Friends Visit to Canterbury Cathedral and grounds

Join the Dean and fellow members of the Friends for an inspiring day trip to historic Canterbury Cathedral and its beautiful gardens.  The first English Cathedral, it remains a major world pilgrimage centre inextricably linked to the murder of its famous archbishop Thomas Becket on 29 December 1170.

Our coach journey is expected to take about two and a half hours, and we will be welcomed with tea/coffee courtesy of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.  This will be followed by a full guided tour of the Cathedral, which will cover not just the wonderful architecture of the building, but also the important royal tomb memorials, and the most famous treasure of the Cathedral, its glorious medieval stained glass, a miraculous survival.

Then, after a two-course lunch, we will be shown around the Cathedral gardens by the Head Gardener Thomas Goodall.  This has been highly recommended by our own Dean, who of course was Archdeacon at Canterbury before she joined us at St Albans.  The tour will cover the public gardens – including the Friends Garden, Memorial Garden and Herb Garden – but also some of those not usually open to the public.

Because of the travel distance and a busy programme, we will be making an early start.  Our coach will pick us up at 8.00am at Westminster Lodge car park, and we should return by 6.30pm.  As there will be a fair amount of walking, and a number of steps, please wear suitable footwear, and also bring rainwear in case the weather is inclement.

Tickets for this event cost £59 per person.  This includes coach travel, morning tea/coffee, guided Cathedral tour, two-course lunch with tea/coffee, plus garden tour in the afternoon.  Please apply before Monday 4 September.

If you have any queries about this event please email [email protected]