While Dover was of great military importance,
a half-hour drive away is Canterbury --
long one of England's most important religious centers.
For centuries, Canterbury welcomed crowds of pilgrims
to its grand cathedral.
While these days you'll see more tourists than pilgrims,
the town is rich in history and architectural splendor.
With thousands of university students
and a thriving pedestrian zone,
Canterbury has a lively and youthful energy.
The town center is enclosed by old city walls
and cut in two by its main drag.
Patches of modern architecture are a reminder
that much of Canterbury was bombed in World War II.
For a leisurely water-level view of Canterbury,
take a calm cruise on the Stour River.
Students propelling their punts by the traditional single pole
offer an easy-going commentary.
Rick: So, this is the "Stour."
Student: The Great Stour River. The "great" part's important
because there's about six River Stours in Britain.
Rick: This is the "great" one? Student: This is the great one.
The Anglo-Saxons weren't very imaginative
when they named things.
Rick: And their other rivers were pretty small.
Student: Yeah! Rick: The water's pretty clear.
Student: It's crystal clear. It's 'cause it's a chalk river.
Obviously, Kent is very famous
for having chalky soil with the White Cliffs of Dover.
And chalk rivers, the chalk filters the water,
so you get this clear, clear water.
Rick: On Butchery Lane, the surviving medieval buildings
jut out with each floor -- that was to maximize usable land
as the population crowded
within the town's protective walls.
A square called "Buttermarket," originally the dairy market,
still functions as the center of the old town.
The buildings here were originally designed
to house and feed the pilgrims,
whose money essentially built the city.
For generations, those pilgrims passed through this fancy gate
to reach their destination, Canterbury Cathedral.
For centuries, an important Roman Catholic church,
the Cathedral had a tumultuous path
to eventually become the headquarters
of the Church of England --
known outside of England as the "Anglican" or "Episcopalian" Church.
Stepping inside, you're swept away
by the graceful bend of soaring Gothic lines,
stirring windows, and fine stonework.
The bell tower soars about 200 feet high.
Gaze way up at the delicate fan vaulting at the highest point.
The finely-carved 15th-century choir screen
is decorated with statues of six English kings.
This wall, or "screen," separated the church into two distinct zones.
One side was for the public.
Then, stepping through, as if entering another world,
you enter the private space of monks,
where each day they'd gather to worship.
The cathedral grew in importance, and wealth,
after an infamous murder back in the 12th century
put it on the pilgrimage trail.
In an attempt to gain power over the Church,
King Henry II appointed his friend Thomas Becket
to be the new archbishop.
But Becket unexpectedly took his position
and his religion seriously -- very seriously --
and Henry was stuck with a strong church leader
blocking his power.
As tensions rose,
King Henry complained bitterly about Becket.
Finally, his knights took action,
hacking the arch-bishop to death as he was worshipping on this spot.
The murder shocked the medieval world.
Soon, word spread that miracles were occurring here.
The Pope made Becket a saint, and masses of pilgrims came.
With the steady stream of pilgrims,
the church grew bigger and more important.
Several centuries and several Henrys later,
King Henry VIII broke away entirely
from the Roman Catholic Church so he could run his affairs
without popes and bishops meddling.
Implementing his Reformation, Henry VIII purged the nave
of its ornate decorations and Catholic iconography.
He destroyed the relics of Becket,
and pilgrims stopped coming.
Henry made this cathedral the leading church
of his now independent Church of England.
And today Canterbury Cathedral,
seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
is the mother church of Anglicans worldwide.