c(s)ited:
past and present
transitional places

Becket’s shrine at Canterbury became the most important in the country, indeed in all of Christendom, from his canonisation in 1173 until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 and it drew pilgrims from far and wide. [1]

I decided to explore various cited locations on a route from London to Canterbury that contain traces of past journeys made by pilgrims.

By the eighteenth century the term 'Pilgrims' Way' was being applied to a number of ancient or prehistoric trackways in the south of England that had previously been used by pilgrims journeying to Becket's shrine.  Although these routes radiated from Canterbury they did not include the route taken by Chaucer’s pilgrims, but were instead prehistoric trackways, used by pilgrims travelling from the continent via Dover or Southampton, [2] in addition to the main route of medieval pilgrimage between Winchester and Canterbury.

Instead of following the route on foot along the main A2 from Southwark Cathedral in London to Canterbury that was established by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, I travelled by car stopping off at a fragmented selection of sites.

The ancient trackway along the base of the North Downs did not deviate into Rochester and it is thought that travellers crossed the River Medway a few miles further along the river, either at Cuxton, Aylesford, Halling or Snodland unlike Chaucer's pilgrims who would have crossed the river at Rochester. [3] After Lenham the Pilgrims’ Way turns north at Charing and travels via Chilham and the ancient King's Wood towards Canterbury.

Aylesford - head east through Sandling to Bearsted station - head north to Thurnham and then east again to follow the Pilgrims’ Way to Hollingbourne

Arriving at Lenham village square I found it difficult to ignore the palimpsest that surrounded me. The fragments of the past create a series of places filled with remnants of their histories. The Saxon Pharmacy on the north side of the square is a Wealden timber-framed house and has a tall medieval window and a king-post roof. Many of the buildings date back to the 15th and 16th century and have had Georgian and Victorian fronts added to them. On the south side of the square stands St Mary’s church. The original church was burnt down in 1297. Nearby stands the steps.

The Steps
Inkjet Print
Epson Archival Matt paper
24 cm x 30 cm

From Lenham continue on the A20 to Charing

The Grade I listed Archbishop's Palace was the stopover point midway between Lambeth and Canterbury for archbishops travelling between the two religious seats. For the past hundred years the Palace and its various buildings have been used as a farm and have fallen into disrepair. Faced with flints the Palace now exists as a ruin where past, present and future meet. The window acts as a boundary.

Archbishop's Palace
Inkjet Print
Epson Archival Matt paper
24 cm x 30 cm

Follow A252 from Charing to Chilham passing north of Kings Wood

Situated below the hill from the church of St Nicholas, tucked away can be found the Well of St Thomas, which is also known as the Black Prince’s Well from which Henry II walked barefoot into Canterbury whereupon he was flogged by all the bishops as part of his penance for his role in the death of Becket. The surface of the water creates a screen, a threshold separating two parallel worlds.

Black Prince's Well
Inkjet Print
Epson Archival Matt paper
24 cm x 30 cm

Faversham - A2 - Harbledown to Canterbury

I am standing facing the Cathedral entrance from the High Street, the shop on the corner of Mercery Lane on my left is part of the Chequers of the Hope Inn. The Inn was built by Prior Chillendon in 1390 to provide accommodation for pilgrims. This corner is a crossroads, a temporal interchange.

Chequers of the Hope Inn
Inkjet Print
Epson Archival Matt paper
24 cm x 30 cm

1 Wright, Christopher John (1971) A Guide to the Pilgrims’ Way. London: Constable & Co
2 Ravensdale, Jack (1989) In the Steps of Chaucer’s Pilgrims. Guild Publishing London
3 http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/northdowns/article.asp

All work © Deborah True 2021