About Canterbury

The history, geography, and character of Canterbury.

History & Heritage

Highlights

Canterbury Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop since 597 and site of Thomas Becket's murder in 1170; a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by the Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church; the Westgate, built around 1379-80, England's largest surviving medieval city gate; the River Stour running through the old town, with punting trips from two independent operators; a compact, walkable old town inside the surviving medieval city walls; and a genuine university city, home to Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent.

History

Canterbury's recorded history stretches back to the Roman town of Durovernum Cantiacorum, whose remains lie beneath the Roman Museum on Butchery Lane. St Augustine's arrival in 597 established both the Cathedral and the Abbey, and Canterbury became the centre of the English church. The murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the Cathedral in 1170, on the orders (later disputed as to how directly) of Henry II, made Becket's shrine one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in medieval Europe until Henry VIII ordered its destruction in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which also emptied St Augustine's Abbey. The city's medieval walls and the surviving Westgate gatehouse, built around 1379-80, date from a period when Canterbury needed genuine defences; the Westgate later served as the city gaol. Wartime bomb damage in 1942 exposed the Roman townhouse remains now displayed in situ at the Roman Museum.

Wildlife & Nature

Birdlife

Nightingales at Blean Woods

Nightingales singing in the scrub at Blean Woods RSPB reserve.

Through late April and May

Nightjars at Blean Woods

Nightjars at dusk at Blean Woods.

Dusk, in early summer

Lesser spotted woodpecker

Britain's rarest breeding woodpecker, recorded at Blean Woods.

Not confirmed in current research; see _research.json

Garden birds at Westgate & Dane John Gardens

Breeding and visiting birds using the mature trees at Westgate Gardens and Dane John Gardens.

Not confirmed in current research; see _research.json

Flora

Bluebells at Blean Woods

Bluebells carpeting parts of Blean Woods' ancient woodland.

Spring

Heath fritillary butterflies at Blean Woods

Heath fritillary butterflies on the wing at Blean Woods.

Mid-June to mid-July

Wildflower meadow and heritage fruit trees, Franciscan Gardens

A wildflower meadow and heritage fruit trees planted since 2000 at Franciscan Gardens.

Not confirmed in current research; see _research.json

Riverside trees, Westgate Gardens and the Stour

Mature riverside trees along Westgate Gardens and the Stour.

Not confirmed in current research; see _research.json