Hidden City Tour of Canterbury

This is the reason I have not posted for so long I’m waiting to get back to full walking fitness, after my TKR (Total Knee Replacement) on my right leg. After 18 months of waiting I’m getting there, now 3 weeks post op I can walk with and without my sticks.
My plan is that by August I will be back to full strength, and back to offering proper walking tours rather than in a trolley! Please book with confidence via my website after August 1st!
www.thecanterburytours.com

Good feedback!

Following Air BnB's bizarre cancellation of hosting my excellent tour you can no book via Ticket Tailor via the following link.

Buy tickets – Canterbury The Hidden City Tour – The Old Buttermarket The Tour is based on the History of the City of Canterbury, and its architecture it also covers several aspects of English Lang...

UPDATE:

I am going in for my delayed Knee-replacement operation now on 25th June 2024, and will need at least 6 weeks to recuperate, so I will not have any availability until Early August 2024. Please check the website prior to booking. As soon as I am released I will update the Calendar online.

Walking on the river in watching people who can’t understand “Please do not walk on the Grass” their excuse when challenged “I can’t read the signs!”

Delicious food, beautiful presentation and melted in the mouth the Lemmon posset was Lovely and creamy! Lucky to have them at with my oldest friend!

I am just putting the finishing touches to my third book, "Haunted Canterbury Revisited", I am working in collaboration with Kirsten Mears of Norfolk, this is my second Ghost Story Book of Canterbury and its Haunted Past, I want to include as many stories as possible from local people, so my question is, do you have a story worthy of being included in the book, I have been researching for 30 years, but many people who have seen or felt a ghost are reluctant to share their stories, I respect that and I am happy to change your name or hide its location or if you are happy I will credit you with our contribution.

So get your thinking caps on and write me a ghost story preferably about a property you live in or visit, in or around Canterbury, and when I publish and it's included, I will send you an advanced copy as a thank you.

If you have yet to join my 'Ghost Tour of Canterbury' please consider booking via thecanterburytours.com and seeing what we have to offer, or join one of my daytime 'Hidden City Tours' from the Buttermarket, and discover many places you might well have overlooked whilst living in the city.

See here for links to my previous books. And thank you for your continued support.

Send your contributions to me directly via [email protected]

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See if you can establish where I hid a cadburys Egg.

Cadbury Worldwide Hide
I've got exciting news! I've hidden an Easter egg for you somewhere on the Worldwide Hide map and written a clue to help you find it. Your egg will stay in its hiding spot until the 1st of April, so make sure you start searching soon.

Click this special link https://worldwidehide.cadbury.co.uk/egg/3145c6b1-47f8-4ff6-5de6-08dc3b5cf2c3 to open your clue and find your egg. Good luck!

Cadbury Worldwide Hide This Easter, you can hide an egg anywhere in the world for someone you love with the . Check it out!

Happy 212th Birthday to Charles Dickens!!! 🎂

Charles Dickens was a regular visitor to Rochester Cathedral. His final unfinished book, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, features a disguised version of Rochester Cathedral as a key location. The Cathedral would have looked more like this in his day.

Local Canterbury History.

I am John Hippisley, and I have been offering walking tours both day and night, since 1991 of the City of Canterbury. 2024 marks 33 years in continuous business in the city, and to celebrate I am offering a 10% off to all local CT postcode holder residents.

Offer applies to all bookings made directly from my website www.thecanterburytours.com when making your booking select “Canterbury” when asked ‘where you are from’ and when asked ‘where seen’ put “NEXTDOOR”.

My Daytime tour entitled ‘Canterbury the Hidden City Tour’, Hidden City Tour of Canterbury starts at 10 am 12:30 pm and 3 pm from The Old Buttermarket Pub, in the Burgate, you choose what time is best for you. The Duration is 120 minutes. During the tour you will discover so much hidden history in the fabric and architecture we often walk past daily without giving it a second glance. Discover English phraseology, and the etymology of many English words on the way, and if you have a chance purchase a copy of my book “Canterbury the Hidden City Tour” available from Amazon follow the link. (https://amzn.eu/d/0MpTP5b)

My Night-time tour ‘The Canterbury Ghost Tour’ Canterbury Ghost Tour, covers a shorter route but is very History Rich with lots of hidden places too, and included stories I researched myself over the years, many locals have been on the tour already and all have enjoyed the gentle mix of History, Humour and Haunting. Duration 90 Minutes and meeting at Alberrys 38 St Margaret’s Street. Have a cocktail before the tour or get a spirit to steady your nerve. There is a book to compliment the tour also available from Amazon follow the link. ( https://amzn.eu/d/0MpTP5b )

Please support me like I try to support the community via this app, and local charities by offering complimentary tickets. If you are a local fundraiser, drop me a message below and I would be happy to help. I look forward to showing you round in person soon, check your calendar and book today.

Here are some recent reviews:

John is an extremely knowledgeable, charismatic and witty tour guide. I found the tour so interesting and it reminded us that history and local stories are everywhere but a lot of people (including myself!) are so caught up in the daily routine that we forget to pay attention to what's all around us!

Our tour was very atmospheric, being 2 degrees above freezing in Canterbury and with the city centre being mostly deserted and dimly lit.

Would highly recommend!

Really enjoyed this tour. John was the best ghost tour guide we’ve ever had. He had legitimate knowledge and passion about the ghosts of Canterbury and I bet he could have gone on past the 90 minutes (which went by quickly). Highly recommend this tour. Insightful, frightening (at times) and funny. Exactly what a ghost tour should be.

Waiting in the shadows for my clients who are running a few minutes late!

Yesterday I did something I've been putting off for ages. I went to my solicitor and wrote my last will and testament. Not as hard as I thought but it did raise some interesting questions, namely whom do I leave my estate to if my Sister predecesses me and I have no relations?

I realised that most if not all of my friends are older than me and the ones that are a few years younger might not be grateful for the inheritance. This also raised the question of my funeral and what I wanted to happen to my remains!

All pretty grim thoughts, I decided that in the event of my demise my corneas would be given to a person or persons who are in need of a replacement eye! Having volunteered so long with the Talking News and The Sittingbourne Blind Fellowship, and having lost my best friend who was also blind, it seems the right thing to do! I'm also looking into an LPA (Lasting Power of Attorney) for myself and Mum, as if she has a stroke or heart attack, I'd have to pay the utilities and all the bills for the foreseeable future.

They also asked about any assets, and that made me think too, not much to my name, and what about my cats, I too could have a stroke or worse, or become incapacitated through an accident!

I had written a hand written will some years ago but it was only witnessed by My Sister and as it turns out it would not have been legally binding in the event of my death.

Death and mortality are sadly taboo immotive subjects most of us do not even consider. My solicitor pointed out that dying "in testate" will often mean the Government will take everything after you're gone. You might even end up in a paupers plot!

More than one in 10 over 75s (12 per cent - equating to nearly 700,000 people) have not made a will. Some 22 per cent of 65-74 year olds (equating to 1.5m people) have not made a will. Only 30 per cent of people aged 75 and above have put a power of attorney arrangement in place, meaning 4m Brits do not have a POA.

Whilst you can get help writing a will to say MacMillan Cancer or the RNLI, they will ask for a donation and although you're not going to notice as you'll be gone, your living relatives might ask a question! The solicitor mentioned someone who came in to get their will written and then took the copy, then bought a 'will kit' from WH Smith's and copied all the details, only to save £250 and his new will was invalid so the state got the bulk of his estate! A truly false economy!

So whilst it's a pretty grim subject those you leave behind to mourn your passing might well smile more if you took the time to get a will written and witnessed!

So I urge anyone who has anything to leave behind organise your estate before you go! You might say well I won't know but others will! Stay safe everyone and don't become a statistic!

Bloody thankful to reside in Canterbury even on a bitterly cold night with a bright clear moonlit sky I got to capture the stunning city with just my iPhone from my Cripple Cart (Mobility scooter)
Even more lucky to have a job from which I get to see the city! Took these on the way back to my car last night!

Great review from this morning's client, I had to share it.

Just a reminder that during " Crimbo Limbo" and for the rest of 2024 to come, my tours are on every day & night! Book a special place with me via thecanterburytours.com and see Canterbury Ghost Tour or join Hidden City Tour of Canterbury in the daytime and remember there are books that go really well with either.

Haunted Canterbury https://amzn.eu/d/5adt9uM

Canterbury The Hidden City Tour: Canterbury Unseen https://amzn.eu/d/e7qAJ7b

If you purchase one bring it along to either tour and I'll be happy to sign it! Plus you'll be supporting a small independent business that itself supports other businesses and charities in Kent!

The Canterbury Tours – Home of the Canterbury Ghost Hunter John the famous Canterbury Ghost Hunter on a fun packed 90 minute tour of Canterbury's dark side with an entertaining blend of history, humour and haunting. Follow multi-award winning Ghost Hunter, author and local historian John Hippisley as he leads you through the streets of Canterbury on a uniqu...

When I sit and wait for my clients in the Buttermarket I often think how it once looked from 1893 until 1921 where the memorial stands was the Memorial to Christopher Marlowe, currently situated outside the New Marlowe Threatre in The Friars!

The Marlowe Memorial was only there from 1893 (erected to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Marlowe's demise in a tavern brawl in Deptford, so the legend has it, until 1921, prior to this the old covered dairy market, was in situ, replacing the covered structure created in 1843, prior to which it was a "Butter Market" from 1649 until then.

History suggests prior to that it was "Bull-steak Market", closed by Oliver Cromwell (when he closed all blood sports down as part of his reforms) it opened as the sun came up when the animals were allowed to roam free from 5 am on the call of a bell (the Cow Bell) from the Cathedral.

Hence the old Name for the Inn which stands on the corner of Butchery Lane, Burgate ( originally Borough Gate) and the Buttermarket, known as the 'White Bull Inn', it was recorded that "the noise of setting up the market was enough to wake the devil himself". So whilst it was a centrally located inn, it was very cheap, as better inns were further from the Cathedral's spires.

It was here where a mighty oak trunk of a tree was slotted into the ground, where bulls were baited with bears (European brown bears) they were chased into the square (much larger prior to what we see today), by bull terrier's, then attacked by Bull Mastiff's, and would then get attacked by the Bear. People would bet on which would win the fight, hence the expression "Bull Market or Bear Market!", showing confidence in the original "stock exchange".

It really was the heart of the old city.
The animals were then dragged into 'Slaughter-man's Alleyway', where the animal was slaughtered, located where the Canterbury Pottery Now stands, which led into 'Skinner's Yard', the skins were taken to the Tannery where the hides were cured and used in the leather industry (until we lost the tannery in the 1990's) and then into 'Butchery Lane'.
Where the meat was butchered into joints to be sold to the public.

It once stood along side which ran the Ancient trackway of the ancient Britons Watling Street.

Watling Street is a trackway used by the ancient Britons. The route linked Dover and London in the southeast, and continued northwest via St Albans to Wroxeter which was later paved as one of the main Roman roads in Britannia.

With a total length of around 276 miles. The modern A2 and A5 roads are now part of the route of Watling Street.

In the 9th Century it was used as a boundary to separate the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia from the Danelaw, after Guthrum of the Danes and King Alfred agreed to terms in their treaty. It is also the boundary of modern Warwickshire and Leicestershire which could possibly be a remnant of Alfred and Guthrum's treaty.

The five boroughs which included Nottinghamshire were firmly on the northern and eastern side of Watling Street.

The route of the Watling Street was moved slightly by the Romans to protect citizens of Rome as the old trackway did not offer protection to citizens as it was located just outside the old Roman City walls. Augustine's Cathedral was constructed outside the Roman City Walls, along side the old Watling Street, now Watling street's route was changed again from its Roman location where is now called Watling Street into Beer Cart Lane, this was connected via St Margaret's Street, located in the middle of the city and connected to the old road via Butchery Lane and Mercery (Mercer's) Lane! The newer High Street is the latest incarnation of Watling Street, the old traders track way to Dover, the Pilgrims Way to France!

If this has sparked your interest in the city's history I urge you to book a tour with me via thecanterburytours.com and I'll show you so much you never knew about the city whether you're a local or a visitor my tour has something for everyone!

I am offering an exclusive premier of my new feature length film I have been working on for 4 years, it will be broadcast live and exclusively at 8 pm on 31st October 2023 on YouTube.

Once it's gone it's gone. I ask for a contribution if you can, give what you can to support me and my business.

Scan the PayPal QR Code here and make your contribution now.

Here is a taster of what is to come.

Remember to check-in regularly for updates and to log in on the night. The Full edited version will be available to download for a fee in the coming weeks. This is for anyone who is unable to attend in person due to mobility issues or due to being unable to travel to Canterbury.

https://youtu.be/_i4C4ZOCoJk?si=EfbTAMPtCHP90NJ-

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.

This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.

When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the 400 years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of bobbing for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

Ever heard of Loblolly boys

Loblolly was a thick oatmeal fed to unwell people on board a warship. A loblolly boy, therefore, was the surgeon's assistant who did the feeding.

Other duties, more onerous than doling out oatmeal, included pouring tar into open wounds for healing, cleaning bed pans and clearing up vomit.

Sailors who served as loblolly boys would also have the grim job of holding patients down while their limbs were amputated - and collecting the limb afterwards.

Nowadays, the equivalent would possibly be a medical assistant with the Royal Navy - no special qualifications are needed before training, and there's a starting salary of £20,000. Or a similar role on a cruise ship - P&O describes the position as a "one-of-a-kind experience" as the medical staff look after patients with health problems "from sunburn to cardiac arrests".

Loblolly is a term not often used today, unless you're a keen reader of Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander or the Hornblower series of books. The porridgey mess also became a synonym for "swamp" and thus gave its name to Loblolly pines and Loblolly Bay.

Book a tour to discover more origins of English Phraseology and Etymology!

Thecanterburytours.com

The Canterbury Tours – Home of the Canterbury Ghost Hunter John the famous Canterbury Ghost Hunter on a fun packed 90 minute tour of Canterbury's dark side with an entertaining blend of history, humour and haunting. Follow multi-award winning Ghost Hunter, author and local historian John Hippisley as he leads you through the streets of Canterbury on a uniqu...

A review of todays tour!

Pleased to say I still have a few places left on tomorrow’s 10am tour of Hidden City Tour of Canterbury book you place now via thecanterburytours.com and even if you’re local discover lots of city secrets, English phraseology and etymological references all from Canterbury along with playwrights and poets archbishops and Kings, who together make canterbury what it is today!
If you’re in London and want to escape the sticky heat hop on HS1 and you can be here in less than 60 minutes! It’s a world away from the hurly burly of London! We have super parks, river trips, heritage attractions along with World Heritage. Hope to see you tomorrow or any other day you want to join me! Visit Canterbury Visit Kent

Ever wondered how our ancestors did their business. It’s fair to say that all through history everyone has to have gone to the loo on a daily basis, but rather than using a chamber pot many larger buildings had Necessariums.

The medieval toilet or latrine, then called a “privy or garderobe”, was a primitive affair, but in a castle, one might find a little more comfort and certainly a great deal more design effort than had been invested elsewhere. Practicality, privacy, and efficient waste disposal were all considered and, even today, one of the most prominent and easily identifiable features of ruined medieval castles is the latrines that protrude from their exterior walls. The term garderobe later came to mean wardrobe in French and its original meaning was because of space which in castle toilets was never bigger than necessary.

Toilets were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste could fall below into the castle moat. Sometimes, waste went directly into a river, and some castles, instead, had latrine shafts emptying directly into the courtyard or bailey while still others hung conveniently over a cliff face.

Medieval toilets were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste could fall below into the castle moat.

The protruding shaft of masonry that made up the toilet was sustained from below or might nestle in the junction between a tower and wall. Some waste shafts were short while others reached almost to the ground. In the latter case, that might prove a dangerous design feature if there were a siege of the castle.

Waste from collection points, or from the ditch in general, was likely collected by local farmers to be reused as fertiliser!

Another design was to have tiers of toilets on the outside wall where the shafts sent waste to the same collection point. There were also toilets in ground floor buildings and these had stone drainage channels to drain away waste. Waste from such collection points, or from the ditch in general, was likely collected by local farmers to be reused as fertilizer. When castles became larger and more comfortable from the 14th century, the number of conveniences increased accordingly.

From the interior, the toilet was set back in a recess or within a mural chamber. A short narrow passageway sometimes led to a toilet, often with a right-angle turn for greater privacy. Pairs of toilets, separated by a wall, were not uncommon and these might share the same waste chute. The chamber of the castle’s lord and the castle’s priest often had a private latrine including a chamber pot if needed which was an accessory everyone had.

The toilet seat was made of a wooden bench covering the shaft hole in the masonry. The wood was usually cut with a rectangular or keyhole aperture. Hay, grass, or even moss were used as toilet paper. However, these toilets were also a dangerous place because hay might catch fire or people might fall into the shaft.

Medieval toilets also had a window to let in the fresh air in addition, some toilets had a window to let in the fresh air, which for the same reason was not shuttered like other windows of a castle. The floor might have been scattered with rushes and aromatic herbs and flowers to deter vermin and offer a more pleasant fragrance. Walls were sometimes whitewashed with a coating of lime-plaster which maximized the light coming from the small window as well as killing off bacteria.

Also, there were urinals. They were triangular holes built into some tower walls so that defenders did not have to leave their posts for very long.

Next time you visit a castle see if you can find the original Garderobe! Canterbury has its own castle but that is in need of restoration as it’s been closed to the public for a long time.

Canterbury's Castle, also known as Canterbury Castle, has a rich history dating back to the 11th century. The castle was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1066 as part of his efforts to establish control over England after the Norman Conquest.

Canterbury's Castle was strategically positioned to guard the important river crossing and road network in the city of Canterbury, located in the southeastern part of England. The castle was constructed using Kentish ragstone and featured a motte-and-bailey design, with a raised mound (motte) and an enclosed courtyard (bailey) at the base.

Over the centuries, the castle went through various modifications and additions. During the 12th century, it was rebuilt in stone and a keep was constructed on top of the motte. The castle played a significant role in several historical events, including the Anarchy civil war in the 12th century and the Peasants' Revolt in the 14th century.

However, as time went on, the castle's military importance declined, and by the 16th century, it fell into disrepair. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the castle was severely damaged, and its ruins were later used as a source of building materials for other structures in Canterbury.

Today, only fragments of Canterbury's Castle remain visible, including sections of the keep and outer walls. These remnants serve as a reminder of its once formidable presence and contribute to the historical character of the city. The site is open to the public and is managed by the city council. Visitors can no longer explore the ruins and learn more about the castle's fascinating history.

Had to share

Mel Moon on TikTok Not sorry….

Book via AirBNB or via my website www.theCanterburyTours.com and don’t mention your children they’re free for Half Term! It’s my way of putting something back at a time when we’re all suffering from a cost of living crisis!
Although I’m disabled and in a power scooter I’ll be conducting the tours along with my co-host!
I look forward to seeing you on my tours to show you more of the city. Suitable for children too! And we’ll behaved dog in a lead!
£25 pp, book today (does not include a visit to the Canterbury Cathedral) but for a £2 supplement you can gain access to the Westgate Viewpoint!

www.thecanterburytours.con

French Origins of April Fools Day

Although the origins of April Fools is obscure and debated, the most widely accepted explanation actually credits the “holiday” as starting in France.
The most popular theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day involves the French calendar reform of the sixteenth century.
In 1564 King Charles XIV of France reformed the calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1.
However, in a time without trains, a reliable post system or the internet, news often traveled slow and the uneducated, lower class people in rural France were the last to hear of and accept the new calendar.
Those who failed to keep up with the change or who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th and April 1st, had jokes played on them. Pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs.
The victims of this prank were thus called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools—and so the tradition was born.

This is the sort of stuff you’ll learn if you book a tour with me via thecanterburytours.com today we are starting our 2023 year of tours (23 years offering City Tours) 33 years in business initially with the Canterbury Ghost Tour, also available to book now!

See you soon to discover part of English phraseology and Language as we journey through time and history, “we meet as strangers and leave as friends!”

The Canterbury Tours – Home of the Canterbury Ghost Hunter John the famous Canterbury Ghost Hunter on a fun packed 90 minute tour of Canterbury's dark side with an entertaining blend of history, humour and haunting. Follow multi-award winning Ghost Hunter, author and local historian John Hippisley as he leads you through the streets of Canterbury on a uniqu...

Summer23

is the code you need to get 10% off all bookings for Hidden City Tours from 15th-31st May 2023! Bookings must be completed by 30th April 2023!

Go to thecanterburytours.com
Select Book Now
Choose the Yellow image of the Hidden City Tour of Canterbury and then chose your preferred date, from 15/05-31/05
Chose your time 10am 12:30pm or 3pm
In the Bottom most box Promo Code enter “Summer23”
To get 10% off all the bookings!

The Canterbury Tours – Home of the Canterbury Ghost Hunter John the famous Canterbury Ghost Hunter on a fun packed 90 minute tour of Canterbury's dark side with an entertaining blend of history, humour and haunting. Follow multi-award winning Ghost Hunter, author and local historian John Hippisley as he leads you through the streets of Canterbury on a uniqu...