We love history, so we can't find anything not to like about St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury, England. We knew we'd come to the right spot when we found out just how important this site was to the development of Britain, but what we didn't expect was the added bonus of royal & religious graves & gossip, courtesy of our extremely knowledgeable guide - Steve.
For this particular site, I thoroughly recommend you watch our video of Steve, as he is going to give you the history in detail. His stories are entertaining, and really give you insight into the ins and outs of centuries of English life. In this blog I will give you a very quick rundown, but mostly I will concentrate on our Social Tourism Review. We rate the social good, economic impact, accessibility and traveller support, and the environmental impact of the site. So feel free to watch the video below, then flick back here for the written version of the review.
Steve's been volunteering at the Abbey post-Covid, and his ability to grasp the huge scope of events that happened here helped us get a true appreciation for a piece of land that has been important to the people of Canterbury since before recorded history.
The site is named after St Augustine, a seventh century abbot tasked with bringing Christianity back to Britain. After the Romans had left, pagan invaders were close to wiping out the young religion, so Pope Gregory 1 sent Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
What was actually happening on this land before Augustine arrived is a bit of a mystery, but whatever it was, it was important. Steve explained that there is reason to believe this site was significant in the time before civilizations started recording their history. There are sarsen stones on the site, and what could possibly be a prehistoric burial ground. Unfortunately it has never been excavated, but the evidence does suggest there was a sarsen stone monument here the like of that at Salisbury. But unlike Stonehenge, these stones are out in the open, and can be touched and appreciated up close.
That was one of the really special things we loved about this site, the fact that we could touch the stones and walk over the grounds where history was shaped and reshaped.
Augustine took his mission to Christianise England very seriously. He quickly started converting and educating the heathens, and seemed to be very good at his job. In fact, for two centuries after its founding, St Augustine's was the only important religious house in the kingdom of Kent. It was also a very important centre for education. Over time, the monks created an extensive library that included both religious and secular manuscripts, including the oldest book in England, Augustine's Gospels, mostly recently used in the Coronation of King Charles III.
But fancy books and education have never been where the money is. A far more profitable trade for the time was prayer, something an Abbey full of monks had a ready supply of. In it’s hey-day this ground was the place to have yourself buried, you could purchase your soul a nice spot in heaven, while the remains of your body continued to to pull in crowds of pilgrims, the Abbey’s main line of cash-flow.
History has a lot to teach us about human nature. St Augustine’s Abbey is a beautiful meeting ground for celebrity ghosts each with a story to tell. There is gossip about Anglo-Saxon royals (including one that tried to marry his step-mother), Kings that were burned alive by their subjects, and a rivalry between the Abbey and the Cathedral that involved the odd bit of body snatching. Steve talked us through all these stories while we walked around the remains of what in its time was an impressive and expensive architectural splendour.
By the 12th Century the Abbey was as grand as Augustine could have imagined it. It had survived invading Danes & Vikings, but things were about to change dramatically. The Normans were on their way.
They immediately saw the potential of the site and decided to make it their own. William the Conqueror confiscated the land for himself, and set about completely reconstructing the building to make it better fit the Norman style. By 1100, all the original buildings had disappeared, and had been replaced by Romanesque structures.
And like many an overseas corporate takeover, there was a change in personnel too - with the Normans bringing in their own men to take control of the locals. Neither the monks nor the townspeople took to their new overlords, and rioted in protest. Sadly it didn’t end well for them at all, and the Normans got their way. From 1250 onwards the Abbey saw massive growth in what has been called a time of "lavish expenditures" on new buildings, royal visits, and banquets with thousands of guests. The visitor centre at the Abbey has a wonderful VR display of the buildings and their development over time. Where did the money come from for this development? You guessed it, the continued sale of prayers and comfy coffins for rich people.
However, the Abbey still managed to get itself into large debt through all the expenses plus the huge levies they had to pay to the papacy back in the Vatican. While the extravagant spending and building was costly, it kept bringing in the celebrities, with royals deciding they didn’t have to wait to die to have their own place in the Abbey. The site became the AirBnB of its day for royals needing a stopover between England and France. In the video you’ll hear Steve list of the Kings, Queens, consorts and nobles that have holidayed in the Abbey over the centuries.
When Henry VIII set upon dissolving England’s monasteries, the monks of St Augustine could see 940 years of tradition coming to an end. The Abbey was surrendered to the King on 30 July 1538 and everything of value became property of the crown. But while Henry personally ordered the demolition of the abbey’s church, the abbot’s apartments were converted into a royal palace. Over the next few centuries it changed hands through a succession of nobles who each added their own twist, but it was mostly a downward spiral into ruin. By the late 18th, early 19th century the grounds were being used for cockfighting, an inn had been built, there was a poorhouse on the mediaeval cemetery and even a goal. Finally, in 1844, a saviour came along.
In 1989, UNESCO declared St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and St Martin’s Church a World Heritage Site, in recognition of their importance to the history of Christianity in England. Which leads me nicely into our Social Tourism Review, starting with our first star:
Social Good
We learnt a lot from this site, not just through Steve’s fabulous stories, but from the self-directed audio tour, the museum exhibits, and the Virtual Reality reconstruction of the buildings. Because the site is connected to so many important events in English history, there is a lot of information to take in, so you’ll need plenty of time, or a couple of visits to really appreciate it all. In terms of population groups - I would have been interested to learn more about the population on the fringes of the Abbey, what was the connection with the town of Canterbury, how did they take to having their pagan King converted? How were the Jewish population treated after the followed the Normans into Canterbury? Was there any role for women in the Abbey?
The guides are all volunteers from the community, each with their own wealth of knowledge. While most volunteer opportunities are more suited to locals who can make a regular time commitment, travellers might want to get in touch and offer their time to help keep the weeds under control. If you’re interested, follow this link to English Heritage’s volunteer opportunities.
Trea$ury
As a charitable organisation, English Heritage relies on its visitors to keep up the maintenance of over 400 historical sites across the UK. Darryl and I discovered English Heritage early in our trip to the United Kingdom, and absolutely recommend a membership for anyone travelling through the UK who is interested in history. It will not only introduce you to some wonderful sites, you’ll also save yourself a lot of money while supporting the important work of the trust and its volunteers.
Steve enjoys being able to host visitors as they roam the grounds and touch the history for themselves, so he wishes there was money to invest in ways to preserve the buildings while still allowing people to interact with the site. Financial Stability is a current priority for the trust. They are also currently investing in recruitment and development for their employees, and are trying to increase diversity in their recruitment. English Heritage thinks carefully about it’s supply change too. They take a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of Modern Slavery and coerced labour or human trafficking within their suppliers.
Accessibility
While English Heritage also tries to accommodate for visitor access needs, Augustine’s Abbey does present some limitations. The site is essentially a field, with some stone pathways, and wheelchair access is only possible in some areas. There is an audio guide with adjustable volume, but while you can touch the ruins, we didn’t see any information available in braille.
English Heritage have a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team who have set up networks to listen to and represent diverse voices such as ethnic Diversity, LGBTQ+, Gender Specific Issues, Faith and Belief, Age, Disability, Social Equity and Neurodivergence. They are members of the Disability Confident Scheme, the Stonewall Champions Programme, and the Business Disability Forum.
Relationships
With so many stories to tell the site is rich with learning, and the interactive features of the visitor centre make it a lot of fun. And yet it is still a relatively quiet place to visit, and doesn’t draw the crowds of the Cathedral, so you can enjoy a much more relaxed atmosphere. In fact the site continues to be a source of spirituality for current visitors. It is a very public place, and is still used by the community for religiously spiritual gatherings too, including a full Anglican service on St Augustine’s Day: 26 May. We were very lucky to be there on a day when a pilgrimage was taking place, and were able to witness a stream of worshippers singing as they entered the Abbey at the end of their journey.
Sustainability
Balancing the needs of visitors, while considering local wildlife and the conservation of rare historic plants is a complex business that English Heritage takes on with considerable care. Conservation is at the heart of what they do, and that includes looking after some extremely important biodiversity across the country. They can already see the consequences of climate change in the historic gardens they take care of, from increased carbon dioxide levels to average temperature changes and more frequent extreme weather. So at many of their sites they research through landscape and geophysical surveys, aerial photography, and remote sensing technology as well as excavation and the study of environmental archaeological evidence.
But at Augustine’s Abbey environmental care is a little simpler, with a relaxed natural approach to sustaining biodiversity. Steve explained that they try to keep the grass at a level that suits there “six legged friends” and don’t use pesticides or weed killers. And if you get your seasons right, you might enjoy the beautiful sight of swallows in formation overhead.
It seems those that have used the Abbey over centuries have always had a bit of a ‘sustainable’ approach, as can be witnessed in the walls. Steve talked us through the layers of natural materials that have been recycled over time by generations of builders.
Conclusion:
For history lovers, this is definitely a site to visit. We really enjoyed the stories, and just the overall feeling of being so free to roam and interact with a space so important to the development of England. If you are near Canterbury, we recommend you add it to your day, and join one of the volunteer guides to get the full appreciation of such a fabulous site.
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