Long history of boat landings

Nine poor, roughly-dressed Franciscans landed at Dover in a small boat. They walked to Canterbury praying and begging for alms.

It was 1224, approaching 800 years ago and amazingly still in the lifetime of San Francesco di Assisi (1182-1226).

John Digge, from a prominent east Kent family, gave them land on the island of Binnewith in central Canterbury and from there ‘The Grey Friars of Canterbury’ flourished.

Only 55 years later, John Peckham was the first Franciscan to become Archbishop of Canterbury in 1279. He is buried in Canterbury Cathedral. Small boats landing at Dover are now controversial but this particular small boat is part of our history.

Dr Michael Townsend

St Lawrence Forstal, Canterbury

this and drastic action must be taken to uproot it. Bernard Hogan Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, laments how difficult it is to get rid of police officers who disrespect and abuse women. To change the educational establishment is a far harder task but it has to be undertaken. It is not a matter of party politics: successive Labour and Tory administrations have made no difference.

Over the decades, academia - with its powerful influence on our public bodies and institutions - has adopted a view of human nature which is completely alien to the way our traditional Christian civilization understands it. Any politician worth their salt who is elected to public office at local or national level must do their best to restore our society to sanity.

Dennis Whiting

Gosfield Road, Herne Bay

The site of the planned construction of the new winery in Bridge