The River Stour runs through Westgate Gardens, Canterbury. The river skirts the route of the old city walls, and the stone towers of the city's west gate (still used by traffic) can be seen on the right. April 2003. Attribution: Michael Pead
  • Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years, The Guardian (Jul 18, 2022)
  • Laying the myths to rest: Canterbury crisis shows how desperate government policy and housebuilder attitudes are making homes unaffordable… and destroying our countryside, CPRE Kent (Feb 15, 2022)

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Canterbury ( (listen), ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion owing to the importance of St Augustine, who served as the apostle to the pagan Kingdom of Kent around the turn of the 7th century. The city's cathedral became a major focus of pilgrimage following the 1170 martyrdom of Thomas Becket, although it had already been a well-trodden pilgrim destination since the murder of St Alphege by the men of King Canute in 1012. A journey of pilgrims to Becket's shrine served as the frame for Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century classic The Canterbury Tales.

Canterbury is a popular tourist destination: consistently one of the most-visited cities in the United Kingdom, the city's economy is heavily reliant upon tourism. The city has been occupied since Paleolithic times and served as the capital of the Celtic Cantiaci and Jute Kingdom of Kent. Many historical structures fill the area, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey, the Norman Canterbury Castle, and the oldest extant school in the world, the King's School. Modern additions include the Marlowe Theatre and Kent County Cricket Club's St Lawrence Ground.

Canterbury has a substantial student population and one of the highest proportions of students to permanent residents in the country. Nevertheless, it remains relatively small when compared with other British cities.

Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]

Climate action[edit | edit source]

Networks

Biodiversity[edit | edit source]

Rewetting the Blean - BBC South East
Authors: Kent Wildlife Trust, Oct 19, 2021

Rewilding[edit | edit source]

  • Wilder Blean, wildwoodtrust.org, flagship wilding project launched by Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust, in part of the West Blean woods nature reserve, near Canterbury, which is in one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in the UK. added 17:42, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Environment quality[edit | edit source]

Maps

Cycling[edit | edit source]

National Cycle Routes 1 to Whitstable, and 18 to Chartham cross in the city.

Social inclusion[edit | edit source]

Catching Lives[edit | edit source]

Catching Lives is a charity based in Canterbury, England that assists rough sleepers, the homeless and those in insecure housing. It relies on donations, volunteers and fundraising within its local community. As of 2011, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was patron.

Catching Lives' Open Centre provides services such as meals, showers, laundry, clothing and a postal address to its clients. The staff and volunteers work with them to address issues they may have; get access to suitable accommodation, and find the motivation to take steps towards independent living.

The charity operates a winter night shelter in conjunction with local churches. 2016–2017 was its seventh season. The project opens church halls for Canterbury rough sleepers. Volunteers transport bedding, cook meals and welcome those who stay.

Other initiatives[edit | edit source]

  • Stream Walk Community Garden, Whitstable on Facebook

News and comment[edit | edit source]

2019

Whitstable named first plastic free town in Kent by conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage, Jan 11[1]

2017

Canterbury: Locations sought for electric charge points, Nov 24[2]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Past events[edit | edit source]

2014

August 25 Kent Festival of Bees, near Bridge, Canterbury

Campaigns[edit | edit source]

Near you[edit | edit source]

Ashford - Dover - Folkestone and Hythe - Swale - Thanet

See also[edit | edit source]

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External links[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

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