Canterbury, a World Heritage site
The importance of UNESCO World Heritage status is best outlined as:
“World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain ‘cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity’.”
- Canterbury Cathedral
- St Augustine’s Abbey
- St Martin’s Church
- Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. The imposing cathedral building, set in beautiful gardens, was built around 597AD… the site of the first tomb of murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket, the 1,200 square metres of fantastic stained glass windows, one of England’s largest collections of early medieval stained glass or the Water Tower from the 12th century (possibly earlier) with piping that has survived and is still functioning today.
- St Augustine’s Abbey was originally created as a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent and at its height in the Middle Ages, it was one of the most significant religious houses in Northern Europe. This reconstruction takes you back in time to see how a small cluster of Anglo-Saxon buildings developed over the centuries into a grand Romanesque abbey.
- St Martin’s Church is the oldest parish church still in continuous use. It started as the private chapel of Christian Queen Bertha of Kent in the 6th century before Augustine arrived from Rome. In 597AD St Augustine and his companions worshipped at the church until King Ethelbert granted him the land for the world-famous abbey and cathedral.
Canterbury Liar’s Walk tours – talk to us!
For info about the Canterbury Liar’s Walk, a fun walking tour of this historic town, drop us a line using the contact form.