of the Abbey, there are the remains of several separate churches. Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1538 and destroyed most of the buildings. The stone recovered was used to help build many other castles, some even as far as Calais in France. To continue the tour, carry on walking along long port, baring left at the junction. After another 300 metres, heading past a school on your right and a prison on your left, turn left into St. Martins Lane. Ahead will be the gateway to St. Martins Church. This marks Audio Point 6. The view from the railings.

6. St. Martins Church This small, unassuming church is the third part of Canterbury’s World Heritage Site. And is a crucial part of the city’s history. This church is where Queen Bertha practised her Christian faith. The church is open to the public on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays. Otherwise, the grounds are available at all times to have a stroll. To continue with the tour, go back the way you have just come, along Longport. When you reach the roundabout, take the left exit down Lower Chantry Lane and then turn right to go down Ivy Lane. Audio Point 7 is about 150 metres down Ivy Lane by a magnificent beamed building called ‘The Hall’. Left here Down here Go through the arch to see the church

7. The Hall This is a typical example of a Weldon hall house; a rural timber style house dating from the early 15 th century. The house is built around a central hall with 2 wings, one for the owner and one for the servants. To continue your tour, you’ll need to carry on along Ivy Lane unit you reach the Chaucer Hotel at the end of the road. At this point, you will need to use the pedestrian underpass to cross underneath the busy intersection. When you resurface, you will be in front of a department store. This is audio point 8.

8. The Corner of George Street and Upper Bridge Street If you turn to face the roundabout, you’ll see a section of the old city walls to your right. Follow the concrete ramp up to the top of the city walls, passing the bus station on your right. To reach the next audio point, you will have to walk along the wall for several hundred metres leaving by the first ramp down on the right hand side, shortly after you pas the end of the bus station. When you have descended the ramp, turn right onto Watling Street and walk to audio point Up the ramp. 2. Along the wall 3. Down the ramp. 4. And down onto Watling Street

9. Dane John Gardens This open space was given to the people of Canterbury by Alderman Dane Simmonds and it features a ancient mound that offers a fantastic view of the city. It is well worth the walk up. The name ‘Dane John’ was thought to have derived from the French word ‘Dans Jon’ which means a keep. Indeed, in early nroman times, there was a small keep atop of the mound. To get to the final point of the tour you’ll need to carry on down Watling street, turn right into rose Lane. Continue to follow Rose Lane until you reach the junction with St. George’s Street and Audio Point 10.

10. Canterbury Cathedral This are of Canterbury was mostly flattened by bombs during WW2 and most of the building around are no more than 15 years old. To continue, turn to you left and take the first road on the right, Butchery Lane. Amazingly, the buildings on the left side of this narrow street are several hundred years older than the buildings on the right, all of which have been built over the last few decades. This is a great place to photograph the Cathedral. Canterbury Cathedral is world famous and internationally famous and recognised. It is one of the 3 buildings that make up the World Heritage site. The year 1170 was crucial to Canterbury’s history. Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in the Cathedral by 4 Norman knights which marked the climax of a power struggle between the church and the monarchy. Shortly after his death, Beckett was declared a martyr and his bones were considered holy and reputably had miraculous healing powers and the town soon became a centre for pilgrims from all over the world. Canterbury is considered one of the four most important Pilgrimage sites in the world, the others being Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compo Stella. When you reach the end of Butchery Lane, turn left into Burgate and return to the starting point outside the tourist centre.