Date:  Thursday 4th September 2025 (bookings will close on 31 Aug at 9am)
Time:  2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Who can attend: Society members and their guests
Cost:  £30
Dress code: Casual to suit the weather of the day
Venue:  Ticket office entrance outside the Cathedral Precinct
Members’ area (LMS): Click here to book
Organiser:  Kieran McHugh

A tour of Canterbury Cathedral

A Walking Tour led by Dr Barry Walsh

Canterbury is a UNESCO heritage site important for the foundation of Christianity in England in the 6th Century.  The present Cathedral began in 1070, four years after the Conquest and the original Norman crypt built by Lanfranc can still be admired today.  Built above it from 1175 is the earliest Gothic architecture in England. It contains original stained-glass windows, among the oldest surviving examples in Europe.  We will see the site of the Murder in the cathedral of the archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170 which sent shockwaves across Europe.  Tombs of Henry IV and Edward ‘The Black Prince’ are among many memorials in this magnificent cathedral.

Dr Barry Walsh is an accredited Canterbury Cathedral Guide.  He studied Lanfranc’s crypt as part of BA History of Art Degree and is passionate about Gothic Architecture in his work as a Blue Badge Guide.  Barry qualified as a doctor in Ireland at the University of Cork in 1981.  He worked for 25 years as a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC) in SouthWest London Health Protection Team, part of Public Health England until retirement in 2017. Barry has worked as a professional Blue Badge tour guide in London since 2000 specialising in medical and art history tours.  He has extensive experience of guiding in the British Museum, National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Tate Modern.

There may be another tour in Canterbury the following day, Friday September 5th 2025.  Please see the venue & events section of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries’ website.  For those wishing to stay overnight the Falstaff Hotel, 8-10 Dunstan Street is recommended. For dinner, the Café du Soleil restaurant, 4-5 Pound Street is also recommended.

Refunds, minus a £5 admin fee (per ticket), will be offered, upon request, to anyone cancelling for any reason up to six working days before an event.  After this time, no refunds are available.

The Livery Committee is the Society’s members’ social committee and is separate from the main Society Programme.  It operates outside of the governance of the Society, and uses a money-pooling system for all of its events.  Net receipts collected by the Society on their behalf are passed to the Livery Committee.