The Buttermarket

It seems very strange that I've been posting daily photos for almost two years, yet have not shared any of Canterbury, which is both our nearest city, less than half an hour away, and full of ancient and beautiful buildings. The pandemic has confined us largely to home and encouraged us to avoid anywhere crowded; so although it was a gloomy and drizzly afternoon, I enjoyed grabbing a few quick photos as I moved briskly from the bank (paying in the almost obsolete £20 notes we had accumulated, which cease to be legal tender at the end of this month) via Lush (source of my favourite unpackaged shampoo and deodorant bars) to Specsavers, where the relatively new glasses I had squashed out of shape when I sat on them were quickly realigned without charge.

This square is over eight hundred years old, and as well as the central cross it includes the wonderfully flamboyantly carved gatehouse to the cathedral precinct, currently covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting so that photo is for another time. The extras show Butchery Lane, one of several narrow streets leading from the High Street towards the cathedral, and the Sun Hotel (established 1503), one of my favourite old buildings in Canterbury. It was good to see them again.