The following day, Chris Sackett and Steve and Debbie Barbee offered to show us the ancestral home of the first Sacketts in St. Peters Village in Thanet and Sacketts Hill.  They had been on the village tour on Thursday and were able to share a lot of knowledge of the area.

Inside St. Peters Church, we saw a plaque commemorating John Sackett, a prestigious member of the community who died in 1623.  There are many other Sackett graves in the churchyard.

From there, we walked to Sacketts Hill.  It’s actually not really much of a hill, more of a bump in the otherwise mostly flat countryside.  You can make out the rise beneath the trees on the other side of the cabbage fields.

It was interesting to contemplate the hundreds of Sacketts who must have trod this footpath over the years on their way to the church and the market.

It was fascinating to see things as mundane as the bus stop for Sacketts Hill.

Here are some contemporary Sacketts visiting Sacketts Hill:

Part of the hill is now occupied by a waste transfer operation.  Apparently, the owners reused  much of the material from an older Sackett residence that is no longer standing when building their own bungalow.

The other half of the hill is occupied by a commercial market garden operation.  This cottage, built in 1633, was once part of the Sackett estate.  We could just make out the roofline of an abandonned larger house behind this one.

It is a powerful thing to connect with our ancestors.  Exploring our history in such a way makes the past seem so much more relevant.  I’ve enjoyed seeing where my grandfather’s family came from in Italy and I look forward to exploring more family history while we are here in Europe.

It was interesting to learn about Canterbury.  Long an important ecclesiastical city influenced by its location near the channel routes to Europe, Canterbury was devastated by bombing raids during World War II.  Rebuilt after the war, it lost much of its ancient heritage, but the cathedral still sprawls, towering over the city.

It really is a remarkable place.  It was originally built in the Romanesque style with the rounded arches, but as things were rebuilt over the years due to fires and other disasters, the newer Gothic styles were incorporated resulting in a bricolage structure.

The inside of the cathedral is truly grand in scale. Apparently, it was once even more rococo, with gilded artwork embellishing the elaborate decor.

The stained glass was amazing.  The bright sun shone through revealing the vibrant hues in the glass.

The tour was very interesting and I think we all learned something.  The kids were not particularly bothered about seeing another cathedral, but they seemed to enjoy it alright.

They seemed pretty interested in a pattern of coal dust in the crypt that might have been Thomas Beckett’s ghost.  This candle marks the spot where Beckett’s shrine lay until it was removed by Henry VIII.

Despite the hectic pace of the tour, there were some nice quiet moments.   Both kids lit a prayer candle.

At one point, I had to return to the car park to extend our parking time.  When I returned, it took me some time to rejoin the group.  In the meantime, I spent some time sitting in the crypt’s dimly lit chapel and exploring the medicinal herb garden.

After the tour, we found a tea house for lunch and wandered around the streets of Canterbury a bit.

Molly and Sage warmed themselves against a sunny wall after lunch.

Probably the highlight of the weekend (for some of us anyway) was the discovery of a fudge shop.  This fellow is preparing the freshly made fudge to cool before it is sliced and sold.  The copper pot in the corner is used to mix and cook the ingredients before they are poured onto the marble table.  We ended up buying several different varieties, all of which proved to be delicious upon gustation.