Steve Crook

This year's PaPAS A Canterbury Tale film location walk will be held on Sunday, August 26. We will meet at Canterbury West Railway Station late morning, ("Pilgrims for Canterbury, all out and get your blessings"), then visit locations in the city centre and Canterbury Cathedral. Time permitting we will also visit the King's School, where Michael Powell was educated. Full details will be posted on the PaPAS website later this month (June).

All are welcome

Steve

Steve Crook

It's been confirmed that it'll be in Canterbury itself this year.


Meet at Canterbury West Railway Station at 12.15pm*

Your guides will be Paul Tritton, author of A Canterbury Tale: Memories of a Classic Wartime Movie and Steve Crook of the Powell & Pressburger Appreciation Society

Follow the route taken by Alison, Peter, Bob and Thomas Colpeper and The Regimental Band of The Buffs from the Westgate to Canterbury Cathedral

Find Canterbury's wartime Police Station; the theatre where the world premiere of A Canterbury Tale was held; Michael Powell's ‘temple of knowledge’; the Cathedral Tea Rooms; and the site of the Rose Lane Garage

Walk in Alison's footsteps along the streets that were destroyed in the Baedeker Raid in 1942.

Visit Canterbury Cathedral (admission charge £6.50, concessions £5) and learn how Powell and Pressburger's set designers recreated the southwest transept, the nave and the pilgrims' steps at Denham Studio.

Time permitting, we will also visit The King’s School, where Michael Powell was educated.

* If travelling to Canterbury West by train, the 10.24 from London Charing Cross via Ashford International arrives at Canterbury West at 12.12. We will meet that train. Please check with National Rail Enquiries - Official source for rail information, UK train times and timetables before your journey to ensure that this service is not affected by engineering works.

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Drew

Thanks for the info on this!
I live in Faversham, just down the road

Ready?
Ready Now?
HARD CHEESE!

Steve Crook

Good ho, see you there then.
In case you don't spot a crowd gathering outside Canterbury West station, this is me

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Steve Crook

Just to bump this thread to remind everyone about the ACT location walk tomorrow. Meet at Canterbury West station at 12.15.

+ Follow the route taken by Alison, Peter, Bob and Thomas Colpeper and The Regimental Band of The Buffs from the Westgate to Canterbury Cathedral
+ Find Canterbury's wartime Police Station; the theatre where the world premiere of A Canterbury Tale was held; Michael Powell's ‘temple of knowledge’; the Cathedral Tea Rooms; and the site of the Rose Lane Garage
+ Walk in Alison's footsteps along the streets that were destroyed in the Baedeker Raid in 1942.
+ Visit Canterbury Cathedral (admission charge £6.50, concessions £5) and learn how Powell and Pressburger's set designers recreated the southwest transept, the nave and the pilgrims' steps at Denham Studio.
+ Time permitting, we will also visit The King’s School, where Michael Powell was educated.

See PaPAS site for any more details

All are welcome

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Wolfgang

Have you ever though of combining this walk with pub crawl?

aphra

Often turns out that way.

Steve Crook

And it is hop country - so there are some nice brews on offer

Steve

Steve Crook

It should be a sunny day so sun hats & creams are the order of the day.

We're also expecting BBC TV (South East) to join us for a piece they're doing about Michael Powell. So wear a posh frock - especially the men :)

Steve

Steve Crook

Well that was fun. Tiring, but fun.
We had sunshine, but not too much of it (it's dangerous stuff in large doses)
We had 50+ people turn up to join us. Quite a few regulars who it's always good to see and a fair few new people as well who we got to know during the day.

BBC (South East) were there filming and interviewing us as we walked around and did some little "playlets", getting people to read out a few lines at the locations where they were spoken in the film.

To be honest, the location walk in Canterbury itself has its limitations. We have to deal with the crowds of tourists (or pilgrims) and the traffic. It's hard to stand in the middle of the road to get the exact angle on a building for your "then and now" shot with traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) trying to get by. And they've redeveloped the top end of Canterbury 4 or 5 times since the film was made so for many of the scenes we can stand in the right spot but it looks totally different to what you see on screen. There is still quite a lot that hasn't changed since 1943/44 though. In fact there are quite a few parts that haven't changed since the 11th century or so. Like the Cathedral and the West Gate in the old city walls.

But it was still a great day out. It's always nice to get into Canterbury and have a look around. To see what they've changed and what is still there. There's a nice little church in the centre of town that I always like to look around. Bob Johnson's pa built a good church in Johnson County but I suspect that the Cathedral is just a tad more impressive

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

ChristineCB

Steve, thanks for this update. I am sooo jealous and I'm definitely going to make our annual trip to UK during August next year so I can join this. Uh... only one question... do people on this venture mistreat you, yell rude things at you, throw the random tomato or food bit at you? Or will I be the only one? Darn... you know I hate standing out like that...

Steve Crook

When we're in Fordwich Town Hall, there's always the ducking stool for anyone that mistreats the tour guides
They do chime in with comments and questions of course - but we just crack the whip and drive them on to the next location!

Steve

ChristineCB

Or is that duNking stool? Ah-ha! A trick for the wet T-shirt contest.

Holy Chills, Batman-!

Steve Crook

In the film, Mr Colpeper (Eric Portman) points out the ducking stool and says that it was "very sensibly used for silencing talkative women"
See how they were used

Steve

batman

Did I miss the wet t-shirt contest?

Bats.

I wish I had claws.