Canterbury Cathedral
Murder in the cathedral. Pilgrims on procession. A saint’s shrine lost forever. The Mother Church, not only of all England but of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the seat of the most powerful archbishop in the country. Canterbury Cathedral has seen it all in 1,400 years of history and today is one of the most famous church buildings in Europe.

St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s is one of the oldest religious sites in Britain, established at the foundation of English Christianity itself. With a few caveats.The Benedictine monk Augustine is usually credited with bringing Christianity to Britain, under the instruction of Pope Gregory in 597. He landed on the coast of Kent and founded Canterbury Cathedral, which accordingly became the Mother Church of all England. Seven years later, Augustine sent a party of monks to London where they founded the first St Paul’s.
But while St Paul’s is the oldest site of religious worship in the capital, the current building, completed in 1708, is one of its newest cathedrals. It also holds the rare distinction of being built solely for the Protestant faith. Unlike most of its English cathedral counterparts that were originally Catholic buildings converted for Protestant worship following the 16th-century Reformation, the current St Paul’s was built as a Protestant cathedral.

Westminster Abbey
When you walk through Westminster Abbey you are walking through 1,000 years of history, and on 3,500 bodies. That’s how many rest in the graves beneath your feet. Kings and queens. Prime ministers and statesmen. Writers and musicians. Scientists and inventors. Built for the glory of God and a place for royalty to worship, the abbey today is a fascinating record of the history of British rule and government, power, discovery and achievement.
It’s not in fact a cathedral, but a Royal Peculiar, granted this important and rather unusual status in 1534, when King Henry VIII relieved the pope of his duties as head of the church. And together with the Palace of Westminster and St Margaret’s Church, known as the parish church of the House of Commons, it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbey has also been the site of every English coronation since the 11th century.

Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral is often overshadowed by its famous neighbour St Paul’s on the other side of the River Thames. Located on London’s south side, Southwark was historically associated with low-life and revelry, with theatres, bear-baiting and ladies of the night. While St Paul’s in the City of London was at the centre of trade, commerce and wealth. In the city, the bankers clinked their gold, across the river the bawdy clinked their ale mugs.
But don’t fall victim to the hype. Southwark Cathedral or, to give it its proper name, the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a gem on the south bank of the river. A walk around this beautiful building will reveal rich links with literature and theatre, with commerce and royalty, and with the fascinating colourful history of this part of London. And Southwark has one particularly precious possession that is the envy of St Paul’s. A resident cat called Doorkins Magnificat.

Westminster Cathedral
Before you explore the grand Westminster Cathedral, the largest and most important Catholic church in England and Wales, take some time to climb to the top of its mighty Byzantine tower that dominates the landscape around London Victoria. Looking over these streets that were once swampland, it’s a good place to reflect on the difficulties this church has overcome to exist. It’s still only half- finished in fact, 122 years after the first foundation stone was laid, as you will see when you go back downstairs.

Rochester Cathedral
Sharing a close birth date with its nearby neighbour Canterbury, Rochester Cathedral was founded by Augustine’s monks in 604, just seven years after they landed on the coast of Kent from Rome. Today, nothing exists above ground of this original building but the cathedral’s fascinating history, stunning architecture and beautiful Romanesque facade puts it firmly on the list of must-sees. It also has one of the oldest doors in England, which can be viewed by special appointment as befits an entrance of its extreme seniority.

Chichester Cathedral
Chichester is the only English cathedral that can be seen from the sea, making it an important site for sailors as well as Christians. It houses a notable collection of modern artworks – including a bespoke Chagall – has hosted the likes of Gustav Holst and Leonard Bernstein, and inspired one of the most famous love poems in the English language. By a rather unlikely ‘love poet’ – the former Poet Laureate Philip Larkin.

Cathedrals of Britain: London and the South East by Bernadette Fallon is published by Pen and Sword books, £12.99, buy online here

Read more

Around the UK in 30 cathedrals

Cathedrals of Britain: East and Central – Ely, Lichfield, Norwich, Lincoln, Peterborough, St Edmundsbury, Oxford

Cathedrals of Britain: North of England and Scotland – York, Durham, Ripon, Wakefield, Sheffield, Bradfield, Edinburgh, Aberdeen

Cathedrals of Britain: West, South West and Wales – Winchester, Salisbury, Wells, Gloucester, Exeter, St Davids, St Asaph’s

Image credit: Southwark Cathedral by Rob Wilson Jnr, Fluid4Sight