Franciscan Gardens & Greyfriars Chapel
About
A small riverside garden holding Greyfriars Chapel, built around 1267 and among the oldest surviving Franciscan buildings in England, on the site where the Franciscan friars first settled in England in 1224. The chapel sits on stone piers directly over a branch of the Stour, and the surrounding garden includes a wildflower meadow and heritage fruit trees planted from the year 2000 onward. The site underwent a substantial repair programme after storm and flood damage, with restoration to the buildings and the river wall completed in the mid-2020s.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Site of the first Franciscan settlement in England, 1224
- ✓Greyfriars Chapel, built c.1267, standing on piers over the river
- ✓A wildflower meadow and heritage fruit trees in the garden
- ✓Restored after storm and flood damage in the mid-2020s
Tips
- →Access is via a footpath off Stour Street, easy to miss if you're not looking for it.
- →A quiet spot to sit by the river away from the High Street crowds.
- →Confirm current opening hours before visiting, since they can vary seasonally.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
Canterbury Cathedral
The mother church of the Church of England, founded in 597, where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170. Part of Canterbury's UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St Augustine's Abbey
The ruined 598 AD monastery founded by St Augustine, burial place of early Kentish kings, and part of Canterbury's UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St Martin's Church
The oldest parish church in continuous use in the English-speaking world, with fabric predating Augustine's 597 mission. Free, and part of the UNESCO site.