A Modern Tale of Chaucer’s Old Cathedral City

This great cathedral city, which has entertained or warded off visitors since well before the arrival of Chaucer’s lusty band of pilgrims in the 14th Century, crowns the beautiful region and former kingdom of Kent in southern England.

Caesar’s legions established an encampment here, Viking marauders pillaged the city in the early 11th Century, and in 1066 William the Conqueror came up from Hastings to proclaim Canterbury a bastion of Norman England.

Nothing remains of the original cathedral built in 579, but the present magnificent Gothic-Norman structure, begun in 1067, became the mother church for Anglicans the world over.

Chaucer’s 29 pilgrims were headed here from London to visit the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The wayfarers’ “Canterbury Tales” has been a classic for five centuries.

Canterbury remains a destination for latter-day pilgrims from around the world, seeking to enjoy the beautifully kept Tudor cottages, old weavers’ halls, and Roman, Saxon, medieval and Elizabethan treasures.

Here to there: British Airways, Pan Am and TWA will get you to London Heathrow non-stop, Air Canada with one in Toronto, Delta in Atlanta. Air New Zealand and British Caledonian fly to Gatwick. Take train from London’s Victoria Station for the hour’s run to Canterbury, the same by car.

How long/how much? At least two days to do the town justice. Accommodations and dining are moderate.

A few fast facts: The pound was recently valued at $1.40. Dedicated walkers can cover most of the old town with little problem, but there is a city tour leaving from the bus station. If you’re coming for the busy summer months, book early.

Getting settled in: Howfield Manor (Chartham Hatch two miles west of town; $53-$63 double with full English breakfasts) is the sort of place you’d like to stop in every night. Owned and run by former San Franciscan Clark Lawrence and his English wife, Janet, this regal country home began as a priory in 1181 AD. The Lawrences have redone the place top to bottom, making it one of the most beautifully furnished and comfortable such homes we’ve yet to see.

No formal check-in, honor system bar, Janet Lawrence prepares marvelous evening meals served in the beamed dining room or outdoors on warm evenings. The selection of fine California wines is impressive.

Canterbury Hotel (71 New Dover Road; $49-$53, full breakfasts) is also family-owned and serves all meals at moderate prices. Pine furnishings in contemporary bedrooms, short walk from city center.

Tudor House (6 Best Lane; $25 B&B; with shared bath) is a 400-year-old charmer just a step off High Street and practically within the cathedral close. Few rooms, hot and cold water in all. TVs, lots of beams in this old weaver’s house, and the breakfast room is a former kitchen with enormous inglenook fireplace. The young couple who own it couldn’t be more friendly.

Regional food and drink: Fertile farmlands of Kent furnish Britain with the finest fruit and the hops that give the country’s beers and ales a unique and pleasing bitterness. Sheep and lamb from the rolling coastal Downs are a local staple, while sole and oysters from nearby Dover and Whitstable are great delicacies.

The Kent well pudding is made of a suet crust with currants, filled with butter and sugar, rich beyond belief. But the Canterbury Cake goes it one better: three layers of fruitcake with whiskey-flavored whipped cream, apricot whiskey preserve, marzipan and chocolate. Have this one at teatime and skip desserts for a year.

Moderate-cost dining: Try the Falstaff Feast at the Two Seasons restaurant of Falstaff Hotel: homemade soup, prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, a selection of pies, tarts or other sweets, plus coffee or tea for $8.75. Kashmir Tandoori Restaurant (20 Palace St.) is the town’s oldest and finest Indian place, also serving Pakistani and Bangladeshi dishes. Pleasant decor, excellent service and we ate endlessly like maharajas one evening for less than $20.

Sweet Heart of Canterbury (St. Peter’s Street) is the perfect place for tea, right in medieval weavers’ house, all beams and brass rubbings on the walls, lace tablecloths and the place for a go at Canterbury Cake or other sweets. You might stumble on your own favorite pub, but we favored The Three Tuns (Watling Street) for their hearty lunches at reasonable prices. Try the steak-and-kidney pie at $3.25, banger (sausage) with two vegetables for $2.75, a ploughman’s lunch of Cheddar cheese, chutney or pickled onions, salad, bread and butter for $2.

Going first-class: We’ve watched the Falstaff Hotel (St. Dunstan’s Street; $70, English breakfasts) for 20 years or so, a short span in the life of this 15th-Century coaching stop mentioned in Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” when it was known as the White Hart. It keeps getting better and better, adding 20th-Century amenities yet keeping the leaded windows, rustic beams and crackling fireplaces that transport a visitor back to Tudor times. Fine meals in the Two Seasons restaurant, pub lunches in the Falstaff Tap, a building out back formerly used as sleeping quarters for “coachmen and stable lads.” A few nights here and you start writing sonnets.

Jan and Ian McAndrews started Restaurant 74 (74 Wincheap Street) two years ago and already have a Michelin star for their superb food and lovely dining room. Have an aperitif in the cozy lounge before a fire of wild cherry wood, then move to a sparkling white table for perfectly prepared quail eggs, poached scallops, local venison and maple parfait. The Times of London named their $12 set lunch as the country’s best.

On your own: Devote plenty of time for the cathedral’s sublime stained glass windows, carvings, paintings and rich lode of historic associations with England’s great, both religious and secular. And don’t miss Christchurch Gate, the main entrance from Butter Market square. Try to visit the 13th-Century Gray Friars building; Weavers’ Cottages; ruins of St. Augustine’s Abbey; Museum of Canterbury’s Heritage with artifacts of the town’s Roman, Saxon and medieval periods; perhaps a cruise in one of the small open boats that ply the Stour River through town.

For more information: Call the British Tourist Authority at (213) 623-8196, or write (612 S. Flower St., Los Angeles 90017) for a brochure on Kent including Canterbury, another called “Britain for All Seasons,” plus a map of Britain. Ask for Canterbury Package.