Today was all about me! (pause for my moment of spotlight)! With my exploration team busy on other pursuits I decided to revisit a place I haven't been to for years. Certainly not because it was a dreadful experience, far the opposite (although potty training aged son did decide he needed a number 2 halfway round the graveyard and I remember desperately scrambling in his tank of a pushchair to retrieve his all singing all dancing potty before his 2 second pre warning turned into high alert!) No, I simply had filed the visit as a lovely family day out and moved onto other places to investigate. Today though, with the sun beaming and the birds in full chorus all over Canterbury I booked my ticket to the Abbey with an air of freedom and excitement.
The Abbey is fantastically located if you are only heading to the city for a one-two day visit. You will find the entrance on Longport (CT1 1PF) about a 5 minute walk from the High Street, about a 30 minute walk from Canterbury West station, a 20 minute walk from Canterbury East station or alternatively a 15 minute saunter from Canterbury bus station. I bought my ticket in advance from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-augustines-abbey/ but during non pandemic times you could buy your ticket on the door so please have a double check of the website before you make your plans for the day.
I started my journey from Canterbury West station, pottering my way through St Dunstans, past Westgate Gardens and as I had time to spare, I took a little detour to Abbots Mill Garden (right next to the Millers Arms pub and just off the High Street). I have always found this little area interesting but I had never made any connection between what once was the mill (the 2nd largest building in Canterbury for over 150 years) and the Abbey I was going to visit. The Abbey had actually owned the mill at one point and although sadly it burnt to the ground in 1933 today you can still see the remaining metal work and some interesting markers.
I then crossed the little bridge over the River Stour to a lovely walled garden and enjoyed gazing at the marvellous marriage of gorgeous greenery and peaceful water for quite a while.
I left via the gate at the far side and kept to the left where a few steps later I was standing outside the impressive Marlowe Theatre https://marlowetheatre.com/, we have been to many shows here and it is a theatre that manages to carefully balance modern world class facilities without losing any of its charm. A statue of Dave Lee (a tribute to the late loved local panto dame) sits outside like an old friend and a great mask sculpture stands majestically next to the river. This area is very worthy of some time and snapshots.
I bumbled my way through the city for a while and made my way to Lady Wootton's Green (CT1 1NG) where I saw the statues of King Ethelbert facing and reaching for his wife Queen Bertha with the backdrops of Canterbury Cathedral and Fyndon Gate.
The latter is the original gatehouse of St Augustine's Abbey where you can see the state chambers windows over the gateway arch. King Charles I and Henrietta Maria stayed here on their wedding night following their marriage at Canterbury Cathedral and it is said Queen Elizabeth I was also a guest of this chamber at a later date.
I then made my way to the entrance of the Abbey clutching my ticket and waiting eagerly to enter. The grounds did not disappoint and I was very lucky to have the Abbey all to myself for my entire visit so I was able to soak up the atmosphere and immerse myself in the experience.
The statues of King Ethelbert and his Queen in the nearby green came to life in my mind as I learned that he was a Pagan Anglo Saxon King who had married a Christian Queen and had allowed her to freely practice her faith at the nearby St Martin's Church. The monk Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory I to convert pagans to christianity. King Ethelbert did not immediately convert but he did welcome Augustine when he arrived on the shores of Kent and helped him achieve his goal.
The Abbey was founded in around 598 and continued to grow and become more established drawing in monks from far and wide to learn and study within its walls. The Abbey survived Viking invasions and the Norman conquest remaining a beacon of education. By 1535 though King Henry VIII had broken with Rome and he claimed the riches of the Abbey, evicting the last of the monks and ordering buildings to be dismantled, eventually many parts were left to ruin.
In 1989 St Augustine's Abbey was declared a World Heritage site and so today it is cared for and preserved.
This place is wonderful. It took me 40 minutes to wonder around in the open air and it is just so magnificent to retrace the steps of history. there is a little wooded area in one corner where it would be great to take a picnic and marvel at the views. There is also a fantastic indoor area showing artefacts and an amazing shop.
A fabulous nugget of history in the heart of Canterbury - well worth a visit!
*Travelling May 2021
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