Travel: a modern-day pilgrimage to Canterbury

Those who follow in the footsteps of Chaucer’s travellers will find plenty to amuse themselves in Canterbury, says Matthew Partridge

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, which tells the story of a group of pilgrims making their way from London to Canterbury, was written more than 600 years ago. Pilgrimage is not as popular as it once was, but modern-day pilgrims to Canterbury will still find plenty to uplift them in one of Kent’s most charming cities.

Your first stop should be Canterbury Cathedral. Founded in 597, when St Augustine made his journey to bring Christianity to England, then rebuilt between 1070 and 1077, it became a major site for religious pilgrimage when St Thomas Becket was murdered there in 1170. Becket’s shrine and relics were destroyed when Henry VIII broke with Rome, but an altar has been installed in the spot where he died. As well as its spiritual and historical significance, there is plenty to admire in the soaring Gothic architecture – pre-booking is required.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri