Canterbury: Ideas For Your Next Stay In Canterbury By Arthur Townlands At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Canterbury is a town which has been the home to several great contributors to English literature including the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales as well as Christopher Marlowe, the famous playwright responsible for penning Dr. Faustus. Canterbury is home to Howletts Wild Animal Park, which has garnered as much attention for its unorthodox handling and managing of the animals as well as the unusual collection.

Howletts Wild Animal Park is home to a number of ambassadors from across the globe, and whilst their locations may differ, what they do share in common is their rare and exotic status, many of the inhabitants of the menagerie are endangered. The likes of Black Rhinos, elephants, snow leopards and tigers can all be found in the grounds of the Park, and the Park is particularly famous for having the largest collection of African elephants in the world. The park was originally founded to better cater, provide and further the rights of endangered animals, a task that has been achieved with a fantastic degree of success.

Easter is a particularly good time to visit the Park as traditionally this is when the gestation period of many of the animal’s ends, meaning that new young cubs and animals are born. There is also the option to adopt an animal of your choice, meaning that you can be kept up to date as to the progress and well-being of your chosen animal as well as photos of them.

Canterbury is also home to the oldest church in England, the Canterbury Cathedral which was founded in 597 AD and which is home to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The architecture is simply breath-taking, it is truly an awe-inspiring place with all of the original stained glass designs, the crypts and original craftworks still remaining. The Cathedral came under attack during the 2nd World War from German fighters, who fortunately managed to miss the cathedral and thus no harm befell it.

Canterbury Cathedral has a haunting beauty, made all the more poignant by the tragic death of Thomas Beckett, the Christian martyr who was killed in the 12th century by errant knights who had mistakenly misinterpreted what the king at the time, King Henry the 2nd had said in their presence.

Legend has it that the king uttered the fateful words “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” in reference to the constant clash of wills between Beckett and the king. Sadly, the knights who overheard this assumed that the King was ordering the execution of Beckett, who was then murdered there in his own cathedral. To this day, Beckett and his legend live on as a tragic and haunting reminder of darker times.

Canterbury Cathedral is dogged by another sad reminder, albeit one of more modern design. Ticket prices currently stand at £6-7 although this is waived on Sunday, and whilst you may feel uneasy about having to pay to visit the Cathedral, remember that the only way for the integrity and craftsmanship of the Cathedral is for there to be continual repairs and maintenance.

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