Canterbury Cathedral Chess Set

 

The city of Canterbury has been a place of Christian worship for nearly two thousand years. Following a major fire at the original cathedral in 1174, the monks at Canterbury used the revenue from the many pilgrims visiting the shrine and relics of St Thomas to create the first Gothic cathedral in England. The rebuilding and reconstruction continued during the following century and ensured that at the end of the Middle Ages, Canterbury Cathedral was one of the noblest churches in Christendom.

 

Our skilled designers and sculptors have created from the architecture and statuary in and around Canterbury Cathedral a chess set of gracious proportions and great detail.

 

The characters in this chess set all have strong connections with Canterbury Cathedral. The King is represented by King Henry IV whose body was laid to rest in the cathedral in 1413 next to Joan of Navarre, his wife, who died in 1437.

 

The Bishop is represented by Canterbury’s most well-known archbishop, Thomas Becket, who was famously slain on the steps of the altar. The knight is one of the most famous military leaders of English history, Edward the Black Prince whose body lies in Trinity Chapel in the cathedral.