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Canterbury claims to have been permanently inhabited
since pre-Roman times. Augustine established his first
cathedral and abbey around AD 600, and in medieval times
the city became a centre for pilgrimage to the shrine of
St Thomas Becket, made famous by Chaucer's Canterbury
Tales. The playwright Christopher Marlowe was born here,
and a few years ago the Treaty of Canterbury paved the
way for the building of the Channel Tunnel.
The city centre today shows much of its medieval history
in ancient streets and buildings, and of course the
world-famous cathedral, which is the venue for the
University's degree ceremonies. The cathedral, St
Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's church make up a World
Heritage Site - one of only 15 such sites in the British
Isles.
Canterbury has a thriving cosmopolitan atmosphere, as
befits Britain's closest city to continental Europe, and
the streets are packed with small shops, bookshops,
larger chain stores and over 80 restaurants and pubs.
The city also includes the Marlowe Theatre, museums,
libraries, art galleries and a cinema, nightclubs,
swimming pools and the St Lawrence County Cricket Ground.
You can easily do a day trip to either London or France
from Canterbury. It is only 55 miles from London on the
M2/A2. Regular trains run to and from London Victoria,
Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge - journey
time is approximately 90 minutes. The Channel ports are
less than 20 miles distant, with Calais approximately 75
minutes and Boulogne 110 minutes by ferry or catamaran
from Dover. It is only 30 minutes drive to the Channel
Tunnel at Folkestone or the Eurostar terminal at Ashford,
and from there you can be in Brussels or Paris in
approximately two hours.
Apart from the attractions within the city itself,
Canterbury is well situated for access to famous
locations such as Leeds Castle, Rochester with its
Dickens connections, and castles at Dover, Walmer, Deal
and Richborough. The county of Kent is known as the
'Garden of England', with many classic villages,
castles, walking/cycling trails, orchards and vineyards.
East Kent has 120 miles of coastline: seaside towns
include Whitstable (good for all kinds of water sports),
Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate.
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