Canterbury, Kent Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Canterbury (Latin: Duroverum) is a cathedral city in the county of Kent in southeast England. Canterbury is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of the Church of England.
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2 Demographics 3 Government 4 Communications 5 Educational establishments 6 Sundry information 7 External links |
There has been a settlement since prehistoric times. Canterbury was a Roman administrative centre and the city walls and gates from this time still remain.
St Augustine built a priory on the site of the present cathedral precincts in 597AD.
He also built an abbey outside the city walls where he was buried as were other early archbishops.
This abbey was torn down during the
Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII, although the ruins still remain.
Its cathedral is the burial place of King Henry IV and of Edward the Black Prince, but is most famous as the scene of the murder of Thomas a Becket in 1170. As a result of this event, Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site, inspiring Geoffrey Chaucer to write his Canterbury Tales in 1387. The city is also associated with the family of Thomas More and was the birthplace of Christopher Marlowe.
During World War II the city was severely damaged by bombing after it was selected as one of the cities in England to be targeted by the Luftwaffe in the Baedeker Blitz.
In 1944 the city was celebrated by film directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in their film A Canterbury Tale.
Canterbury today 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 town centre is strictly regulated. As of 2004 the Whitefriars area is undergoing major redevelopment and the associated archeological research is called the "Big Dig".
The south-western end of Canterbury comprises the parish of 'Thanington without', the rest of the city is unparished.
The parliamentary constituency of 'Canterbury and Whitstable' is represented in Parliament by the Conservative MP Julian Brazier, a Shadow Trade Minister.
Canterbury itself is twinned with Reims in France, while the district participates in the Sister Cities programme with links to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, USA, and Vladimir, Russia.
The hourly National Express coach service to and from Victoria Coach Station is typically scheduled to take 110 minutes.
The telephone area code is 01227.
This is an Article on Canterbury, Kent. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Canterbury, Kent History
The name Canterbury derives from the Old English Cantwarebyrig, meaning "fortress of the men of Kent".Demographics
Government
District, in Kent]]
The local government district City of Canterbury covers an area some 13 times larger than the city of Canterbury itself, and includes Herne Bay and Whitstable. The city contains the district wards of Barton, Northgate, St Stephens, Westgate and Wincheap, plus part of the University of Kent (which straddles the city boundary) in the otherwise rural Blean Forest ward. Since October 7, 2004 the 5 wards entirely within the city heve been represented by 9 Liberal Democrat, 3 Conservative and 2 Labour councillors, out of the total 50 members of the district council.Communications
Railway
Canterbury has two railway stations: Canterbury East on the service from London Victoria (journey time around 88 minutes) to Dover. and Canterbury West, also served from Victoria as well as by trains from London Charing Cross to Ramsgate and Margate. These services are operated by South Eastern Trains.Road
Canterbury is by-passed by the main A2 London to Dover Road. It is about 45 miles from the junction
with 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.Educational establishments
The city has many students as it is home to no less than three Higher Education institutions and other colleges. The University of Kent at Canterbury 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. Canterbury Christ Church University College [1] is located in the city as is one of the campuses of the Kent Institute of Art and Design. There is also the Further Education institution, Canterbury College.Sundry information
The Postcode for the Canterbury area is CT.External links
Parish Council of Thanington Without