All change for almshouses and prison

Longport was part of the original Roman road from Richborough to Canterbury.

As it approached the city its route was diverted to the south in the late 11th century to allow for the Norman expansion and rebuilding of St Augustine’s Abbey. The original Roman route would have lined up with Church Street St. Paul’s and the abbey’s Cemetery Gate.

The first picture features the John Smith’s Almshouses and Nos. 37 to 44 Longport Street, as it was then known. It shows them in the aftermath of the June 1942 blitz, with sheets of tarpaulin covering the badly blast damaged roof. These eight tiny cottages were built in 1657, a date that can be seen on the Flemish-style gable end, nearest the camera.

In the mid 1960s, road widening and the provision of a pavement would eliminate the small, wall-enclosed front gardens. The eight homes have also since been re-ordered into four by architect and historian Anthony Swaine. The second photo shows part of the original Canterbury Prison complex being demolished by steel cable and bulldozer.

The date is September 1965 and the building was the prison’s reception block. Dating from 1808, this was the original gaolhouse block of what was then referred to as Canterbury Gaol and House of Correction. The prison had been built opposite the almshouses, on land that once belonged to St Augustine’s Abbey.

In the picture, the shape and size of the original cells can clearly be seen along the collapsing rear wall. A new reception and administration building was subsequently built on the site.

Part of the original prison being demolished in 1965

The Smith’s almshouses after the June 1942 blitz