St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury, Kent England

Walking the grounds of the ancient St Augustine's Abbey makes English history come alive thanks to the preservation of these historic structures and an onsite museum.

St Augustine's Abbey is part of the World Heritage site, which includes St Martin's Church and Canterbury Cathedral.

A short video clip showing the grounds of St Augustine's Abbey.

The Romans brought Christianity to Britain but the local Anglos-Saxon tribes worshipped other gods. According to the storyboards at St Augustine's Abbey, Pope Gregory I was influenced to send Augustine to England when he saw the plight of pagan English children sold in a slave market. Augustine arrived in 597.

Augustine was received by Queen Bertha who was a Christian and worshipping at nearby St Martin's church. She appears to have encouraged her husband, King Ethelbert, to donate the land, which became the first monastic site now known as St Augustine's Abbey. He also supported St Martin's church where St Augustine began his missionary efforts and provided the land for Canterbury Cathedral.

Following the Norman invasion of 1066, the abbey was modified in the Norman style. A wall and outline remains.

Normal church ruins in 2023
St Augustine's Abbey

Signs mark the locations where regional kings and religious leaders were buried.

In the 600s, St Mary's church was built near Augustine's original church. Around 1050, Abbot Wulfric began building a circular tower to join the two churches. The remains of this tower are depicted below.

Wulfric's Tower c 1050
Geoffrey Sutton 2023

The monks had their own burial site. Below are the ruins of their crypt, which was part of a new Norman church of 1091.

The Crypt

The site of the tombs for early archbishops is covered by a roof.

Other monastic structures are identified by informative signboards.

Outline of dining hall site
St Augustine's Abbey 2023
Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com

Cloister and Scriptorium site
St Augustine's Abbey 2023
Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com

Lady chapel and crypt
St Augustine's Abbey 2023
Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com

The experience is enhanced by a museum containing a history of the site on illustrated storyboards and some archaeological discoveries.

The following example describes the building of the abbey.

The glass-enclosed case includes finds from the burial of an abbot.

Dissolution

Following the divorce of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon, the king made himself the head of the Church of England. Eventually, the monasteries became the property of the government (the crown).

Notes on St Augustine's Abbey

Based on my April 2023 visit

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The site is maintained by English Heritage.

There is an entrance fee.

Entry is free for English Heritage members.

An audio guide is included with the entrance fee; however, it did not work for all of the sites.

The museum is small but informative and includes a gift shop and toilets.

The museum also includes child-friendly activities.

The grounds are well-maintained and provide a nice opportunity for a walk and a picnic lunch.

Google map of St Augustine's Abbey

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Related sites

Canterbury Cathedral

St Martin's Church - England oldest active church

A resource book on Canterbury