Monday 9 September 2019

Harbledown: Passing St. Nicholas' Leper Church


Undoubtedly, our highlight from visiting Harbledown village on the outskirts of Canterbury, Kent, was seeing the old lepers' church of St. Nicholas:


Had loved visiting this place between 1999 and 2003 when living in Canterbury.


Have just read that the Hospital of St. Nicholas was founded in 1084 by Archbishop Lanfranc for 60 lepers, and that Henry II paused here in 1174 while travelling to Canterbury Cathedral to do penance for the murder of St. Thomas Becket (all this reminds me of doing TS Eliot's 'Murder in a Cathedral' for A Level English Literature many moons ago).


Have also just discovered that Erasmus and John Collet visited the site while travelling to Canterbury Cathedral in 1519.


Moreover, have just discovered that a church has stood on the site since the 12th century.


Can see that there's much more to read about St. Nicholas' church/hospital/almshouses on the internet. The place does seem to have an incredible history for people to discover.

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