Visit Canterbury Places

Welcome to Visit Canterbury Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Canterbury

  

Canterbury Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Canterbury

---

Canterbury history

---

Early history

Durovernum Cantiacorum was first recorded as the main settlement of the Celtic tribe of the Cantiaci, which inhabited most of modern-day Kent. The Romans captured the settlement in the 1st century AD and rebuilt it in the late 3rd century. In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine to convert its King Æthelberht to Christianity. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. The town’s new importance led to its revival and trades developed in pottery, textiles, and leather.

14th–17th centuries

At 10,000, Canterbury had the 10th largest population in England; by the early 16th century, the population had fallen to 3,000. In 1413 Henry IV became the only sovereign to be buried at the cathedral. In 1504 the cathedral’s main tower, the Bell Harry Tower, was completed, ending 400 years of building.

18th century–present

The city’s first newspaper, the Kentish Post, was founded in 1717. By 1820 the city’s silk industry had been killed by imported Indian muslins. The world’s first passenger railway (The Crab and Winkle Way) was opened in 1830. During the First World War, 10,445 bombs dropped during 135 separate raids destroyed 731 homes and 296 other buildings. 119 civilian lives were lost through enemy action in the borough.

Canterbury culture & places

Landmarks

Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Surviving structures from Roman times include Queningate, a blocked gate in the city wall, and the Dane John Mound, once part of a Roman cemetery. The ruins of Norman Canterbury Castle have remained closed to the public since 2017 due to falling masonry.

Theatres

The city’s theatre and concert hall is the Marlowe Theatre. The Gulbenkian Theatre, at the University of Kent, also serves the city. The oldest surviving Tudor theatre in Canterbury is now the Shakespeare, formerly known as Casey’s.

Music

Polyphonic music written for the monks of Christ Church Priory (the cathedral) survives from the 13th century. The cathedral may have had an organ as early as the 12th century, though the names of organists are only recorded from the early 15th century. One of the earliest named composers associated with Canterbury Cathedral was Leonel Power, who was appointed master of the new Lady Chapel choir formed in 1438. The Reformation brought a period of decline in the cathedral’s music which was revived under Dean Thomas Neville in the early 17th century. Neville introduced instrumentalists into the cathedral’s music who played cornett and sackbut, probably members of the city’s band of waits. The cathedral acquired sets of recorders, lutes and viols for the use of the choir boys and lay-clerks. As was common in English cities in the Middle Ages, Canterbury employed a town band known as the Waits. There are records of payments to the Waits starting from 1402, though they probably existed earlier than this. The Waits were disbanded by the city authorities in 1641 for ‘misdemeanors’ but were reinstated in 1660 when they played for the visit of King Charles II on his return from exile. Waits were eventually abolished nationally by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. A modern early music group called The Canterbury Waits has revived the name. The Canterbury Catch Club was a musical and social club which met in the city between 1779 and 1865. The club (male only) met weekly in the winter. It employed an orchestra to assist in performances in the first half of the evening. After the interval, the members sang catches and glees from the club’s extensive music library (now deposited at the Cathedral Archives in Canterbury). The city gave its name to a musical genre known as the Canterbury Sound or Canterbury Scene, a group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians established within the city during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some very notable Canterbury bands were Soft Machine, Caravan, Matching Mole, Egg, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Gilgamesh, Soft Heap, Khan and In Cahoots. Over the years, with band membership changes and new bands evolving, the term has been used to describe a musical style or subgenre, rather than a regional group of musicians. During the 1970-80s the Canterbury ‘Odeon’ now the site of the ‘New Marlow’ played host to many of the Punk and new wave bands of the era including, The Clash, The Ramones, Blondie, Sham69, Magazine, XTC, Dr Feelgood, Elvis Costello and The Attractions, and The Stranglers. The University of Kent has hosted concerts by bands including Led Zeppelin and The Who. Ian Dury, front man of the 70s rock band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, taught Fine Art at UCA Canterbury and also performed in the city in the early incarnation of his band Kilburn and the High Roads. During the late seventies and early eighties the Canterbury Odeon hosted a number of major acts, including The Cure and Joy Division. The Marlowe Theatre is also used for many musical performances, such as Don McLean in 2007, and Fairport Convention in 2008. A regular music and dance venue is the Westgate Hall. The Canterbury Choral Society gives regular concerts in Canterbury Cathedral, specialising in the large-scale choral works of the classical repertory. The Canterbury Orchestra, founded in 1953, is a thriving group of enthusiastic players who regularly tackle major works from the symphonic repertoire. Other musical groups include the Canterbury Singers (also founded in 1953), Cantemus, and the City of Canterbury Chamber Choir. The University of Kent has a Symphony Orchestra, a University Choir, a Chamber Choir, and a University Concert Band and Big Band. The Canterbury Festival takes place over two weeks in October each year in Canterbury and the surrounding towns. It includes a wide range of musical events ranging from opera and symphony concerts to world music, jazz, folk, etc., with a Festival Club, a Fringe and Umbrella events. Canterbury also hosted the annual Lounge On The Farm festival in July, which mainly saw performances from rock, indie and dance artists. It was cancelled in 2015 and is yet to return. Composers with an association with Canterbury include Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585), became a lay clerk (singing man) at Canterbury Cathedral c. 1540 and was subsequently appointed a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1543. John Ward (1571–1638), born in Canterbury, a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, composed madrigals, works for viol consort, services, and anthems. Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625), organist, composer and Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, who died in Canterbury and was buried in the cathedral. William Flackton (1709–1798), born in Canterbury, a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, was an organist, viola player and composer. John Marsh (1752–1828), lawyer, amateur composer and concert organiser, wrote two symphonies for the Canterbury Orchestra before moving to Chichester in 1784. Thomas Clark (1775–1859), shoemaker and organist at the Methodist church in Canterbury, composer of ‘West Gallery’ hymns and psalm tunes. Sir George Job Elvey (1816–1893), organist and composer, was born in Canterbury and trained as a chorister at the cathedral. Alan Ridout (1934–1996) educator and broadcaster, composer of church, orchestral and chamber music. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016) was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral. Many Canterbury Cathedral organists composed services, anthems, hymns, etc.

Sport

St Lawrence Ground is notable as one of the two grounds used regularly for first-class cricket that have a tree within the boundary. It is the home ground of Kent County Cricket Club and has hosted several One Day Internationals, including one England match during the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Canterbury City F.C. reformed in 2007 as a community interest company and currently play in the Southern Counties East Football League. Canterbury RFC were founded in 1926 and became the first East Kent club to achieve National League status.

Canterbury geography / climate

Canterbury is in east Kent, about 55 miles (89 km) east-southeast of London. The city is on the River Stour, flowing from its source at Lenham north-east through Ashford to the English Channel at Sandwich. The geology of the area consists mainly of brickearth overlying chalk.

You can visit Canterbury places with Walkfo Canterbury to hear history at Canterbury’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Canterbury has 77 places to visit in our interactive Canterbury map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Canterbury, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Canterbury places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Canterbury & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 77 audio facts unique to Canterbury places in an interactive Canterbury map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Canterbury Places Map
77 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

---

–

Canterbury historic spots	Canterbury tourist destinations	Canterbury plaques	Canterbury geographic features
Walkfo Canterbury tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Canterbury

  

Best Canterbury places to visit

---

Canterbury has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Canterbury’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Canterbury’s information audio spots:

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fordwich The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a redundant Anglican church in the small town of Fordwich, Kent. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building. The church is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Marlowe Memorial The Marlowe Memorial is a statue and four statuettes erected in 1891 in Canterbury, England. The memorial comprises a bronze statue, The Muse of Poetry sculpted by Edward Onslow Ford. The statue is now situated outside the city’s Marlowe Theatre.

Old Palace, Canterbury The Old Palace, also known as the Archbishop’s Palace, is a historic building situated within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral. It is the main residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury when in Canterbury.

St Mildred’s Church, Canterbury The Church of Saint Mildred is a partly Anglo-Saxon stone church in Canterbury. It is the only surviving pre-Norman church within the former city walls. It has been a Grade I listed building since 1949.

Chair of St Augustine The Chair of St Augustine or Cathedra Augustini (Latin) is the ceremonial enthronement cathedra chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent.

Durovernum Cantiacorum Durovernum Cantiacorum was a town and hillfort (oppidum) in Roman Britain at the site of present-day Canterbury in Kent. It occupied a strategic location on Watling Street at the best local crossing of the Stour.

Canterbury Castle Canterbury Castle was one of the three original Royal castles of Kent (the other two being Rochester Castle and Dover Castle) It is a five-minute walk from Canterbury East Station and main bus station around City Wall.

St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury St Thomas of Canterbury Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Canterbury, Kent. It was built from 1874 to 1875 in the Gothic Revival style. It is situated on the corner of Burgate and Canterbury Lane, west of Lower Bridge Street.

Canterbury power station Canterbury power station supplied electricity to the City of Canterbury, Kent, England from 1900 to 1960. The small generating station was owned and operated by Canterbury Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Dane John Mound The Dane John Mound was converted into a motte-and-bailey castle in the 11th century. It was turned into a civic park between 1790 and 1803.

Visit Canterbury plaques