A study I made yesterday of one of the entrances to the Cathedral

Here is it in real life.

I'm calling it the disappointed turquoise Jesus. I love this sculpture as it has the long lean look of medieval statuary but this is actually a contemporary addition, from 1990 by German Sculptor Klaus Ringwald.

I hadn't much time to sketch yesterday. I was meant to be heading off to London, but there was a mix up with some theatre tickets I had booked (somehow got the wrong day booked) and so I had to make changes.

I still had to go into town to the train station to get my tickets moved to a new day. This was a mixed blessing in that I saw how easy it is to walk to the train station from where the bus let's you off in town.

Canterbury is a walled city and these ancient stone fortifications are part of the cities paths and walkways.

This bit here, in the Dane John Park, is where you can take up the pathway that leads up to the walls.

What was interesting is this park runs a good strip of the city. Along one side is the wall and the other are lovely Georgian town houses. We looked at one of these and I fell in love with it and wanted to take it straight away. However, my party of house getters involve my good friends, a married couple, and they didn't like being right in the city. I did and it reminded me a bit of our place in Boston's Back Bay where I once lived. I loved that apartment, but here we would have had the entire town house from basement to attics, with large Georgian windows and a view of a the park and the city on your doorstep. Oh, well, when one is part of a group, the majority rules.

As you ascend this ramp up to the top of the walls, there is a lovely wide pathway and you can see the various battlements.

It's wonderful to see the curve of the old wall and you can look down on traffic and people.

Here you can see into one of them, the little spot for shooting marauding invaders. Remembering that we are very close to Europe, here in Southern England, and the coasts were often invaded from Roman times onwards.

Passing along this bit of the wall you pass the amazing Dame John Burial Mound.

It is an old Roman and British burial mound with an amazing sundial at it's zenith. You walk a curved path up the grassy mound to the top to see amazing views of the city.

In this picture you can see the climb up the mound with the shadow of one of the ramparts behind. You can make out the slit in the wall for firing arrows through in the shadow.

You also see this wall and the mound from down below in traffic or the sidewalks on the outside of the walled bit of the city. (this photo isn't mine, I used it to show the view from below, though I do have some I just didn't have time to edit it :) )

The town walls were rebuilt in the 14th century over the original Roman walls

The original castle, walls and some of the structure is from the Romans in the 3rd century AD. It is wonderful to live so casually amongst things so ancient. It makes one feel both grounded and also like a tiny drop of water in a vast ocean.

There is so much wonderful history here in Canterbury and if you want to know more here is a good link about the walls and castle

I have more images from this day, but as I am writing this my friends are calling me to come as we are off today to go see Sandwich Kent (twinned with my own village in USA on Cape Cod Sandwich MA) and to look at some antiques and play tourist a bit.

I need to find more time to work...

I hope all have a wonderful day.