Castle became world’s biggest coal bunker

Canterbury Castle hasn’t always been the tidy ruin we see today. For many years, before the Second World War, it had been so little-regarded as to have served as a coal or coke store for the adjacent gas works. In fact, Thomas Ingoldsby wrote about this noble structure’s ignominious fate in one of his famous legends.

Of course, in order to become the world’s biggest coal bunker, the old castle keep had to be adapted for the purpose. Therefore, in the early years of the nearby gas works, the upper storey of the castle was demolished, as was the internal cross-wall. Imagine that Canterbury Castle was once closer in appearance to the grand edifice at Rochester than the unfortunate medieval stump we see today. At one stage though, complete demotion had been briefly considered.

The first picture comes from a survey undertaken in the autumn of 1932. It was taken by Mr Mann of the City Council’s surveyor’s department; presumably, without the use of a hard hat or safety harness. The grim buildings of the gasworks can just be seen beyond the castle’s north wall. The survey was, not only to assess the state of the surviving structure, but also to clear the castle precincts of most of the later structures, so that it could be seen unobstructed.

One of the buildings destined for demolition in the 1930s clearance programme was the Norman Castle Hotel, see here from behind in about 1930. This small hotel was run by William Fagg. Note that the establishment was tightly squeezed between the castle keep, left, and the city wall, right.

An open grassy area can be found here today.

The careworn castle, as it was in 1932

The doomed Norman Castle Hotel, at about the same time