Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury is a historic, cathedral city in Kent. Canterbury is a popular tourist destination and boasts many well-known historical sights such as Canterbury Cathedral.

Famously a site of pilgrimages Canterbury is well-known from The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written in Middle English (the predominant literary language in England from approximately 1300 to 1500 AD) by Geoffrey Chaucer (c1342-1400).

Canterbury is also a popular place for business, home to the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and Canterbury Technical College.

Canterbury has been occupied from Neolithic times (the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age being c10500 BC - c4000 BC) as evidenced by archaeological finds in Canterbury such as flint arrowheads and Bronze Age artefacts. Canterbury is thought to take its name from the Brythonic Cair Ceint meaning ‘Fort or City of the Legion’ which was its Roman name, probably due to it being a fortress during the invasion of Britain in AD 43.

Created: 30  October  2021  Edited: 29  November  2023

Canterbury

Local History around Canterbury

There are some historic monuments around including:

Hospital of St John the BaptistTower of St Magdalene's ChurchRoman remains on Marlowe car parkSite of church and graveyard of St Mary de CastroBowl barrow situated in the southern part of Iffin Wood, 100m east of New House LaneChristchurch Priory and Archbishop's PalaceRoman cist burials in Gorsley WoodMedieval wall of Black Prince's ChantryCity wall (site) and ditch on Rheims WayCity wall and bastion in Westgate GardensThe GuildhallAbbot's Mill and sluice at Blackfriars StreetConduit House, NE of Victoria married quarters, Military RoadBowl Barrow 350M E.S.E. of Capel farm in Mounts WoodBigberry campA pair of bowl barrows in Clowes WoodBlackfriarsPart of the Tyler Hill medieval pottery and tile industryArchbishop's Palace, BekesbourneHorton ChapelBowl barrow 400m north-east of Buckholt Farm in Mounts WoodGreyfriars, CanterburyCanterbury city wallsCanterbury CastleVacant land within Roman walls in Adelaide PlaceDane John Mound and Roman and medieval remains in Dane John GardenSt George's Church towerDovecote at Burnt House FarmAnglo-Saxon cemetery on Hanging Hill, Bridge, immediately south west of Watling StreetSite of St Radigund's HospiceBowl barrow situated in the northern part of Iffin Wood, 120m east of New House LaneSt Augustine's monastic conduit house, King's ParkDispersed medieval settlement remains and a Roman building immediately south west of St Cosmus and St Damian's ChurchRoman site, Butchery LaneSt Augustine's AbbeyA deserted medieval manorial settlement and associated earthworks in Iffin Wood.

Wildlife in and Around Canterbury

Mammals found in Canterbury

There have been 38 species of mammals recorded in the canterbury area.

(Nyctalus/Eptesicus agg.)
55 Khz Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
Badger (Meles meles)
Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)
Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
45 Khz Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
American Mink (Neovison vison)
Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus)
Brown Long-Eared Bat (Plecotus auritus)
Common Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius)

Tap here for more mammals found in and around Canterbury

Fish found in Canterbury

There have been 26 species of fish recorded in the canterbury area.

Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)
Bream (Abramis brama)
Brown Trout (Salmo trutta subsp. fario)
Bullhead (Cottus gobio)
Chub (Squalius cephalus)
Barbel (Barbus barbus)
Brook Lamprey (Lampetra planeri)
Brown/Sea Trout (Salmo trutta)
Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus)

Tap here for more fish found in and around Canterbury

Canterbury map

Canterbury UK Map