In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay, Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Canterbury This appears on the first page of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer published in 1896 by the Kelmscott Press. The 87 wood-cut illustrations are by Edward Burne-Jones. A Folio Society facsimile edition is available for visitors to leaf through as part […]

With pilgrimage expert Marion Marples I shall be leading a Saturday morning mini pilgrimage from Southwark to the Old Kent Road on 21 October. It will be a walk from Southwark Cathedral attempting to go in the steps of Geoffrey Chaucer, and many others, a couple of miles into Old Kent Road. We shall look […]

Needing overnight accommodation in Winchester for a quick visit I stayed at Cathedral Cottage where pilgrims sometimes spend a first night. This bed and breakfast is in the Winchester city centre. The cathedral wall runs along the bottom of the garden from where there is a view of the cathedral. A special attraction is an […]

The Red Lion on Shooters Hill is at the end of your first day out of London. It is almost certain to be open when you arrive. In  addition to real ale and food you can now ask for a stamp to be added to your pilgrim passport. The milestone outside Christ Church opposite says […]

The Thomas A Becket in Old Kent Road from today has its own stamp for marking pilgrim passports. The famous pub building, opposite Tesco, is now Rock Island at Thomas A Becket and is open 12 noon to 12 midnight. After Southwark Cathedral, where you can obtain a pilgrim passport in the shop, this is […]

Passing through Denbies vineyard on the Pilgrims’ Way you may notice that grape picking has started. The first day was Thursday 7 September which is the earliest in the estate’s history. Concerns about a late frost and a hot June followed by poor weather have proved unfounded. “The quality is quite outstanding,” says  Denbies CEO […]

  You need several vital items for your walk from Southwark in London to Canterbury. Your pilgrim passport and the guide book can both be obtained from Southwark Cathedral shop. And you should not forget to carry water. Your water bottle can be filled free from water taps and fountains in Borough Market which you will […]

Drinking fountains with two streams of water, for drinking or filling a bottle, are being installed in Borough Market. Borough Market is alongside Southwark Cathedral so the new amenity will be ideal for Canterbury bound pilgrims starting out from the cathedral. At present you must bring your own bottle although it is planned to have […]

What should you do at Southwark Cathedral when setting out on your walk to Canterbury? Get your passport from the shop; buy postcards for your friends; look at figures on the great screen behind the high altar and find St Thomas Becket and St Swithun; say a prayer and light a candle. And of course […]

Tuesday 18 July is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death in Winchester. The novelist, who is buried in the cathedral, will be remembered at Choral Evensong with music familiar to her and a hymn based on a prayer written by her. Earlier in the afternoon, Bank of England staff will be in the cathedral […]