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📍 Canterbury

Canterbury Canterbury is located in the east of Kent in Kent County and is the first settlement of the Roman Catholic Church in England. Since the local Canterbury Cathedral (Canterbury Cathedral) and St Augustine's Abbey (St Augustine's Abbey) are both listed as United Nations World Heritage Sites, it has become a popular day trip destination in the UK. The city has been occupied since the Paleolithic period, and was the capital of Cantiaci in the Iron Age and the Jutes Kingdom in the 5th century. As a result, the city has preserved many historic buildings from the Roman period and other periods.

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📍 Westgate Tower

If you walk from Cantebury West Station to the city centre, you'll definitely pass Westgate Tower. Along the way, we saw a coffee shop that had been converted into a telephone booth. Sparrows are small but have all five parts. Since the usage of public telephone booths has declined year by year with the rise of mobile phones, some local governments in the UK have begun to preserve the culture of these iconic telephone booths in the UK by various means. In addition to cafes, there are also various types of telephone booths that have been remodeled into shower rooms, libraries, storage rooms, etc. So far, about 2,000 telephone booths have been listed as protected landings.

Built in the late 3rd century, Westgate Tower is an earthen embankment built by the Romans around the city to resist attacks by wild people. Although there were originally seven gates surrounding the city wall, the Victorian era road widening plan removed the other six; the only surviving one is this medieval gatehouse. This also led to Westgate (Westgate) becoming the largest existing city gate in England. The city tower has been transformed into a museum that records the history of Ximen and a series of escape rooms so that future generations can also recognize the history of the city.

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📍 Westgate Gardens

Next to Westgate Tower is this medieval Westgate Gardens. In the garden, you can admire the medieval fortress that protected Canterbury's walls, and the River Stour (River Stour) that flows through it. In addition to various plants and flower gardens, the surrounding area also has many historic rock walls. Since the lake is crystal clear, visitors can also take small boats to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the river from time to time. We visited in the fall. The trees were on the stairs in season, and a hint of autumn leaves made the whole landscape even more beautiful.

When I walked from the garden to the riverside, I saw all kinds of graffiti, and the time I saw this graffiti made me think. “Rivers are places that renew our spirit.” Russian philosopher Leo Tolstoy wrote the original phrase “Rivers are places that renew our spirit, connect us with our past, and link us with the flow and rhythm of the natural world.” (Rivers are places that restore our spirits, connect us to our past, and connect us to the rhythm of the natural world). The history of this city has given rise to today's characteristics and culture. After experiencing all kinds of things from the past, it still persists and stands as strong as a flower blooming in graffiti.

While shuttling down the path, we also discovered wild mushrooms growing on the side of the stairs. Although we don't know if these mushrooms are edible, we also really admire their vitality! Maybe this is the mentality of Canterbury residents.

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📍 The Goods Shed

After a walk through the gardens, we went back to The Goods Shed, a farmers' market next to Canterbury West Station. The shelves display a range of local agricultural products. In addition to fresh ingredients such as vegetables, seafood, and meat, there are also suppliers of various cooked foods, coffee, desserts, dried goods, etc.

The rural environment of the market is very comfortable. Compared to the busy Borough Market in London, almost every vendor here is unique - only one sells seafood, the other sells meat, etc. The interior environment is clean and the atmosphere is pure and relaxing.

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🍴 The Goods Shed Restaurant

There is a restaurant in The Goods Shed, and the menu changes every day depending on the vendor next to it. Since there are only a few tables in the restaurant, it is recommended to reserve a table in advance. The restaurant presents freshly baked bread. The crunchy outer skin is cooked with olive oil and rosemary, which is very crunchy.

We ordered the “cod face steak, spicy sausage, cauliflower paste” appetizer. The smooth cauliflower paste has a light sweetness that goes well with the fresh flavor of fish and the saltiness of spicy meat.

Our first main course was “cod, fennel, red pepper, black olives, mussels”. The slightly sour sauce brings out the aroma of the fish, and the restaurant also carefully shelled the mussels in advance.

Our second main course was “wild mackerel, white beans, roasted tomatoes, beets, aioli”. We agree that the meat quality of cod is superior to mackerel, and the amount of white beans is satisfying. Although the side dish doesn't bring out the benefits of mackerel, the side dish itself is fine.

Finally, when the settlement was over, the restaurant staff left a business card with a picture of a pumpkin, which matched the image of the restaurant as a country restaurant.

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📍 Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury is best known as Canterbury Cathedral (Canterbury Cathedral). As one of the oldest Christian buildings in England, it is listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. The church was built in 597, and since then it has gone through several reconstructions and restorations before we can see what it looks like today. If you want to see the full picture of the church, you need to pay £15.5. In addition, the church has also been undergoing restoration projects of varying degrees in recent months. Basically, the entire church is surrounded by scaffolding, so we only stayed outside to watch a small part of it that was not covered.

Although you can't visit, you can even see the spectacular top of the church nearby!

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📍 Greyfriars Gardens

The first Franciscan monks in England used to wear grey cloth and traditional three-knot straps, symbolizing their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and are therefore called grey friars. However, when Henry VIII took the throne in the 16th century, the Grey Coat monks suffered because they were unwilling to accept supreme rule over the newly founded Church of England. They held on to their beliefs until their death, so they were respected by future generations.

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Rumor has it that Greyfriars Gardens is the location of the Greyfriars settlement. The park itself is small in size, and the alley next to the park gives people a sense of peace and quiet, and you can walk back to the center of the town from here.

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📍 The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

This unusual building on a busy street is The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge. Beaney's name comes from Dr. James George Beaney, the building's sponsor. His legacy shows that he left all the money he earned during his life to his hometown, Canterbury, to provide free knowledge to citizens from poor backgrounds like his. Based on his sponsorship, it became an art gallery, library, and visitor information center. Although the facilities here have received awards, apart from the exterior of the building, I personally don't think the collection is very attractive. Furthermore, there is insufficient lighting in the exhibition hall, making it difficult for people to stay or take a close look at the exhibits. However, the library part is just a public library with an ordinary modern design, nothing special.

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📍 Canterbury Pottery

Canterbury Pottery's pottery patterns have evolved along with changes in fashion and lifestyle. Potters who take inspiration from everyday life strive to create practical, dynamic, and versatile pottery. They are also the sole supplier of dishes at The Goods Shed Restaurant, a testament to the city's belief in “supporting local production.” Inside the store, you can see the workshops behind you and the potters who specialize in making things. Every piece of pottery can be made to order, and my favorite is this Olive Plate, the most thoughtful design I've ever seen.

☕️ Cafe Turquoise

Cafe is a family owned coffee shop. Although there are many coffee shops in Canterbury, the atmosphere and decoration here are like going back a hundred years. There are only a few tables in the store, and every corner has been carefully designed.

We ordered a cup of concentrated coffee with fresh cream (Espresso con Panna) and a latte, and an Italian dessert - Hazulnut Cannoli (Hazulnut Cannoli). The coffee beans at this store are a blend of three types of coffee beans, which are rich and smooth. Compare the two and we recommend Espresso con Panna, so you can enjoy the taste of coffee even more.

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Conclusion

The time we went happened to be the weekend before Halloween, so we saw many stores participating in the town's Halloween activities. The store hangs pumpkin balloons in front of the store so that well-dressed children can go in Trick or Treat. There are also free face painting workshops in the city center, which energize the whole town.

As a historic town, Canterbury has done a good job in preserving heritage and making it easy to revitalize. I really appreciate the residents' support for local creations and their attitude towards history. As an area within 1 hour of London, it is a perfect place for a day trip on the weekend.

How to get to Canterbury?

Canterbury has two separate train stations, Canterbury West Station and Canterbury East Station. From Stratford in London, you can only reach West Station, which can be reached in 48 minutes.
💡 Within the UK:Travel by train to Canterbury / Buy a transport card and get 1/3 off UK trains and London Underground all year round
💡 International visitors:Airline ticket price / European train prices