Church

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral in the Precincts, Canterbury, is a Grade I listed building and the metropolitical church of the Archbishop of Canterbury, part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, in the Diocese of Canterbury.

Location
Canterbury, Kent
Country
England
County
Kent
City / town
Canterbury
Address
The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2EH
Postcode
CT1 2EH
Built
Crypt C11; choir 1175–84; nave 1378–1410; SW tower 1424–34; Bell Harry 1494–1503; NW tower 1832–41
Consecrated
602 (St Augustine reconsecrated the earlier church)
Architect
William of Sens; William the Englishman
Denomination
Church of England
Dedication
Christ
Diocese
Canterbury
Parish
Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury
Grade
I
Style
Romanesque and Gothic
Materials
Caen stone
Grid reference
TR 151 579
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (last admission at 4pm). Sunday 12.30pm to 5pm (last admission at 4pm). Ticket prices can be found on the Cathedral website.
Access
Accessible toilets in church. Level access to the main areas

Overview

Historic England lists Christchurch Cathedral, The Cathedral Precincts, Grade I on 3 December 1949 (NHLE 1336823). The list description records an original church on the site built for Roman Christians, reconsecrated by St Augustine in 602. The present building is a mixture of styles from the eleventh century to the present; the exterior is mainly Caen stone. Most of the eastern stonework dates from 1175–84, built by William of Sens and William the Englishman, or from the late fourteenth- to mid-fifteenth-century rebuilding. The south-west tower was built in 1424–34; the north-west tower is a replica of 1832–41; the central Bell Harry tower of brick faced with stone was built in 1494–1503. The seven-bay nave with clerestory was built between 1378 and 1410. There is a ten-bay early Romanesque crypt and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Undercroft. Listing NGR: TR1511457922. The cathedral forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church”.

Further Information