Kathryn Bedford is ideally suited to penning a book which explores the hidden side of the city.

She wrote a PhD dissertation on Kentish history and is captivated by Canterbury’s past and present.

Her new book is Canterbury: A Pocket Miscellany which explores topics as varied as crime and heritage, strange statistics and famous figures.

Kathryn, 27, admits that researching and writing the book was an enormous pleasure.

“The overwhelming thing I felt was the love that everyone has for the place,” she said.

“People just adore the city.

“It was a quite a joy to say that I was doing this kind of book and people were really interested.”

Canterbury: A Pocket Miscellany aims to offer an alternative to the ordinary tourist guides and books available to visitors.

It is one of a series of books about towns and cities in the UK being published by the History Press, a specialist in local history publications.

Kathryn added: “It’s different to the usual sort of tourist guidebooks which can be quite boring and go on about things like hotels.

“It’s a look at the unusual side of Canterbury – and it was great fun to do.

“I spent a week in Canterbury going around talking to people and getting as much information as possible. A lot of the information was available through the internet or through the library, but a lot of it came from finding out from people directly.”

Kathryn originally comes from Maidstone and is studying for her doctorate at Durham University. Her research interests include Anglo-Norman history in the late 12th and early 13th century.

Canterbury: A Pocket Miscellany will be launched on March 5 and Kathryn is set to return to the city for a possible talk and book-signing later in the month.

Do you have any quirky facts about Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable or Faversham? Let us know by writing to Gazette House, 5-8 Boorman Way, Estuary View Business Park, Whitstable, CT5 3SE or emailkentishgazettte@thekmgroup.co.uk