At the heart of this volume lies a discussion of Canterbury and its outstanding Cathedral, site of St Thomas a Becket's shrine and significant in countless ways for the history of medieval art and architecture but especially memorable for its stunning stained glass. Other churches vary from remains of St Augustine's early Anglo-Saxon mission churches to Pugin's St Augustine at Ramsgate. Smaller buildings demonstrate Kent's especially fine and varied mixture of materials: the native ragstone and flint, exceptionally good brick and tile, and timber-framed hall houses, indicative of Kent's wealth in the fifteenth century. But Kent looks towards the continent too, its defensive and marine history maked by its medieval and sixteenth-century castles - such as Deal and Chilham - and coastal towns and ports as different as Dover and Ramsgate.