Canterbury history

Canterbury history

Canterbury and the surrounding area has a whole host of history and heritage for you to come and discover. Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has two castles, six museums and an attraction that lets you step back in time to the Middle Ages are some of what is on offer here in historic Canterbury. The Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martins church form the trio of World Heritage Sites in Canterbury. The Abbey was founded in 597AD, and St Martin’s Church is the oldest parish church in England still in constant use. Along side these, there is Canterbury Tales, where you can step back into the Middle Ages and join the pilgrims on their journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. The museums are full of artefacts and fun things for all the family to do. The West Gate Towers Museum has one of the best views of the City.

Whitstable has a rich maritime history and is famous for its oysters, with a working harbour bringing in the daily catch. The town has a rich alleyway network, which were used by the smugglers as convenient escape routes, as Whitstable was, like most Kentish coastal towns, awash with illegal trade. The old Canterbury to Whitstable railway line, the Crab and Winkle Way now forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 1.

Herne Bay was founded in the early nineteen hundreds and was a popular holiday destination for Londoners. It was during this period that a wealthy London lady gave the town its distinctive 80ft Clock Tower. The first pier was erected in 1832 and by 1834 steamboats were using it to land over 40,000 visitors each year to the resort. From the Bay one can see, to the east, the twin towers of St Mary's Church at Reculver, which mark the location of Reculver Country Park. In World War II the bouncing bomb, invented by Barnes Wallis for the Dambusters, was tested off the shore near here. One of the prototype bombs, recently recovered from the beach at Reculver, may be seen in the Herne Bay Museum.