Founded by St Augustine of Canterbury shortly after he brought Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons in 597 AD, this ruined Benedictine abbey lies just outside the old city walls. Once one of the most important monasteries in England, it served as the burial place of the early archbishops and Kentish kings. Today its atmospheric foundations and walls form part of the Canterbury UNESCO World Heritage Site, marking the transition from the medieval city out onto the pilgrim road.
Highlights
- Ruined abbey founded by St Augustine in 598, resting place of Kentish kings
- Bede's tale of King Aethelberht meeting the Roman mission in the open air
- Norman church over 100 metres long begun by Abbot Scolland in the 1070s
- Abbot's lodgings converted into a royal palace for Anne of Cleves
- Quiet lawns with Bell Harry Tower rising on the skyline beyond
At a glance
| Period | Medieval (founded 598 AD) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 1 — Canterbury to Shepherdswell |
Take care
- Keep off the low, fragile ruin walls
- Watch the uneven ground among the foundations
History
After the Norman Conquest, Abbot Scolland of Mont Saint-Michel replaced the abbey's three Anglo-Saxon churches with a single Romanesque church over 100 metres long, begun in the 1070s. The monastery endured for over 940 years until 30 July 1538, when the last monks left at the Dissolution; a year later the abbot's lodgings were converted into a royal palace for Anne of Cleves. The site was quarried for stone and slowly decayed, until excavations from the 19th century revealed the ruins now cared for by English Heritage.
Myth & legend
Bede records that King Æthelberht insisted on receiving Augustine's Roman mission in the open air, wary lest the strangers work 'magical arts' upon him indoors. Won over, he let them preach freely, and the abbey Augustine founded became the hallowed resting place of Kent's early kings and archbishops.
Geology
The abbey ruins are a catalogue of Kentish geology: walls of flint nodules gathered from the surrounding chalk downs, mortar burnt from the chalk itself, and reused Roman bricks fired from local clays. Flint, silica that hardened in bands within the Late Cretaceous chalk, was for centuries the only durable stone this corner of England could supply on its own.
Wildlife & nature
The abbey's mown turf and ruined flint walls make a warm, dry habitat: house sparrows and starlings work the grass, wall-rue, pellitory and ivy-leaved toadflax root in the old mortar, and swifts and house martins hawk insects overhead through the summer. Herring gulls and jackdaws loaf on the higher wall tops.
The view
Ruined flint walls and column bases spread across quiet lawns just outside the city walls, with Bell Harry Tower rising on the skyline beyond — a calm counterpoint to the cathedral crowds.
Photography
Low morning or evening sun rakes across the ruins and throws long shadows over the footings; use fallen masonry as foreground and line up the cathedral tower in the distance.
When to visit
Spring and early autumn give green lawns and soft light; summer is pleasant but busier; the open site feels bleak in winter wind and rain, so choose a fair day if you can.
Getting there
The abbey lies a few minutes on foot from the cathedral, just outside the old city walls on Longport, directly on the walking route out of Canterbury towards Dover; both rail stations are walkable.
Where to stay
Sleep in Canterbury itself — B&Bs, guesthouses and summer student rooms are all close by; pilgrims with the credential typically stay in the city before setting out on the first stage.
Food & water
Carry water — there is no fountain among the ruins; cafes and shops back towards the city centre along Longport and Monastery Street are the nearest refreshment options.
Safety
Ruin walls are low and fragile — keep off the masonry and watch the uneven ground. In an emergency dial 999 or 112; for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.
Accessibility
The site is broadly level, but paths cross grass and gravel and the ruins have uneven footings; the museum area at the entrance is the easiest part underfoot.
Visitor tips
Visit early on the day you leave Canterbury, since the abbey sits on the route out of the city, and see it with the cathedral and St Martin's Church as one UNESCO ensemble; English Heritage manages the site.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
Leave the cathedral precincts by the Longport road and within a few minutes the crowds thin, the old city walls fall away behind you, and you come to a wide green field of ruins. This is St Augustine's Abbey, and for many walkers it is the true threshold of the Via Francigena: the last monument of Canterbury, and the first thing you pass on the way out of town. Begin with the man whose name it carries. In the year five hundred and ninety-seven a Roman monk called Augustine landed in Kent with a small band of companions, sent by Pope Gregory the Great to preach to the Anglo-Saxons. Bede tells us that King Aethelberht insisted on receiving these strangers in the open air, out under the sky, wary lest they work 'magical arts' upon him indoors. Whatever passed between them worked instead upon the king. He gave the mission his protection and a plot of ground outside his walls, and in five hundred and ninety-eight Augustine founded the abbey whose foundations now lie at your feet. For centuries this was one of the most important monasteries in England, and the hallowed resting place of Kent's early kings and of the first archbishops, laid to rest out here rather than in the cathedral. After the Norman Conquest, Abbot Scolland, brought over from Mont Saint-Michel, cleared the three small Anglo-Saxon churches that stood in a line on this spot and began, in the ten seventies, a single Romanesque church more than a hundred metres long. Trace its outline in the mown grass, the column bases, the sweep of the apse, and let the scale of it settle on you. It endured for over nine hundred and forty years. On the thirtieth of July, fifteen thirty-eight, the last monks walked out at the Dissolution, and within a year the abbot's lodgings had been converted into a royal palace for Anne of Cleves. After that the place became a quarry. Stone was carted off, walls slumped, orchards crept over the rubble, and the abbey slept until Victorian excavators began to uncover what you see today. Look closely at the fabric, because it is a catalogue of Kentish geology. The walls are packed with flint nodules gathered from the chalk downs all around, the mortar was burnt from that same chalk, and here and there you will spot slim red courses of Roman brick, robbed from older ruins and fired from local clay. Flint began as silica hardening in bands within a Late Cretaceous sea floor, and for centuries it was the only durable stone this corner of England could supply on its own. The ruins are far from lifeless. House sparrows and starlings work the turf, jackdaws and herring gulls loaf along the higher wall tops, and through the summer swifts and house martins hawk insects overhead. In the old mortar joints look for wall-rue, pellitory and the little lilac trumpets of ivy-leaved toadflax, rooted in gaps that masons closed eight hundred years ago. Then walk to the eastern end and turn back. Above the broken walls, Bell Harry Tower rises on the skyline, and the cathedral you left half an hour ago is already becoming a view. Keep off the fragile masonry, watch your footing among the foundations, and when you are ready, lift your pack. Augustine came all the way from Rome to this field. You are about to walk the other way. Go gently.
Common questions
How old is St Augustine's Abbey?
St Augustine's Abbey dates from the Medieval (founded 598 AD) period.
How do I get to St Augustine's Abbey?
The abbey lies a few minutes on foot from the cathedral, just outside the old city walls on Longport, directly on the walking route out of Canterbury towards Dover; both rail stations are walkable.
Is St Augustine's Abbey accessible?
The site is broadly level, but paths cross grass and gravel and the ruins have uneven footings; the museum area at the entrance is the easiest part underfoot.
When is the best time to visit St Augustine's Abbey?
Spring and early autumn give green lawns and soft light; summer is pleasant but busier; the open site feels bleak in winter wind and rain, so choose a fair day if you can.
Is there food and water at St Augustine's Abbey?
Carry water — there is no fountain among the ruins; cafes and shops back towards the city centre along Longport and Monastery Street are the nearest refreshment options.
Where can I stay near St Augustine's Abbey?
Sleep in Canterbury itself — B&Bs, guesthouses and summer student rooms are all close by; pilgrims with the credential typically stay in the city before setting out on the first stage.
What should I know before visiting St Augustine's Abbey?
Visit early on the day you leave Canterbury, since the abbey sits on the route out of the city, and see it with the cathedral and St Martin's Church as one UNESCO ensemble; English Heritage manages the site.
Is St Augustine's Abbey safe to visit?
Ruin walls are low and fragile — keep off the masonry and watch the uneven ground. In an emergency dial 999 or 112; for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.
Nearby on the route
Plan the visit
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