Canterbury Cathedral Chess Set

The city of Canterbury has been a place of Christian worship for nearly two thousand years; Originally a settlement in the South East Corner of England it was developed by Romans into a thriving city; As the Roman Empire fell into decline the Saxon raiders burned and pillaged the city and what few Christians that were found were put to death. Some Christians managed to survive and worshipped in St Martin's, a small church on the outskirts of the city, founded in Roman times; A monk named Augustine was charged by the Pope, Gregory the Great, to go to England to re-convert the English. After some hesitation Augustine and his fellow monks landed on the shore nearest to continental Europe in 597, the Kingdom of Kent. The King, Ethelbert, had a Christian Wife, queen Bertha who asked her husband to allow a grant of land where previously a Roman church had stood. This became Augustine's Cathedral, the first in England, and here he was enthroned first Archbishop of Canterbury. The Anglo-Saxon church was completely destroyed by fire in 1067 and although another fine cathedral was built on the site this too was seriously damaged by a major fire in 1174

Both sets seen with board H807 a Walnut and Sycamore veneered chess board with attractive avadia chevron pattern ribbon strip. Unusual moulded edge. Size of board is 50cm (19 1/2") with square size of 50mm (2")