Canterbury in the southeast of England has a fascinating history as a site of pilgrimage since the 12th century to modern day. It is a world heritage site for the Canterbury Cathedral that dates back to Norman times, St. Augustine's Abbey which was a monastery from it's founding in 598 to it's dissolution in 1538, and St. Martin's church significant because it is the oldest church, still in use in England. Thomas Becket was martyred in 1170, in Canterbury Cathedral. Then the city became a popular pilgrimage site.
The city was made famous again with the Canterbury Tales, first published in 1478 and written by Geoffrey Chaucer, England's most celebrated author before William Shakespeare. Once occupied by the Romans there is evidence of the reuse of Roman brick, which can be seen in Medieval structures everywhere.
I can say from having lived here a year as a student and visiting again just recently and in the words of Virginia Woolf, "There is no lovelier place in the word than Canterbury."
