A chapel over the water
A 13th-century building on arches with the river running beneath, all that is left of England's first Franciscan house.
Randi Hausken from Bærum, Norway — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Michael Dibb — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ymblanter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean Marc Gfp — CC BY 3.0
A small stone building from the 1200s stands on arches over a branch of the River Stour, with water sliding beneath it as it has for roughly eight centuries. It is all that survives of Greyfriars, the first Franciscan house in England, founded by friars who reached Canterbury in 1224 while St Francis himself was still alive. When Henry VIII shut the religious houses the friary was surrendered in 1538 and the land passed to private owners, and this one building lived on only because it was pressed into service as a dwelling and, in the late 1700s, as a holding cell for prisoners awaiting transportation - almost everything except what it was built for. Restored in 1919, it still hosts a short service led by a Franciscan every Wednesday. The gardens cover an acre and a half behind old walls and are cared for by Eastbridge Hospital, the twelfth-century pilgrims' hospital next door. Expect an apple orchard and meadow, a cloister garth, a Victorian vinery, a riverside border, and benches close enough to the water to touch it; the friars grew herbs and medicinal plants on this ground, and the planting still nods to them. There is no cafe and no toilet on site, but bringing a picnic and sitting by the river is positively encouraged, and the ticket lets you leave and come back the same day. Be clear about what this is: not a headline sight but a 30 to 45 minute breather that rescues you from the St Peter's Street crowds in high summer. You enter through a little gift shop on that street, opposite the Old Weavers' House and next to Eastbridge Hospital, five minutes on foot from the cathedral and about ten from Canterbury West station. There is a 19cm step into the shop and it is the only way in; paths are grass and gravel, so a pushchair is awkward and a wheelchair harder still, and the chapel's upper room is up a flight of seventeen steps. The real season runs April to September: Wednesday to Saturday 11:00-16:00, Sunday 12:00-16:00, last entry 15:30, closed Monday and Tuesday. From October to March the gate opens only when the weather allows and to no fixed timetable, so do not build a winter day around it. Adults pay GBP 5, under-18s go free with up to four children per family, and the chapel is included. Pair it with Eastbridge Hospital and the Westgate for one easy riverside circuit.
A 13th-century building on arches with the river running beneath, all that is left of England's first Franciscan house.
Benches at the water's edge, an apple orchard and meadow and a Victorian vinery, minutes from the busiest street in town.
Run by Eastbridge Hospital, the twelfth-century pilgrims' hospital next door, with the Westgate just beyond, so walk all three in one go.
St Peter's Street, Canterbury CT1 2BE
The Beaney House of Art & KnowledgeOne of the handsomest frontages on Canterbury's High Street was paid for by a co2 minutes walk4.5
Westgate TowersMedieval Canterbury had seven gates; this is the one still standing, a pair of d3 minutes walk4.6
Canterbury Roman MuseumA few metres beneath the shoppers on Butchery Lane lies a Roman mosaic floor tha4 minutes walk4.4
Canterbury City WallsStep out of Canterbury East station and the first thing you meet is not the cath4 minutes walk4.8
Canterbury CathedralOn a winter evening in 1170 four knights walked into this building and killed Ar6 minutes walk4.7With a single day the cathedral comes first without argument; these gardens only follow if you want somewhere calm to sit by the water for an hour. Under-18s are free, up to four per family, so two adults pay about GBP 10 in total, but there is no cafe, no toilet and little to hold small children for long, so bring your own lunch and treat it as a picnic stop.
Do not count on it. From October to March the gate opens only when the weather allows and to no fixed timetable, and the site tells you to check its social media on the day. In Canterbury between November and February, treat it as shut and do not build an afternoon around it.