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Cemetery Gate/Longport Gate/St Augustine's Abbey.... Longport, Canterbury East.
1399 origins.
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Extract from "More Rough Travel Notes with an Architectural Eye - 2012":
From Victoria London to Canterbury East, then striding alongside the old city wall. Over there is an historic gate at Church St corner — is that Eastgate outside the city walls, or was it part of St Augustine’s? (yes, Cemetery Gate). The east side of Canterbury was bombed in the War and is now modern development such as momentary supermarkets. No time; must home in on the centre, along busy Burgate to get to the Buttermarket — townscape centre of the old city. Familiar, friendly, and full. All abuzz.
The 800 year-old Buttermarket square’s accented with an upright memorial where the Butter- and Bull-market stalls were once, and the Romans before that. (Further, it’s said there are secret tunnels underneath that were used to hide the monks.) Chatting people sit around the memorial base; others wait for a rendezvous. Many of the surround buildings defining the space are medieval half-timbered, or later Tudoresque. And entering straight in is Middle-Ages-narrow Mercery Lane; you’ll know its axial vista slots straight at the Christ-church Gate, entry to the Cathedral precinct. That great gateway was built in 1517, and restored in the 1930s.
There’s much of interest here including the Cathedral, but noting the glooming of the sky, I decide to adjust my programme and set off on a keen countryside excursion while still possible. Come with me; we’ll return to the historic centre in the afternoon....
P :-)
