CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL LAUNCHES NEW GROUP GUIDED TOUR OPTIONS

Less than an hour from London by train, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, historic Canterbury Cathedral is the jewel in Kent’s crown. Always popular with groups, the Cathedral has just announced new tour options which are available to book now.

Established by St Augustine in 597AD and rebuilt extensively, this masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic architecture has been described as ‘England in Stone’, as its history is so interlinked with stories spanning from Magna Carta to the Blitz. The Cathedral has many royal connections which reach through the centuries, with King Henry IV and the Black Prince buried within. Following Archbishop Thomas Becket’s 1170 murder, his shrine became a popular place of medieval pilgrimage, and the Cathedral continues to welcome pilgrims and visitors from around the world today.

In addition to their ‘Inside Story’ guided tour, Canterbury Cathedral have just revealed details of two new group tours focusing on their outdoor spaces. 

The ‘Precincts Tour’ introduces Cathedral tales found around the building’s exterior. Groups can discover how the Cathedral survived targeted bombing by the Luftwaffe; why the Cathedral Crypt is above ground and how the feet of Stephen Langton, a major influencer on Magna Carta, now rest out in the cold. Alternately, ‘Monks, Maladies and Gardens’ reveals the lives of the Benedictine monks who created the original Cathedral gardens over a millennia ago.