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Located on the far south-eastern coast of England is the beautiful and historically rich city of Canterbury. A school trip to this area will introduce students to the history of an area of Britain that has been inhabited since prehistoric times. One of the first recorded tribes that settled there was the Celtic tribe of Cantiaci, but they were usurped by the Romans who renamed the area and rebuilt the city in traditionally well-designed and laid out Romanesque style. When the Romans left Britain in the early 400s A.D., the area was almost abandoned and, over the next hundred years, the city was slowly re-inhabited. After the cathedral was built, the city was a major centre for trade and export, and after 1170 A.D. it became a place of pilgrimage. Students on a school trip to the lovely city of Canterbury should visit the cathedral, Battle Abbey and Dover Castle. Canterbury Cathedral First founded in 597 A.D. the Cathedral of Canterbury is one of the oldest and most important cathedrals in the United Kingdom. A visit to the cathedral will take you into the church, which was rebuilt in the 1070s, and introduce you to the structure that was the centre of the Church of England for nearly five centuries. The cathedral itself is a mix of Perpendicular Gothic and Romanesque design and was inscripted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is here that the Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in 1170 by the knights of King Henry II, making the cathedral a place of pilgrimage soon after. Battle Abbey Quite near to the city of Canterbury is the town of Battle, which is mostly famous for the being the location of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. during the Norman conquest of England. After the Battle of Hastings, Pope Alexander II ordered the people to do penance for killing so many, and William the Conqueror vowed to build a church to memorialise the battle. Dedicated to St. Martin, Battle Abbey was finished in 1094 A.D. On a school trip to Battle, students will learn how this abbey was an important place during the ensuing centuries after its erection until the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII, where after it fell into disuse. Now under the auspices of English Heritage, the ruins are a beautiful testament to the influence that religion had throughout England's history. Dover Castle From churches to battlefields and then to castles - a school trip to the area around Canterbury is never dull and always educational. Founded in the twelfth century, Dover Castle is the largest castle in England. It overlooks the amazing white cliffs of Dover and has been a landmark for over twenty centuries. A medieval fortress, Dover Castle is one of greatest keeps ever built on English shores. Be sure to explore the recreated Great Tower that Henry II built after having paid his penance for inadvertently causing the death of Archbishop Beckett. Angela Bowden works for EST (Equity School Travel), the UK's largest educational travel company, providing school trip itineraries for secondary schools, primary schools and colleges. School trips with EST can encompass a wide range of learning opportunities in worldwide destinations.
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