Well, first things first - we were quite lucky when we went to Canterbury Cathedral: we were shown round by my cousin, who works for the Cathedral itself. But don't panic if your cousin doesn't work for the Cathedral - because there are guided tours available for anyone who wants to go in. Just look for the notice at the Welcome Centre.
We used to live near York, and, naturally, York Minster was somewhere we'd been before. Well, look, this is NOTHING like York Minster. It's a huge site, much larger than the Minster, and because it was part of a monastery in the past, it's quiet and away from the traffic (unlike the Minster, as you'll know if you've been there).
We were quite lucky when we went round; because there was a wedding going on in the crypt, we couldn't go in there, so we decided to go to the pub for lunch and come back later. This is actually the best thing to do, because if you try and do the whole thing in one gulp, it'll take you over two hours and you'll get a bit stone-building-blind.
Things to look for: Christ Church Gate, the way into the Cathedral grounds in the middle of Canterbury's shopping district, is beautiful. See if you can work out from the Latin inscription when it was built. (I was a year out. Which I was quite proud about.)
Go through the gate, and avoid walking straight into the cathedral. You can walk right round the cathedral, through the cloisters and more, to fully appreciate how big the place is. Then, and ONLY then, go inside.
At many times of the day, you'll be able to hear choirs either practising or doing Evensong. Most of the choirs - many are visiting choirs - are pretty good, and give a wonderful backdrop to walking around the Cathedral.
In the crypt, look upwards. All of the crypt would have been painted when it was built - you can see what it would have looked like by going right to the end of the crypt and looking at the chapel there - and you can still see, if you're careful, some of the original wall painting, particularly in the arches. Watch, too, for the scary animals which you'll see in carvings on the pillars throughout the crypt - good, I'd imagine, to keep children interested.
There's so much in the Cathedral that it will take a long, long time to look around properly. Once out of the Cathedral, if you've any Irish connections visit the quite disappointing Chapter House and look for St Patrick in the stained-glass above the entry door. (Tip: he's got a big orange snake).
Then it's out, via the shop (a bit commercial, but it all pays for the £9,000 per day it needs to maintain the building) and you're back outside.
We must have spent four hours looking around. It's much, much more than any other Cathedral we've ever seen, and well worth it - even if you've little or no religious beliefs.
One last tip - stand inside at one end of the cathedral itself, and you'll see that it isn't actually straight - it bends...
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Apr 29th, 2001
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