Canterbury Tale, A

Near Chilham, Kent

A train on its ‘road of steel’. Anthony Spencer explains that the locomotive has just passed over an occupation level crossing on the North Downs line that runs between Guildford and Redhill. It is moving onto the shallow embankment west of Landbarn Farm to the west of Dorking, Surrey, which is just out of shot to the left.

Anthony's comparison is taken from the path which runs along the open hillside below the tree line of The Spains.

Studio set with foreshortened perspective, but based on Taylor’s Hill, Chilham. To aid the illusion, the figure running away is actually a child.

Taylor’s Hill, Chilham. Taken in Feb 2020 by Neil Murray (NM) who supplied many fresh grabs and comparisons, thus inspiring a reboot of our Reelstreets presentation of this much studied and loved film. (SJ)

Street scene with Hand of Glory pub sign. Clive Penfold tells us that this is High Street in Fordwich, where there are certainly properties that accord with the current day and the respective building line but there are also 'buildings' that do not feature nor are they on maps of the filming year or previous times. Nick Booth has researched further and found that this is indeed High Street, Fordwich and that the second oust house building is now an electricity sub station. (RL)

Mark Alford stood beneath where the sign would have hung.

Sergeant Johnson looks from his bedroom window at The Hand of Glory Inn.

Mark in Seat 61 found the same window.

The butcher, but which, and where? asked JT. 'Locations with map references are listed in detail in: "A Canterbury Tale: Memories of a Classic Wartime Movie" by Paul Tritton, ISBN 0 9524094 2 9. e.g. the butcher's shop is located in Wingham High Street and belonged to Dick Lucy. There is also a picture of the shop as it is now, as there are for many other location shots in the book.' ~ Chris Mayor. The book is to be republished and is now available. - See Header Section.

This is 31 High Street on the corner with Canterbury Road, opposite The Red Lion, Wingham. SJ

Sergeant Johnson in his bedroom in the Hand of Glory is talking to the boy (General Leslie) on top of the hay cart. Outside the George & Dragon in Fordwich, Kent.

A clearer view of the street from Mark Alford.

Outside the George & Dragon, Fordwich, Kent.

Outside The George and Dragon, in Fordwich, taken by Mark Gleeson

An updated view from Mark Alford shows a change of colour.

The old Smithy in Shottenden, Kent. Mike Connor advises that the building at the back has had a metal roof added, but is still recognisable. Most other buildings have gone, but house where Mr Horton calls to 'mother' is still there.

Mark Alford found the Smithy still standing.

The Mill at Wickhambreaux near Canterbury in Kent.

The Mill taken by Roger Green.

An updated view from Mark Alford.

Family snap from the John Tunstill photo album. My grandfather, William Alexander, lived in the village 1946 - 1952.

And now in 2011, just outside the gate. SJ

Is this Dobbin, from captures 6 and 7? The boy is my cousin Tony with my aunt Daisy andand the photo was taken in Wickhambreaux about 1948. Dobbin is on the left.

Wickhambreaux village green; the edge of Grandpa's house is to the right.

Wickhambreaux village green. Roger Green

The plague of cars is continuing in Mark Alford's comparison.

Thomas Colpeper’s house. Wickhambreaux Court, Wickhambreaux, Kent.

There has been lots of tree growth since 1943 so it’s necessary to photograph from this angle. Neil Murray (SJ)

Wickhambreaux Court.

Mark Alford peered over the wall.

Wickhambreaux - the grounds of Wickhambreaux Court

Taken through the same gateway by Mark Alford.

The farm. Thomas Colpeper scything at Wickhambreaux Court.

Alison and Sgt. Johnson at Wickhambreaux.

Wickhambreaux now by Roger Green.

Mark Alford found that the sign reads The Old Rectory.

Michael Richards first sent an additional capture in which Alison Smith (Sheila Sim) and US Army Sergeant Bob Johnson (John Sweet) take a horse drawn cart ride ... Neil adds, "Note that they are going uphill - filmed on Chartham Downs Road but they have actually carried on past the Swarling Hill Road junction seen in the next two captures. Swarling Manor seen in the background."

And this replaces Michael's Google shot from Sep 2014. NM (SJ)

Alison Smith leaves Sgt. Johnson to go to Prudence Honeywood’s farm that she’ll be working at. The junction of Chartham Downs Road and Swarling Hill Road.

Great shot by NM (SJ)

Another additional capture from Michael. Bob is dropped off in the countryside and Alison turns left towards a hop field. Chartham Downs Road at the junction with Swarling Hill Road, Chartham.

A second Google replacement. Heading down Swarling Hill Road towards Swarling Manor. NM (SJ)

Alison and Prudence Honeywood at Elbridge Farm, Court Hill near Littlebourne, Kent

Elbridge Farm. NM

Alison Smith at Elbridge Farm.

Elbridge Farm, Elbridge Hill, just to the east of Canterbury. Replacing Mike Connor's Google from March 2103. NM (SJ)

Alison heads to the hop field. Also Elbridge Farm, looking to the left and down the lane. An shot added by Mike Connor back in 2013.

Across the road from Elbridge Farm. Replacing Mike's Google. NM (SJ)

Alison on Old Wye Lane, SE of Chilham, Kent near Julliberrie Downs. Probably part of the Pilgrims Cycle Trail now.

The army carriers drive down the Rye Field near Julliberrie Downs to the south east of Chilham in Kent.

Robert Hinchliffe provides this comparison view adding that "The army carrier is the screen capture is driving towards Chilham along what is marked as a public footpath on OS maps."

The soldiers head to the lecture at the Colpeper Institute. The Manor House, High Street, Fordwich, Kent.

Junction of King Street and High Street in Fordwich in Kent: identification by Roger Green who sent in a great photo but this one from NM is sunnier! Hope you don't mind, Roger, but if you do let me know. (SJ)

Chilham Mill, Mill Lane, Chilham, identified by SJ

And here's the proof, well would have been if that willow hadn't exploded. But this is where the children are playing, still with a bridge over the Great Stour, now belonging to Mid Kent Fisheries, off the Ashford Road, east of Chilham. SJ

Chilham Mill

Now, with the willow growth to the left. SJ

‘Pow-wow’ meeting with the two ‘army leaders’ held on Julliberrie's Grave, the prehistoric longbarrow on Julliberrie Downs, south of Chilham. Bob asks the boys for directions to the local church. Nowadays there is a lot of tree growth obscuring this view.

Ringing the bells at St Mary’s Church, Fordwich.

Mark Alford fought with the sun's glare.

Sgt Johnson enters St Mary’s Church, Fordwich.

The same door captured by Mark Alford.

Alison Smith quizzes bus driver Polly Finn in Chilham Square, Chilham.

Chilham by Sandra and Steven Charlesworth.

Signalwoman Gwladys Swinton at the signal box, Harbledown Junction, Elham Valley Railway.

Now. Courtesy of Jeff Howe.

Alison quizzes signalwoman Gwladys Swinton at the signal box, Harbledown Junction, Elham Valley Railway.

Now. Courtesy of Jeff Howe.

Alison waits for postwoman Dorothy Bird at the shop (no longer there) attached to the Old Stone House (Manor House), Wickhambreaux.

Alison quizzes postwoman Dorothy Bird at the bridge in Wickhambreaux.

Photo by Neil Murray (NM) who has added so much to this film on site.

The boys come to Chilham Mill. Ray Glenister tells us that this is also Fordwich, here, at the corner of High Street and King Street, looking south. (RL)

The corner as it looks now by Mark Alford.

Sgt Peter Gibbs visits Colpeper’s house. Wickhambreaux Court, Wickhambreaux.

Wickhambreaux Court: Roger Green

Wickhambreaux Court: updated by Mark Alford.

Sgt Peter Gibbs returns to the Hand of God (Red Lion, Wingham).

Wingham - the steps of the Red Lion (the ‘Hand of God’) at the junction of High Street and Canterbury Road. One can just see the edge of the shop in an earlier capture. Sue Walter.

Bob and Peter play ‘catch’. School Hill, Chilham.

School Hill, Chilham. The building which can be seen is Chilham St. Mary's Primary School. NM (SJ)

Mark Alford took a closer view of the school.

Alison walks up Chilmans Downs, south of Chilham.

Canterbury Cathedral

A slightly closer shot taken by Stephen. (SJ)

Peter Gibbs and Bob Johnson climb up Chilmans Downs, south of Chilham.

Peter Gibbs and Bob Johnson observe Canterbury Cathedral from Chilmans Downs, south of Chilham.

From www.powell-pressburger.org: “The view of the River Stour cut into the scene where Peter and Bob pick blackberries and discuss the tea-drinking nations was filmed from Godmersham Downs. We see the River Stour meandering towards a railway bridge near Trimworth Manor and, in the background, Tye Wood and Oxen Lees Wood.”

Selling station, north of Chilham and Shottenden, nowadays lacking the background signal box. Mark in Seat 61 explains that the characters are boarding a train to Canterbury on Selling's 'Up' platform, i.e. they are heading towards London and in reality away from Canterbury.

Mark in Seat 61 captured the same platform adding "The house - possibly the old Station Manager's house - is still there, but signal box is long gone, and the original station building (between this house and the footbridge, barely visible in the film) burnt down in the early 2000s."

Culpepper crosses the footbridge to the other platform to join the train from Chillingbourne to Canterbury. In reality, advises Mark, he's walking from Selling's Down platform to the Up platform, which is daft as the only way onto Selling's Down platform is down those same footbridge steps!

Mark captures a similar view and adds "Apart from the overgrowth which now hides the steps down to a footpath on the side of the station away from any habitation, the footbridge hasn't changed since 1943."

Mark in Seat 61 advises that "When the camera cuts to Station master Thomas Duckett (Charles Hawtrey), I believe this must have been filmed on the Down platform, because of the scenery behind him."

Mark in Seat 61 continues "Too much overgrowth meant that I couldn't get a shot that matches the capture exactly, but I think you can see why I believe the 'Down' platform was used. The 1943 camera lens might have made the trees in the background look closer than they do today. Note that the railings haven't changed! There are simply too many gardens and buildings behind the railings on the Up platform for this shot to have been filmed there, so I am pretty convinced they switched platforms!"

St Dunstan’s Street & Westgate, Canterbury

St Dunstan’s Street & Westgate, Canterbury. Replacing the Google, a shot from Stephen taken in April 2009 and posted in 2020. (SJ)

Canterbury, probably at West Gate, St Peter's Street. From now on these are original grabs from JT's videotape hence the grainy feel.

Canterbury, Pound Lane and Police Station.

Now. Same place, different time

Neil Kenny looked, but no policemen have returned to the site.

Near the Cathedral, Christ Church Square or Yard.

Now. Same place, but now it costs a fiver to get in!

Confronting the elements, Neil Kenny braved a howling gale to take this comparison.

High Street, Canterbury in Kent. Phil Wells advises that the Officer seen here directing traffic is his late uncle Viv Holloway who was a serving policeman with Canterbury City police.

The "then" policeman has his back to Mercery Lane. SJ

The parked truck has been replaced by road works in Neil Kenny's shot.

Probably Rose Lane, Canterbury. The Tudor buildings are in Butchery Lane and Burgate St.

Geoff Gwillym spotted this in Butchery Lane. Excellent.

Bomb damage, probably viewed from Rose Lane, Canterbury.

Now. The two pointed roof tops are just visible to the left of the GAP sign. In my day they used to politely say, "Mind the gap", not just "Gap", hey, ho.

Same again. I never previously realised how much destruction there was to this city.

Now. St George's tower, in isolation.

Referring to posts on the Powell & Pressburger Facebook Group, Neil Kenny explains that the bomb site on the north-west side of Rose Lane.

Neil Kenny faced the same way.

Rose Lane, confirmed by Neil Kenny.

The location now by Neil Kenny.

Canterbury. The view from the garage, which was on the corner of Rose Lane and Gravel Walk with the Marlowe Theatre right of centre.

Neil Kenny found a more built up view.

And a bit to the right with the Marlowe Theatre on the left.

Cathedral Square, or Christ Church Square, the open space in front of Christ Church Gate. Then, full of tea shops and now, filling up with fast food joints and the Canterbury Cathedral Visitor Centre and Shop.

Now. a Starbucks. "What next?" JT asks.

Neil Kenny found a more apt use for the premises.

A repeat of the previous capture . . .

. . . to add Neil Murray's updated comparison from 2020 which answered JT's original question . . . the Canterbury Cathedral Visitor Centre and Shop replaced the Starbucks. (SJ)

These people were unpaid extras, Michael Powell invited everyone "To Come and Be Filmed in a Canterbury Tale". Probably St. Peter's Street, which then becomes the High Street.

Canterbury High Street. SJ.

The Library, High Street, Canterbury, where reposes a copy of Steve Crook's book.

Now. Much the same.

Turning from the High Street into the Cathedral approach, Mercery Lane.

Now.

Around the corner into Mercery Lane.

Now. No change here.

Neil Kenny made his way to the same corner.

A view down Mercery Lane.

Now. No change.

The crowds have grown in Neil Kenny's comparison.

Coming into the square near Christ Church Gate.

Now. Tarted up, but still more or less the same.

Neil Kenny found that time has moved on and even after the previous change of use the premises to the right are currently empty.

The square.

Now. Much the same.

A sorry sight captured by Neil Kenny.

Panning around the Square.

Now. Panning around the Square.

A right pan from Neil Kenny.

Continuing the pan, Christ Church Gate on the right. Canterbury's Cathedral and the streets around also feature in 'Kipps', 'Last Orders' and 'I Could Go On Singing' while other parts of the city are seen in 'The Raging Moon'.

Little change. SJ

Neil Kenny updates the scene.

Mercery Lane looking towards Christ Church Gate.

Now. Same place, same view.

Neil Kenny returned to the Cathedral's approach.

Another Canterbury Street

Now. The windows have been "antiqued", and the addition of some 60s timbering creates just the right sort of medieval aspect beloved of the tourists.

Canterbury. The entrance to Cathedral Close where the arch is seen again over 50 years later in 'Last Orders'. SJ

Thanks to local Helen for pointing me the right way. SJ