Scheduled Monuments›England›Canterbury city walls

Canterbury city walls

England
List entry 1003554
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003554
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.28 hectares
Grid reference
TR 14845 58231, TR 14756 58232, TR 14918 58229, TR 15083 58210, TR 15102 58190, TR 14667 58160, TR 14598 58091, TR 14527 58022, TR 15220 58078, TR 15192 57675, TR 15067 57527, TR 14509 57426, TR 14590 57385, TR 14799 57350
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Canterbury city walls is a substantial circuit of medieval fortification surrounding the historic centre of Canterbury in Kent. The walls were constructed primarily during the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries, built upon foundations that often utilised earlier Roman stonework from the fourth-century defensive circuit that had previously encircled the Roman city of Durovernum. The surviving sections, notably the western and northern portions, comprise rubble-built masonry with an outer face of ashlar blocks, punctuated by several towers and gates which have been substantially rebuilt and modified through subsequent centuries. The walls remain among the most extensive surviving medieval urban fortifications in England and continue to define the topography of Canterbury's ancient core.

Canterbury city walls is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003554. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Canterbury city walls?

Canterbury city walls is a substantial circuit of medieval fortification surrounding the historic centre of Canterbury in Kent. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003554.

Who is responsible for protecting Canterbury city walls?

Canterbury city walls is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1003554.

What other scheduled monuments are near Canterbury city walls?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl Barrow 350M E.S.E. of Capel farm in Mounts Wood (7.8 km), Anglo-Saxon barrow field and prehistoric linear earthwork on Barham Downs (8.2 km), Bowl barrow, the easternmost of six in Eggringe Wood (8.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Canterbury city walls

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Canterbury city walls's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Bowl Barrow 350M E.S.E. of Capel farm in Mounts Wood
7.8 km
Anglo-Saxon barrow field and prehistoric linear earthwork on Barham Downs
8.2 km
Bowl barrow, the easternmost of six in Eggringe Wood
8.9 km
Bowl barrow, the northernmost of six in Eggringe Wood
8.9 km
Bowl barrow 400m north-east of Buckholt Farm in Mounts Wood
9 km
Bowl barrow 450m south-east of Thruxted Mill, one of six in Eggringe Wood
9.2 km
Bowl barrow, the westernmost of six in Eggringe Wood
9.5 km
Bowl barrow off Pennypot Lane, one of six in Eggringe Wood
9.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Canterbury city walls

Canterbury city walls stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Canterbury city walls

CanterburyRoman town · ~0.3 miles
Domesday entry for Northgate, Kent →
All Scheduled Monuments