Kent – Kate Bush, Canterbury Tales and Charles Dickens

In the north, the county of Kent is bordered by the Thames Estuary and the North Sea, and in the south the English Channel and the Strait of Dover form a natural border. To the west, Kent borders Surrey and East Sussex.

The continent, within sight when the weather was good, was both a trading partner and a threat to invasion. Accordingly, the ports of Kent, grouped together as Cinque Ports in the Middle Ages, had a prominent position for all rulers in London, securing the coast alongside the ports with numerous castles. At the same time, Kent, with the ancient cathedrals in Canterbury and Rochester, were bridgeheads for the spread of Christianity to Britain.

Kent has three universities: Canterbury Christ Church University with several campuses in the east of the county, the University of Kent with campuses in Canterbury and Medway, and the University of Greenwich with campuses in Woolwich, Eltham and Medway,

Many writers and artists have been inspired by Kent. Canterbury's position as a religious centre led to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a landmark in English literature. Author Charles Dickens' father worked on the Chatham docks. That's why you can find impressions of Chatham and the surrounding area in many of Dickens' novels.

The painter William Turner spent parts of his childhood in Margate and often returned there later. The East Kent coast inspired many of his works including some of his seascapes.

The musician Kate Bush comes from Bexleyheath and the musician and poet David Sylvian from Beckenham.