Eastbridge Hospital

Canterbury


A ‘place of hospitality’ for pilgrims, soldiers and the elderly since 1180, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr is the last of many such buildings still open to the public. It’s worth a visit for the Romanesque undercroft and historic chapel. The 16th-century almshouses, still in use, sit astride Britain’s oldest road bridge, dating back more than 800 years.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Canterbury attractions

1. Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

0.04 MILES

This mock-Tudor edifice is the grandest on the main shopping thoroughfare, if not the most authentic. Formerly called the Royal Museum & Art Gallery, it…

2. Greyfriars Chapel

0.09 MILES

You’ll find Greyfriars Chapel in serene riverside gardens behind Eastbridge Hospital. The first monastery built in England by Franciscan monks in 1267,…

3. Canterbury Tales

0.13 MILES

This ambitious, overpriced three-dimensional interpretation of Chaucer’s classic tales using jerky animatronics and audioguides is certainly entertaining,…

4. West Gate Towers

0.16 MILES

The city’s only remaining medieval gateway (1380) houses a museum that focuses on the building’s use as a prison. The views from the top are pretty good,…

5. Roman Museum

0.16 MILES

This fascinating subterranean archaeological site gives an insight into Canterbury’s everyday life almost two millennia ago. Visitors can stroll a…

6. Canterbury Cathedral

0.2 MILES

A rich repository of more than 1400 years of Christian history, Canterbury Cathedral is the Church of England’s mother ship, and a truly extraordinary…

7. St Augustine’s Abbey

0.44 MILES

An integral but often overlooked part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, St Augustine’s Abbey was founded in AD 597, marking the rebirth of…

8. St Martin’s Church

0.66 MILES

This stumpy little building just off the road from Canterbury to Sandwich is thought to be England’s oldest parish church in continuous use. It’s also…