Canterbury

 

city (1991 pop. 34,046) and district, Kent, SE England, on the Stour River. Tourism, services, and retail are the city's main industries. There is also some light manufacturing. Canterbury is famous as the long-time spiritual center of England. In 597, St. Augustine went to England from Rome to convert the island peoples to Christianity. He founded an abbey at Canterbury and became the first archbishop of Canterbury and primate of all England. The early cathedral was burned and rebuilt several times. After the murder (1170) of Thomas à Becket and the penance of Henry II, Canterbury became famous throughout Europe as the object of pilgrimage, and the Canterbury Tales of Chaucer relate the stories told by a fictional group of pilgrims. The present cathedral was begun under Archbishop Lanfranc, the first Norman archbishop. Constructed from 1070 to 1180 and from 1379 to 1503, it is a magnificent structure, its architecture embodying the styles of several periods and various architects. Noteworthy are the 15th-century tower (235 ft/72 m high); the long transepts; the screen separating the raised choir from the Perpendicular nave; the east chapel (called the Corona or Becket's Crown), which contains the marble chair in which the archbishops are enthroned; Trinity Chapel, which held the shrine of St. Thomas until 1538, when Henry VIII ordered it destroyed and the accumulated wealth confiscated; the chapel in which French Protestants worshiped in the 16th cent. and where services are still held in French; the northwestern transept (where a stone slab commemorates the exact site of Thomas à Becket's murder); and the tombs of Henry IV and Edward the Black Prince. During World War II the cathedral was the object of severe German reprisal raids (June, 1942), which destroyed the library and many other surrounding buildings; the cathedral itself received no direct damage. The city of Canterbury is also of great historical interest, with a 14th-century gate and remains of the old city walls; St. Martin's Church (established before St. Augustine's arrival and known as the Mother Church of England); the old pilgrims' hostel called the Hospital of St. Thomas; and several old inns. Christopher Marlowe was born at Canterbury and educated at King's School there before going to Cambridge. Other schools are the Univ. of Kent at Canterbury, and theological, art, and teacher-training colleges.

Canterbury
The city lies on the Great Stour River
Canterbury shown within Kent
Population	146,200 (2001)
OS grid reference	TR145575
- London	62.8mi
District	City of Canterbury
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CANTERBURY
Postcode district	CT1, CT2
Dialling code	01227
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Canterbury
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Coordinates: 51°′N 1°′E / 51.28, 1.08

Canterbury [ˈkæntəˌbɹi] is a city located in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. In Latin the city was called Durovernum Cantiacorum; it lay at the junction of three roads from their ports of Regulbium (Reculver), Dubris (Dover) and Lemanis (Lympne); and it stood on what has become known as Watling Street. The city walls and one of the city gates remain.

The city is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Thomas Beckett was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral; King Henry IV was buried along with the Edward the Black Prince. Furthermore, Geoffery Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales about the pilgrims and the people. This literary heritage was continued with Christopher Marlowe who was born here.

The city became a county corporate in 1461; Canterbury was made a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888.

History

Prehistoric and Roman history

Main article: Durovernum Cantiacorum

There has been a settlement in Canterbury since prehistoric times. Bronze Age finds, and Neolithic round barrows have been discovered in the area; and before the Roman arrival Durovernon (British duro "fort", verno "swamp") was the most important settlement in Kent.

Saxon history

The town was abandoned at the end of the Roman period, only to be resettled by the Saxons. The name Canterbury derives from the Old English Cantwarebyrig, meaning "fortress of the men of Kent". ^[1]

In 596AD, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine to convert England to Christianity. Since 431, when Pope Celestine I sent Palladius to convert the Irish to Christianity, this was the second papal mission, and King Aethelbert of Kent allowed Augustine to build a priory on the site of the present cathedral precincts in AD 597, to be the cathedra for a diocese centred on the town. Its remains were found in post-war excavations of the nave of the current Canterbury Cathedral. Augustine also built an abbey outside the city walls where he was buried; as were other early archbishops. Though St. Gregory had planned the division of England into two archbishoprics, one at London and one at York, Augustine's success at Canterbury explains how the southern archiepiscopal see came to be fixed there instead of at London.

The first beginnings of the diocese are told by St. Bede (Hist. Eccl., I, xxxiii):

"When Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, assumed the episcopal throne in that royal city, he recovered therein, by the King's assistance, a church which, as he was told, had been constructed by the original labour of Roman believers. This church he consecrated in the name of the Saviour, our God and Lord Jesus Christ, and there he established an habitation for himself and all his successors".

The church was St. Martin's, which is still in use today, and is considered the oldest church in England still in use. The abbey (originally dedicated to St Peter, later posthumously re-dedicated to St Augustine himself), cathedral and Saint Martin's together make up a World Heritage site.

Medieval history

A motte and bailey castle was constructed in Canterbury by the Normans soon after the Norman Conquest, but this was soon replaced by the stone keep of Canterbury Castle on open ground just outside the city wall which still stands today.

Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt many times in the Middle Ages, especially after it was the scene of the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. As a result of this event, Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site, and later for a short time a royal burial site (King Henry IV and Edward the Black Prince were buried here). Its pilgrimage site status inspired Geoffrey Chaucer to write The Canterbury Tales in 1387 and routes such as that from Southwark (Chaucer's route) and the Pilgrim's Way (to/from Winchester) converged on it. The Hospital of St Thomas was a place of lodging for pilgrims in the city. The city is also the start/finish point for many other pilgrimage routes, such as the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome.

16th century

Canterbury was the home town of William Roper, son in law of Thomas More, and More's head was therefore buried at the church of St. Dunstan's, Canterbury (whereas his body is at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London).^[2]

St Augustine's Abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII on his split from Rome. Ruins remain^[3]. Already having primacy over the English church, Canterbury's priory was saved to become a cathedral and the centre of the new Church of England. At the same time, the cathedral's ancient religious school was refounded as the King's School.

French Protestant Huguenot refugees settled in the city during the sixteenth century: here they introduced silk-making. They were granted the crypt of the cathedral for their worship by Edward VI and, though the Huguenot chapel now extends only to the Black Prince Chapel in the crypt rather than the whole crypt, French Protestant services are still held there every Sunday afternoon.

17th century

See also: Second English Civil War

On Wednesday, December 22, 1647, Canterbury's town crier proclaimed the county committee's order for the suppression of Christmas Day and its treatment as any other working day.^[4][5] However, a large crowd gathered 3 days later to demand a church service, decorate doorways with holly bushes, and keep the shops shut. This crowd - under the slogan 'For God, King Charles, and Kent' - then descended into violence and riot, with a soldier being assaulted, the mayor's house attacked, and the city under the rioters' control for several weeks until forced to surrender in early January.^[6] This was a precursor of a full Kentish revolt against Parliament in May 1648.

Post 1900

During World War II the city was severely damaged by bombing after it was targeted by the Luftwaffe in the Baedeker Blitz and, though the cathedral escaped, much of the city was flattened.

Post-war large scale redevelopment of the city centre started with the rebuilding of much of the bomb damaged east of the city, including what is now the Whitefriar's development. The ring-road was constructed some time after in stages to alleviate growing traffic problems in the city centre, which was then pedestrianised.

Canterbury is a major city for tourism with Canterbury Cathedral alone attracting 1.2 million visitors in 2001. It still contains many ancient buildings and modern building development within the medieval city centre is strictly regulated.

During 2004-5 the Whitefriars area of the city underwent major redevelopment and the associated archeological research was called the Big Dig. Canterbury now has a much larger shopping attraction due to this, many of the shops have undergone major redevelopment, as has the city's bus station. Locally, however, the development has been criticised for causing empty buildings in other parts of the city, due to shop movement and the closure of several local shops under competition from the increased chain store presence. For example, the Boots the Chemist seen in the 1944 A Canterbury Tale remained at that High Street location until 2005, when it moved to Whitefriars.

Demographics

• Population (Census figures):
  • 1801: 9,500
  • 1861: 16,700
  • 1921: 18,900
  • 1961: 30,408
  • 2001: 42,258

Geography

The city is on the River Great Stour, flowing from Ashford to the English Channel at Sandwich, but is currently navigable only on the tidal section from Sandwich to Fordwich, north east of Canterbury.

Transport

Railway

Canterbury has two railway stations, Canterbury West and Canterbury East. Paradoxically, Canterbury West is almost due North of Canterbury East. The services from these are operated by Southeastern. Canterbury West is served primarily from London Charing Cross with limited services from Victoria as well as by trains to Ramsgate and Margate. Services from London Victoria stop at Canterbury East (journey time around 88 minutes) and continue to Dover.

Faster services are promised from 2009, with the introduction of Japanese "bullet" trains which will cut 30-45 minutes off the travel time to London.^[7] It is expected that this reduction in commuting time will have an impact in property prices in Canterbury.

Canterbury West station was the earliest to be built. It was opened by the South Eastern Railway from Ashford on 6 February 1846; on 13 April the line to Ramsgate was completed. Canterbury East is the more central of the two stations, although it came later, being opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 9 July 1860.

Canterbury was also the terminus of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway (known locally as the 'Crab and Winkle' line) which was a pioneer line, opened in 1830, and finally closed in 1953. Despite claims by the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Canterbury and Whitstable was the first regular passenger steam railway in the world. It included the first significant railway tunnel in the world, which is located at the Archbishop's School and the first railway bridge in the world. Part of the former route of the line can be walked along near Tyler Hill. Part of one of the buildings of the University collapsed into the closed railway tunnel on 11 July 1974, extensive rebuilding and the filling in of the tunnel was required.^[8]

Road

Canterbury is now by-passed by the A2 London to Dover Road. It is about 45 miles from the M25 London orbital motorway, and 61 miles from central London. The other main road through Canterbury is the A28 from Ashford to Ramsgate and Margate. Canterbury is legendary for traffic congestion throughout the day, and the City Council has invested heavily in Park-and-Ride systems around the City's outskirts. There are three sites, at Wincheap, New Dover Road and Sturry Road. There are plans to build direct access sliproads to and from the London directions of the A2 where it meets the congested Wincheap (at present there are only slips from the A28 to and from the direction of Dover) to allow more direct access to Canterbury from the A2, but these are currently subject to local discussion.

The hourly National Express coach service to and from Victoria Coach Station, which leaves from the main bus station is typically scheduled to take 2 hours.

Education

The city has many students as it is home to several Higher Education institutions and other colleges. The University of Kent's Canterbury campus stands on a hill about two miles outside the city centre. Chaucer College is an independent graduate college for Japanese students within the campus of the University. Near the University of Kent is the Franciscan International Study Centre^[9], a place of study for the worldwide Franciscan Order. Canterbury Christ Church University^[10] is located in the city as is one of the campuses of the University College for the Creative Arts. There is also the Further Education institution, Canterbury College. There was also the St Augustine's College, Canterbury (1848-1976), a Church of England theological college.

Independent secondary schools include St Edmund's School, Kent College, and what may be the world's oldest extant school The King's School.

State secondary schools include Archbishop's School, Barton Court Grammar School, Chaucer Technology School, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Simon Langton Girl's Grammar School, The Canterbury High School and St Anselm's Catholic School.

Local radio

Canterbury is served by:

• kmfm for Canterbury, Whitstable & Herne Bay based in St Georges Place, Canterbury. The station broadcasts on 106FM. It was formerly known as kmfm 106 and before the Kent Messenger Group took control was known as CTFM based on the local postcode being 'CT'. CTFM was based round the corner from kmfm on Lower Bridge Street. KMFM 106 Website

• CSR FM, an acronym for 'Canterbury Student Radio', broadcasts on 97.4FM from studios at both the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. In 2007 it became the first student radio station to be awarded a Community Radio License. The station is run by a collaboration of education establishments in the city including the three universities. The transmitter is based at the University of Kent, offering a good coverage of the city. CSR FM provides a wide range of programming with a 50% speech/50% music format and operates non-commercially as, under OFCOM's rules, a community station within an area served by an existing commercial radio station cannot carry advertisements. CSR FM Website

CSR is a joint collaboration between three universities and replaced two existing radio stations:

• C4 Radio serving Canterbury Christ Church University and the first student radio station in the country to broadcast online.
• UKC Radio known as UKCR serving the University of Kent

Canterbury also has a hospital radio station known as:

• Canterbury Hospital Radio (CHR) serving the patients of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.^[11]

Sport, leisure, and culture

Music

The city gave its name to a musical genre known as the Canterbury Sound or Canterbury Scene (a subgenre of Progressive Rock). Shortly after there was a decline in the music scene and it is only just starting to pick itself back up again due to students running live music nights within the city.

Theatre

The town's theatre and concert hall is the Marlowe Theatre named after Christopher Marlowe who was born in the city in Elizabethan times. This is to been found in The Friars. The old Marlowe Theatre was located in St Margaret's Street and housed a repertory theatre. Another theatre the Gulbenkian also serves the city and can be found at the University of Kent. Theatrical performances take place at several areas of the city, for instance the Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, etc. The premiere of "Murder in the Cathedral" by T. S. Elliot took place at Canterbury Cathedral.

Sport

St Lawrence Ground is notable as one of the two grounds used regularly for first-class cricket that have a tree within the boundary (the other is Pietermaritzburg cricket ground in South Africa).It is the home ground of Kent CCC and has hosted several England games too.

Canterbury City F.C. reformed in 2007 as a Community interest company and the mens team will compete in the Kent County League Division Two (East) in 2007/08. The previous incarnation of the club folded in 2001. Canterbury's Local Rugby Union team was promoted to the National League Division 3 South in 2007.

Canterbury has also seen the Tour de France visit the city twice, once in 1994 and once in 2007, where it hosted the finish for Stage 1 of the race.

Canterbury Hockey Club which often leads the league of English hockey.^{[citation needed]} They number former Olympic gold medal winner Sean Kerly among their coaches.

Famous inhabitants

People born in Canterbury include: Christopher Marlowe, Sir Freddie Laker, boy singer and actor Joseph McManners and Orlando Bloom. Mary Tourtel, the author of Rupert Bear lived in the town.

Affiliations

Canterbury is twinned with the following city:

• Reims, France

The district also participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links to:

• Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, USA
• Vladimir, Russia
• Esztergom, Hungary

References

1. ^ The bury element is a form of borough, which has cognates in words and place names in virtually every Indo-European and Semitic language, as well as others. For a fuller explanation, see under borough.
2. ^ St Thomas More
3. ^ Canterbury Trust
4. ^ See "Canterbury Christmas; or, a true Relation of the Insurrection in Canterbury on Christmas Day last," 1648.
5. ^ http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Text/Brands/christmas_day.htm
6. ^ http://www.misterdann.com/earlyarlordsmisrule.htm
7. ^ http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/main.php?page_id=353
8. ^ Graham Martin, From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury (University of Kent at Canterbury, 1990) pages 225-231 ISBN 0-904938-03-4
9. ^ Franciscans
10. ^ Canterbury Christ Church University
11. ^ Hospital radio

External links

• Canterbury City Council
• Canterbury Tourism
• Canterbury Cathedral
• Canterbury Buildings website - Archaeological and heritage site of Canterbury's buildings.
• Canterbury Archaeological Trust - Whitefriars excavations
• TimeTeam: Canterbury Big Dig
• Virtual tour
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage profile for Canterbury.

Towns and villages in the Canterbury district of Kent, England
Adisham • Barham • Bekesbourne • Beltinge • Bishopsbourne • Blean • Boyden Gate • Bramling • Bridge • Broad Oak • Broomfield • Chartham • Chartham Hatch • Chestfield • Chislet • East Stourmouth • Fordwich • Greenhill • Hackington • Hales Place • Harbledown • Hawthorn • Herne • Herne Bay • Hersden • Hillborough • Hoath • Ickham • Kingston • Littlebourne • Lower Hardres • Marshside • Nackington • Patrixbourne • Petham • Pett Bottom • Reculver • Rough Common • Stuppington • Sturry • Swalecliffe • Tankerton • Thanington Without • Tyler Hill • Upper Harbledown • Upper Hardres • Waltham • Westbere • Whitstable • Wickhambreaux • Wincheap • Womenswold • Woolage Green • Woolage Village • Yorkletts
The city of Canterbury • List of places in Kent

Ceremonial county of Kent
Kent Portal
Unitary authorities	Borough of Medway
Boroughs/Districts	Borough of Ashford • Borough of Dartford • Borough of Gravesham • Borough of Maidstone • Borough of Tonbridge and Malling • Borough of Tunbridge Wells • City of Canterbury • District of Dover • District of Sevenoaks • District of Shepway • District of Swale • District of Thanet
Cities/Towns	Ashford • Broadstairs • Canterbury • Chatham • Dartford • Deal • Dover • Edenbridge • Faversham • Folkestone • Fordwich • Gillingham • Gravesend • Herne Bay • Hythe • Lydd • Maidstone • Margate • Minster-in-Sheppey • New Romney • Northfleet • Paddock Wood • Queenborough • Rainham • Ramsgate • Rochester • Royal Tunbridge Wells • Sandwich • Sevenoaks • Sheerness • Sittingbourne • Snodland • Southborough • Strood • Swanley • Tenterden • Tonbridge • West Malling • Westerham • Westgate-on-Sea • Whitstable • See also: List of civil parishes in Kent
Rivers	Rivers
Topics	History • Geography • Parliamentary constituencies • People • Places • Transport

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