Attractions in Canterbury and Kent
Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Theatres
• Marlowe Theatre
• Gulbenkian Theatre, University of Kent
Cinemas
• Odeon
Gulbenkian Cinema, University of Kent
Zoos
• Wildwood Trust, Herne Bay
• Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
• Howletts Wild Animal Park
Local places of interest
• Whitstable - a rich maritime history and famous for its oysters; a working harbour bringing in the daily catch. The town has a rich alleyway network, used by smugglers as escape routes.T
• The Crab and Winkle Way - the old Canterbury to Whitstable railway line, forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 1.
• Herne Bay was founded in the early nineteen hundreds, a popular holiday destination for Londoners; wealthy London lady gave the town its 80ft Clock Tower; first pier erected in 1832 and by 1834 steamboats were using it to land over 40,000 visitors each year to the resort.
• Canterbury Tales - step back into the Middle Ages and experience Geoffrey Chaurcer’s Canterbury Tales and the pilgrims on their journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral.
Churches
• Canterbury Cathedral – the Mother church of the Anglican Communion; seat of the Archbishop; dates back to 597AD; stained glass which survived the bombing; 11th Century Crypt; 12th Century Quire; 14th Century Nave. In 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral.
• St Augustine’s Abbey - founded in 597AD by St Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory the Great as a missionary, and marking the rebirth of Christianity in southern England. Originally a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent, it is part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, along with the cathedral and St Martin's Church.
• St. Martin' Church - oldest Church in England still used for worship; private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent in the 6th Century before Augustine arrived from Rome; St. Augustine set up his mission here when he arrived from Rome to convert the English. For this reason it is sometimes called the first church of the Anglican Communion.
• Greyfriars Chapel - oldest Franciscan building in Britain; sole remains of Greyfriars Friary; the Chapel and house of the first Franciscan settlement in Britain.
Castles
• Canterbury Castle - established in the 1080s by the Normans; replaced an earlier motte and bailey fortification built at the nearby Dane John; stone keep largely constructed in the reign of Henry I (1100 - 1135) as one of three Royal castles in Kent; by 13th century the castle became the county gaol; castle enclosure re-used the Roman town wall as its southern boundary; some reused Roman material still seen in the far corner.
Museums
• The Eastbridge Hospital - for 800 years the Eastbridge has given shelter and help to pilgrims, soldiers, local societies and schoolchildren. For over 400 years it has provided a permanent home to a number of elderly people.
• The West Gate Towers Museum - has stood for six centuries on guard over the road to and from London; one of the best views of the City.
• Museum of Canterbury - a 21st century interactive museum - theme is the city itself and its often turbulent story.
• Rupert Bear Museum (at the Museum of Canterbury)
• Canterbury Roman Museum - underground at the level of the Roman town; mix of excavated real objects: authentic reconstructions; and preserved remains of a Roman town house with its famous mosaics.
• Canterbury Royal Museum and Art Gallery - Victorian building houses decorative arts and picture collections (Now closed for redevelopment, due to re-open in 2011).
• Whitstable Museum and Gallery – main themes Whitstable's coastal community and seafaring traditions; special features on oysters, diving and shipping.
• Herne Bay Museum and Gallery - modern museum highlights the history of the Victorian seaside resort of Herne Bay and its surrounding area, including finds from Reculver Roman fort.

