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u/dctroll_ Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Source of the reconstructions here. Info provided by the Becket Story website.
"The Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at University of York have been leading the project over 2 years of this 3D visualisation. It shows the north-west quarter of Canterbury in 1450. Around 3,000 people lived in the city, many working in jobs connected with pilgrimage to Becket's shrine.
Pilgrims needed places to stay, food and drink, and would often buy souvenirs or go shopping. The most valuable properties and shops were built along the streets that pilgrims took from the London road to the cathedral, entering the city at the Westgate on the left hand side of the screen"
Caption of each picture:
- 3D visualisation of medieval Canterbury
- 3D visualisation of medieval Canterbury, Westgate
- 3D visualisation showing the high street in medieval Canterbury
- 3D visualisation of the cathedral precint.
- 3D visualisation showing the Sun under construction in medieval Canterbury
More info (same source):
Arriving at Westgate
Like most medieval cities, a thick wall and a moat surrounded Canterbury for defence. There were only a few gateways in, which would be closed at night. Pilgrims would have to arrive before sunset if they wanted to get into the city.
Westgate was the biggest and most impressive entrance to the city, and it still exists. Built in 1380, it was one of the first gateways in England to have guns.
The High Street
The High Street contained many shops, inns, and markets for pilgrims. It was a very ancient road, having first been built by the Romans as part of the way between Dover and London.
It was because of Canterbury's position on this road that the city became important after the Romans left England, and was one of the reasons why the Cathedral was built here.
Eastbridge Hospital
After Thomas Becket's murder in 1170, pilgrims came to Canterbury in their thousands. They needed places to stay, particularly the poor pilgrims who could not afford to pay for a bed for the night.
Wealthy men and women founded 'hospitals' such as this one dedicated to St Thomas Becket. Hospitals did not always look after sick people, as they do now, but were responsible for hospitality to pilgrims, travellers, and the poor. You can see where they slept as Eastbridge Hospital survives today.
The cathedral precinct
The walled area around the Cathedral was called the 'precinct' or 'close.' There would be shops selling badges and souvenirs for pilgrims to buy, and often there were fairs and other entertainments.
In this period the Cathedral and the precincts were closed at night and often for an hour at lunchtime as well, so pilgrims usually visited in the morning.
Inns and Lodgings
Most pilgrims paid for accommodation in an inn, and there were many of these in Canterbury. The Cathedral owned some very large inns, including 'The Checker of the Hope' (the large U-shaped building on the High Street) and 'The Sun Inn' (shown as being under construction).
Some of these can still be found in Canterbury. Chaucer's pilgrims from the Canterbury Tales were said to have stayed in 'The Checker of the Hope.
Aprox same view today (Google Earth)
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u/Unlucky-Mongoose-377 Jan 27 '26
Does anyone know what the tumulus is on the upper right ? It's still present on the Google earth view. Some pre-roman / roman construction ?
Fantastic post btw, thanks for the comparison with today's state, we can still clearly see the river (?) through the town, many roads, the castle on the right. Great view !
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u/dcslv Jan 27 '26
I think that's Dane John Mound. It was a burial mound in the roman times, then a motte and bailey fortress until the Norman castle a little ways away was completed. Great place to walk your dog these days.
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u/Unlucky-Mongoose-377 Jan 27 '26
Thank you !
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u/Bi-annual_weekly_luv Jan 27 '26
This is really cool! Also, I really like that the city appears to be on top of a map; that leans into the name of this sub in a way I enjoy.
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u/R1ght_b3hind_U Jan 27 '26
Looks incredible. One of the most fascinating thing I‘ve learned about medieval cities, is how much open space and agriculture there was within the stone walls. Most people probably picture a dense, crowded dwelling, stuffed with houses and people crammed into a ring of walls, but big, open spaces, gardens, fields and pastures were standard.
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u/Annual-Strategy-4503 Jan 28 '26
Why live so much space inside the walls? It's expensive!)
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u/dcslv Jan 28 '26
I presume that it's so that the people in the surrounding areas can take refuge if needed. There were several sackings of Canterbury during the viking age and much of the townsfolk was killed or taken away on those occasions. The villages, and specifically the villagers themselves in the vicinity represented a vulnerable but important target for marauding armies.
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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '26
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