Britain cathedrals

How about the "Mother Church" of Canterbury Cathedral or, a bit further out, Salisbury Cathedral? Both set in old town streets and beautiful surroundings plus other interesting things to see. http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/visit.html http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visitor.php

I attended Eveningsong inside St.Georges Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, the castle closes at 5pm I think it started at 515pm. It is open to the locals etc. Canterbury is pretty impressive too, just be sure to tour the church prior to it.

We just got back from England and attended Evensong at Canterbury...very beautiful service. They allowed us to sit with the choir. And we really enjoyed Canterbury itself - a great walking town. Two years ago, we attended Evensong at Wells Cathedral and had a similarly wonderful experience. We fell in love with Wells itself. We were given an amazing one-on-one tour by one of the cathedral's elders which was so informative and enlightening.

I've attended evensong at Kings College Chapel and it was a wonderful experience. A guided tour of the university is also well worth taking. Have seen the cathedrals at Ely, Canterbury, Windsor and Salisbury.... every one of them is well worth a visit. Wouldn't call any of those towns quaint. The Cotswolds is the best area in England for quaint villages.

I have to agree regarding Wells and Canterbury Cathedrals. Also, St. George's at Windsor has a very lovely evensong, going to Evensong at 5.15 pm (Sung every day except Wednesdays) can make the most perfect conclusion to a visit to the Castle. As for quaint villages...the Cotswolds has so many beautiful quaint villages. You would have to rent a car to see them. There is a very limited bus service there.

I assume you're not forgetting Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's. ; ) I just visited both King's College Chapel and Ely and they were both wonderful. Did not have the chance to attend an evensong service. In Ely, you'll also find Cromwell's House. It's aimed at youth, but I found it interesting nonetheless. Also, the walk up to Ely Cathedral is very nice. Once you're past main highway and in the garden/park you feel a bit like you've stepped back in time. I wanted also to go to Bury St. Edmonds, but didn't make it there. It is the site of a very old abbey. BTW I did the the TI walking tour of Cambridge and it was quite good, taking you into Queens' and King's College. Pam

Just a comment on the previous poster's mention of Bury St. Edmunds as the site of a very old abbey. There is no abbey there; it is the site of abbey ruins. There are bits of old walls and a lovely garden, but no longer an actual abbey, though the cathedral there is quite nice.

Consider Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. It's the smallest cathedral I know of, but very beautiful. It's attached to Christ Church University. Oxford is hardly a village, but the University area is beautiful to walk, and there are a number of colleges worth touring. Rent a boat and get out on the river. I think the best views of the Cathedral are from the river. You can rent paddle boats and punts next to Magdalen College.

Simply wish to add that while you are in London the evensong and interior of St. Brides on Fleet street are excellent. Years ago enjoyed a lovely evensong at St. Alban's Cathedral and Abbey Church in St. Albans. http://www.stalbanscathedral.org/worship-and-music/
Nice day trip by train from London.

And there's Winchester Cathedral. http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk

And you can always sing that crazy song Winchester Cathedral from the New Vaudeville Band. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Ijo_ZthDI&feature=related Pam

One other thought to add : since you are considering places within 2 hrs of london , you might want to consider York . The city is a wonderful place to see and the minster is magnificent . If you go , be sure to see the cathedral's undercroft . It allows you to appreciate how such an enormous structure works .Have a grat time !!

Consider some of England's newer cathedrals - Guildford in Surrey built in the 1960's and Coventry built to replace the much earlier cathedral destroyed in WWII. Also St Martin's Church in Trafalgar Square and Southwick cathedral in London.

Winchester was once the capital of England and is also the home to King Arthur's Round table. Less than 2 hours by train from London, and within an easy walk from the station. Just saying!! http://www.legendofkingarthur.co.uk/southern-england/winchester.htm

My favorites outside of London are Salisbury Cathedral and York Minster - but I haven't been everywhere so I'm sure there are lots of other choices. Of the two, Salisbury may be a reasonable day trip (add Bath and Stonehenge) from London. A similar site might be an Abbey ruin, they were abandoned in Henry VIII's time.

Hello Dan. King's College Chapel at Cambridge University is magnificent. It is big, and I think it is as beautiful as any gothic style cathedral in England. It has evensong. Cambridge University is located not far from London. The King's College choir is famous. An other church that has beautiful singing in evensong is the chapel in Windsor Castle (a royal palace). There the singing is by a trained choir. I guess there are more people in the choir there on Sunday mornings.