The formal name of the Canterbury Cathedral is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury. It is one of the oldest and most well-known Christian structures in all of England and it is a World Heritage Site.

It was originally founded in 597 and has been expanded and rebuilt many times in its history.

In its earliest days, the church was part of a Benedictine monastic community and was the seat of the archbishop. The first bishop was Augustine of Canterbury, a missionary sent in 596 by Pope Gregory I. He also founded Saint Augustine's Abbey, though it was not called that then, located outside the city walls.

The building as it is now was more or less laid out by Archbishop Lanfranc and dedicated in 1077 after the Norman Conquest. It was built from stone from France and designed to be like the Abbey of Saint-Étienne in Caen.

A pivotal moment in the Cathedral's history was the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket. Becket was murdered in the northwest transept in 1170 by knights of King Henry II. The events transformed the Cathedral into a place of pilgrimage. Such pilgrims were depicted in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Today the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the global leader for the Anglican Communion and leader of the Church of England.

Why You Should Visit:
The Cathedral is a World Heritage Site and one of the most stunning examples of Gothic architecture in England.

Tips:
Plan to dedicate at least three hours to tour the Cathedral. GPSmyCity offers a self-guided tour to help you explore the Cathedral and its grounds.

Be sure to look up! Some of the most impressive examples of architecture lie in the fan vaulting, ornate carvings, and beautiful stained glassworks.

The Old Palace belongs to the precincts of the Canterbury Cathedral. It dates from the 11th century. The palace served as residence for many archbishops and it still remains. The building once housed The Parliament, since 1647, during the English Civil War. Then it got the previous status of the Bishop’s Palace and was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. Archbishop's Palace underwent many alterations and adjustments in the course of time. It was reopened again in 2006 after a two-year process of much needed refurbishment.

This large pub is situated on Buttermarket Square, which is over 800 years old. It is a very busy place, close to the main entrance of the Cathedral. The Old Buttermarket is a traditional British pub with a modern feel, in a house built upon Roman remains. There are plenty of outdoor tables and indoor seats. They provide an impressive choice of real ales on tap and malt whiskeys, as well as a fine selection of red and white wines. They serve high quality pub food. One of their specials is the Old Buttermarket Steak Pie, that is always a popular choice.

An unassuming British pub located near the Cathedral has quite the history. The Old Buttermarket is currently everything you'd expect from such an establishment - it's the perfect place for a pint after a long day touring the Cathedral. If you're feeling nippish, the meat pies and fish and chips are excellent.

But what makes The Old Buttermarket a special stop is its history. There is certainly a lot to be told, and some of it we still don't know. Flint pieces found in the cellars give clues that the Romans used the site. Tunnels have been found that once connected the site to the Cathedral.

There has been an operating public house on this site for over 500 years. A coaching inn called the Black Boy was in business from the 1600s until 1908.

The name also clues you to an interesting tidbit of history. The town butter market was held on the square right outside the pub.

The Roman Museum features a Roman courtyard house and a Roman pavement. The museum was initially founded in 1961.

The Romans captured a settlement here in the first century AD. They laid out a settlement on a partial grid and included a theatre, forum, temple, and baths. By the third century, they had also built a town wall with seven gates to defend against barbarians. The Romans occupied Canterbury until about 410 AD.

A World War II bomb exposed the Roman mosaic pavement. The excavation revealed a Roman townhouse that had several rooms, corridors, and mosaics.

The museum aims to show people what Roman city life was like. Because the city has been raised many times since Roman times, the pavement is located under the present-day pavement. Therefore, each step visitors take down to the Roman pavement represents 100 years of the archaeological layer.

Today, visitors can see the three mosaic pavement panels, as well as other excavated artifacts. Household deities are on display. Visitors will find objects such as an ax, dice, spoons, roof tiles, and a calvary harness. Silver from the Westgate Gardens silver hoard is also on display.

The museum features a reconstructed Roman house with a kitchen. A Roman marketplace reconstruction has a cobbler, greengrocer, fast food vendor, and haberdasher.

Visitors can also check out a computer game which also guests to use Roman technology.

Museum hours: Daily 10:00 am- 5:00 pm.

Canterbury Castle is a Norman Castle in Canterbury. It was one of the three original Royal castles of Kent (the other two being Rochester Castle and Dover Castle). They were all built soon after the Battle of Hastings, on the main Roman road from Dover to London. This was the route taken by William the Conqueror in October 1066, and they were built originally as motte-and-bailey castles to guard this important route. A wooden motte and bailey castle was erected in 1066 - its motte may be the mound which is still visible in the Dane John gardens near the stone castle, with Dane John deriving from donjon.

The great stone keep was largely constructed in the reign of Henry I as one of three Royal castles in Kent. This massive structure, which has dimensions of about 98 by 85 feet externally at the base, was originally probably at least 80 feet high. It is mainly made of flint and sandstone rubble. By the 13th century the castle had become the county goal. It was given up to the invading French in the First Barons' War. In 1380 a new gate was built. By the 19th century it had been obtained by a gas company and used as a storage centre for gas for many years, during which time the top floor was destroyed.

Dating from at least the 14th century and reconstructed in the 16th, this must be one of the most photographed historic buildings in Canterbury and one of the top riverside pubs in Kent. Having survived the WWII German bombing campaigns, its timber-framed front can be easily spotted on St. Peter's street, with an even longer front running along the River Stour.

The Old Weavers House takes its name from the hundreds of Huguenots and Walloons who settled in the area after fleeing religious persecution in the 16th/17th centuries in France and the Low Countries. Many had expertise as weavers, and therefore started their trade, requiring well-lit work rooms, in local buildings. Despite having no other true weavers houses that can be seen elsewhere in Canterbury, this building housed a weaving school into the early 1900s.

At the rear is a medieval "ducking stool" that historically served to punish not only scolds (women accused by their husbands of talking back too much!), but also suspected witches, by dunking them into the water. Rather than simply being fixed by the water, however, the stool could be mounted on wheels to allow the convict to be paraded through the streets before punishment was carried out.

For the ultimate riverside experience, the Old Weavers Restaurant has a riverside terrace bursting with plants and flowers to create a restful oasis at the water's edge. Not only that, but diners can also enjoy a 40-minute river tour in one of the punting company owned boats, prior to or followed by a one-course-meal of their choosing.

Mon-Sat: 9am–12am; Sun: 12pm–11:30pm

The western gate in the city walls is the 60-foot (18-meter) high Westgate. This impressive structure is the largest surviving medieval gatehouse in England. It was built of local ragstone around 1379 and is the only one of Canterbury's original seven gates still standing.

The Romans built the first city walls in 300 AD. Westgate was always the most crucial entrance, as this was the road from London. The present gate was built to replace the original Roman one.

The building has had various other uses over the years. It was used as the local prison from the 1400s to the 1800s. There was even a cage built in the gateway where select prisoners were allowed to beg from or chat with passers-by.

After the city walls were dismantled in the early 1800s, the jailer's house was built to the north. This building wound up serving as the Canterbury City Police headquarters. It was connected to the jail by an iron bridge. This building is now a bar and cafe.

Presently the structure houses the West Gate Towers Museum and several very realistic and historically-themed escape rooms.

Canterbury city walls are a sequence of defensive walls built around the city. The first city walls were built by the Romans, probably between 270 and 280 AD. These walls were constructed from stone on top of an earth bank, and protected by a ditch and wall towers. At least five gates were placed into the walls, linked to the network of Roman roads across the region. With the collapse of Roman Britain, Canterbury went into decline but the walls remained, and may have influenced the decision of Augustine to settle in the city at the end of the 6th century. The Anglo-Saxons retained the defensive walls, building chapels over most of the gates and using them to defend Canterbury against Viking incursions.

The Norman invaders of the 11th century took the city without resistance, and by the 12th century the walls were ill-maintained and of little military value. Fears of a French invasion during the Hundred Years' War led to an enquiry into Canterbury's defences in 1363. The decision was taken to restore the city walls and for around the next thirty years the old Roman defences were freshly rebuilt in stone, incorporating the older walls where they still remained. 24 towers were constructed around the circuit, and over the coming years many of the gatehouses were rebuilt in stone and brick, defended by some of the first batteries of guns in England. Parts of the wall were deliberately damaged by Parliament during the English Civil War of the 17th century and the doors to the city's gates burnt; with the restoration of Charles II in 1660, new doors were reinstalled.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Canterbury's city walls came under extensive pressure from urban development. All the gates but one, West Gate, were destroyed and extensive parts of the walled circuit were knocked down to make way for new roads and buildings. German bombing during the Second World War caused further damage. Despite this, the remaining walls and gatehouse survived post-war redevelopment intact and some portions were rebuilt entirely. Over half the original circuit survives, enclosing an area of 130 acres (53 ha), and archaeologists Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham consider the city wall to be "one of the most magnificent in Britain".

At the north corner of the Green Court is the oldest structure in the Cathedral precinct. It is a covered staircase from 1100 built by the Normans along with the vast rebuilding of the buildings in the Cathedral close. The staircase is the part of the Poor Pilgrim's Hall that served as a shelter for pilgrims. The entrance and parts of the North Wall remained from that building. Today it’s part of the King's School. Near the Norman Staircase is The Memorial Court with an octagonal shaft on the base topped with the cross. It was erected after World War I. Now it serves as a memorial of those who died during the World Wars.

Saint Augustine arrived in England in 597. Pope Gregory I sent Saint Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. The King of Kent, Ethelbert, was married to Queen Bertha, who was already a Christian. King Ethelbert ordered the construction of a splendid church, and construction on Saint Augustine's Abbey began in 598. At that time, the Abbey was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.

While most structures in the area were quickly built with wood building materials, Saint Augustine wanted to build a church with stone to emulate the churches of Rome. Thus, Saint Augustine's Abbey became the main religious building in Kent. In addition, Saint Augustine's Abbey became known as a missionary school where learning and knowledge were celebrated.

Saint Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury and was buried in Saint Augustine's Abbey.

In 978, Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, renovated and expanded the Abbey. Finally, he re-dedicated the Abbey to Saint Augustine, and the church became known as Saint Augustine's Abbey.

The Abbey gatehouse was rebuilt in 1309 and became known as Fyndon Gate. The chamber in the gatehouse was used as the state bed-chamber, and royalty stayed there on their travels. For example, King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria stayed here after their Canterbury Cathedral wedding in 1625. In 1660, Charles II and the Dukes of York and Gloucester stayed here.

Freedom Gate faces Lady Wootton's Green. This small square houses statues of King Ethelberht and Queen Bertha.

King Herny VIII dismantled England's monasteries to make way for the new Church of England. In 1538, Saint Augustine's Abbey became the property of the Crown after 940 years of existing as a monastery. Some of the Abbey was initially used as a residence by royal family members. Throughout the centuries, the Abbey was dismantled.

In 1844, Alexander James Beresford Hope bought the ruins and remaining buildings and began to preserve them. Unfortunately, the site was heavily damaged by World War II bombs.

Saint Augustine's Missionary College survived and is currently used by the King's School, Canterbury.

Why You Should Visit:
Saint Augustine's Abbey is part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, along with the cathedral and Saint Martin's Church. Visitors can see the ruins of Saint Augustine's Abbey, as well as several important graves. Saint Augustine, Ethelberht of Kent, and early Archbishops of Canterbury are buried on the site.

Tips:
Visit the small on-site museum to get an idea of what the Abbey looked like 1,000 years ago. The museum also has audio tours of the ruins available.