Canterbury

Canterbury is an ancient and historically significant English city of the county of Kent in the south east of England. The history of the settlement of Canterbury can be traced back to as early as the birth of Christ, as the Romans are known to have captured the settlement from the Byrthons, or early Britons, in the first century AD, when they renamed it Durovernum Cantiacorum, meaning "Kent people's stronghold". Now the see of the Church of England, Canterbury converted to Christianity in 597, when Saint Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. The cathedral was founded in soon after, in 602, and the foundations of the original can still be traced under the current structure, with a Roman Road lying beneath it. Thomas Becket was murdered at the Cathedral in 1170. The resulting pilgrimages to the martyr's place of death, in turn, inspired the writing of "The Canterbury Tales", the 14th century literary masterpiece by Geoffery Chaucer. The Cathedral has undergone continual expansion and regeneration over the millenia and so incorporates features from several eras. It is one of the oldest and most famous structures in England. The ruins of Saint Augustine's Abbey and the Cathedral are both World Heritage Sites, attracting millions of visitors each year.

Canterbury has a wealth of attractions of historical and literary interest, including the Roman and medieval walls of the city, the ruins of Saint Augustine's Abbey, the Marlowe Theatre, the Roman Museum, the Norman Canterbury Castle, and the museum of the former Westgate jail. There are also a variety of other activities and attractions in the area, including watersports, nightclubs, entertainment venues, and some good old fashioned seaside fun. The city features numerous timber-framed 16th and 17th century buildings on the various shopping high streets, which are well occupied with a variety of unique shops and boutiques, as well as countless traditional pubs, restaurants and tearooms.

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