St Augustine's Abbey
About
Founded in 598 by St Augustine on the orders of Pope Gregory the Great, this was one of the most important monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England and the burial place of early Kentish kings and archbishops. Henry VIII dissolved it in 1538 and had much of the church demolished for its stone, leaving the ruins and foundations now cared for by English Heritage. A free audio guide and a small on-site museum help make sense of what is otherwise a field of low walls and column bases. Together with the Cathedral and St Martin's Church, it forms Canterbury's UNESCO World Heritage Site, and all three sit close enough together to visit in one outing.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Founded 598 AD by St Augustine on Pope Gregory's orders
- ✓Burial place of early Kentish kings and archbishops
- ✓Free audio guide included with admission
- ✓Part of the same UNESCO listing as the Cathedral and St Martin's Church
Tips
- →Book online in advance for a discount on the door price.
- →English Heritage members go free; worth checking membership value if visiting several English Heritage sites in Kent.
- →Combine with St Martin's Church, a short walk further along Longport, to complete the UNESCO trio.
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 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.
Canterbury Roman Museum
A basement museum built around an excavated Roman townhouse and its in-situ mosaic floor, on the site first exposed by wartime bomb damage in 1942.