Canterbury is an English cathedral city located in the Kent district of southeastern England, on the River Stour.

The site has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with a large number of artifacts unearthed. In the 1st Century, Roman conquerors built a city there.

People Born in Canterbury

Orlando Bloom

Canterbury in People's Lives

Joseph Conrad: I died at my home in Bishopsbourne, a few miles outside this city, in 1924, at the age of 66. I was buried in this city. My full Polish name was mispelled on my gravestone. At the time of my burial, the popular Cricket Festival of 1924 was going on in Canterbury, and friends who traveled to my funeral were offended by the cheering crowds in the town waving flags, ignorant of the fact that one of the greatest writers of the English language was being buried. 

Lawrence Durrell: After briefly attending a grammar school in London, I was moved to St. Edmund's School here in 1924, at the age of 12. I missed my home country of India deeply, and was a poor student. My education did not do well, much to the disappointment of my mother. I began writing while here, at the age of 15, in 1927. I readied myself for university entrance exams, but failed. I was deeply unhappy in England, and longed to return to India.

Orlando Bloom: I was born here in 1977, and grew up here. I was named after 16th Century composer Orlando Gibbons. My father died when I was four years old, and I was raised by my mother. My mother's partner and long time friend, a principal of an international language school, was made my guardian. However, in 1990, when I was 13, my mother revealed to me that he was my true biological father. I grew up in this city, attending both middle and high school here. I was a good student, and though I enjoyed literature and reading, I struggled with it, being dyslexic. My mother encouraged me to take art and drama courses, which I did, and discovered my true passion. In 1993, at the age of 16, I moved to London to pursue theater and complete my high school A-level courses.

William the Conqueror: I conquered this city in 1066.
