Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Historic city site set for restoration ahead of reopening
New riverside path part of gardens project
Work is underway to enhance and develop one of the city centre’s most historic settings into a more engaging visitor attraction.
The trustees of the Eastbridge, which comprises the former hospital, the Greyfriars Chapel and the Franciscan Gardens, have commissioned the restoration of the gardens, including a new riverside path.
The site has huge historical significance, being the first Franciscan settlement in the UK in 1224. Currently closed to the public, the gardens are now being redesigned and planted to better reflect their medieval origin in preparation for a summer reopening.
Trustees say visitors will discover peaceful paths, ancient walls, symbolic planting and the beautiful Greyfriars Chapel on a “contemplative journey” that reinterprets the former monastic way of life and successive
horticultural legacies. They are also advertising for a visitor attraction manager, who will be based at the Franciscan shop in St Peter’s Street, which will become the new entrance to the gardens.
The chapel is the only building now remaining of the first English Franciscan Friary built in 1267, 43 years after the first friars settled in Canterbury, during the lifetime of St Francis of Assisi.
The Eastbridge, or the Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr, Eastbridge, to give it its full name, was never a traditional medical hospital but founded in the 12th century to offer shelter and hospitality for pilgrims visiting the tomb of St Thomas Becket. For the last 400 years, it has been almshouses, providing a permanent home to a number of elderly people.
Clerk and receiver to the Eastbridge Hospital Nicholas Andrews said: “Much new planting has been undertaken this winter and will continue over the next few years under the direction of our expert horticulturist, Sarah Morgan. “The gardens are the site of the first Franciscan monastery in England in 1224 AD, so have international interest also. “We are presently setting up an online booking system which will link with our new website, www.franciscangardens.org.uk. “We shall also continue to encourage use of the gardens for special events such as performances of plays and festivals, provided they are in keeping with the trustees desire to preserve the peacefulness and uniqueness of this site.”