Westgate Gardens

Overview
Historic Connections
Photos
Nearby attractions
Accommodation

Westgate Gardens A small, attractive garden along the banks of the River Stour, at the west end of the old city walls of Canterbury. At the northern end of the gardens is the historic West Gate to the city.

At the south end of the gardens is Tower House, an early Victorian building owned by the City Council. This was formerly owned by Catherine Williamson, the first female mayor of Canterbury. After her death the house was presented to the city, and it now houses the Mayor's offices.

The gardens follow the course of the Roman city wall. There are no traces of the wall today, for during the Civil War the walls were destroyed and the stone plundered for building projects.

During the summer months visitors can take punt trips along the River Stour from a slipway across from the garden.

In the gardens is an old medieval archway which may have been brought here from the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey.

A plaque in the garden marks the site of the old Roman London Gate.

History
This stretch of land along the Stour has a long history as a garden; in the 15th century there were no less than 5 gardens and a hay meadow here. There was constant bickering and several court cases between the residents and the Prior of Christ Church over ownership of the land.

In 1500 the Mayor and residents siezed the area by force. They were charged and tried before the Court of Star Chamber. The mayor and his adherents made sure of winning their case by spending lavishly to bribe lawyers, and the case was decided in the city's favour!

In 1641 Cromwell's army destroyed the last surviving bit of city wall within the garden.
Westgate Grove, Canterbury, Kent, England

About Westgate Gardens
Attraction Type: Garden
Location: Immediately beside West Gate Towers at the west end of High Street. The gardens are open from dawn until dusk daily.
Website: Westgate Gardens
Phone: 01227 862000
Location map
OS TR145580

Heritage Highlight: The garden follows the course of the Roman walls of Canterbury
Heritage Rating: ?

We've 'tagged' this attraction information to help you find related historic attractions and learn more about major time periods mentioned.

More about these Historic Time Periods:

Roman
Medieval
Victorian

Find other attractions tagged with:

Roman (Time Period) - Medieval (Time Period) - Victorian (Time Period) - Civil War (Architecture) - Cromwell (Person) -

Sorry, we don't have any photos of Westgate Gardens to share (yet!).

Heritage Rated from 1- 5 (low-exceptional) on historic interest

Nearest Attractions

Canterbury West Gate Tower - 0 miles (Historic Building)

House of Agnes - 0.1 miles (Historic Building)

Old Weavers House - 0.1 miles (Historic Building)

Canterbury Historic River Tours - 0.1 miles (Family Attraction)

Greyfriars Chapel and Franciscan Garden - 0.1 miles (Historic Building)

Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas - 0.2 miles (Abbey)

Blackfriars - 0.2 miles (Historic Building)

Canterbury, St Peter's church - 0.2 miles (Historic Church)

Nearest Towns and Villages

Canterbury - 1.1 miles away

Fordwich - 2.4 miles away

Chilham - 5.5 miles away

Whitstable - 5.9 miles away

Godmersham - 7 miles away

Wye - 9.1 miles away

Barfreston - 10.7 miles away

Lyminge - 11.4 miles away

Nearest Accommodation to Westgate Gardens

Self Catering - B&Bs/Guesthouses - Hotels

	Kent Travel Guide - Attractions - Westgate Gardens Places to go in Kent and the UK.

Travel Guides : England \| Scotland \| Wales \| London \| Accommodation \| History		Site Map

History, Travel, and accommodation information

More about these Historic Time Periods:

Find other attractions tagged with:

Nearest Accommodation to Westgate Gardens

Nearest Self Catering Cottages

Nearest Hotels

Nearest Bed and Breakfasts