Canterbury Cathedral.

In 1993 I stated my pilgrimage of doing all the cathedrals of Britain. My first was Ely that magnificent ship like building looming out of the Fens of East Anglia. I still have a few more to do. The wonderful thing apart from their collective majesty is that they are in beautiful settings. Often the surrounding area is owned by the Church of England and has not be spoilt be the blight of bad planning. On BBC Two at the moment there is a series on Canterbury Cathedral and jolly good it is too. They needed money for the roof and other building works so applied to the Lottery Heritage Fund and after an initial rejection, they resubmitted their application and were award a grant of £12 million to make good the property. The new Archbishop Dr Welby is making a very good start in his ministry at Canterbury. He is more down to earth and practical than his predecessor Dr Rowan Williams, who was more the intellectual and academic pastor of his flock. It makes you aware of just how important the Church of England is to the fabric of the nation. It holds an essential role in our national life and must be preserved at all costs. I say this despite being an atheist.