ABSTRACT
The plight of Canterbury was made worse by the attitude of William Laud, archbishop 1633—45. His attempts to restore something of the mediaeval panoply to Christ Church earned him the hatred of the Puritans and an untimely end. The activities of Laud and his supporters continued to outrage the Puritans: ‘they have a long time caused the godly neare them to groane under their tyranny, superstition and scandall’. The Second World War brought about a revolution in almost every aspect of Canterbury Cathedral. The daily threat of aerial bombardment placed a severe strain on the church and on the citizens of Canterbury. The cathedral must now face all the problems of the modern world, most especially pollution and tourism. The extensive replacement of exterior fabric that has occurred in recent years may prove an over-hasty reaction to the problems of increasing decay as well as a regrettable development from an archaeological viewpoint.
