Description of the city
THE APPEARANCE of the city of Canterbury, from
whatever part you approach it, is beautiful, and equals
the most sanguine expectation. The magnificent tower
of the cathedral, for symmetry and proportion hardly
to be paralleled, strikes the eye as the principal object
of admiration; after which, it is directed to the tower
of king Ethelbert, and the other stately ruins of St.
Augustine's monastery, the steeples and towers of the
several parish churches, the towers of St. George'sgate, and of West-gate, the Old Castle, the river Stour,
meandering through the fertile meads, the rich plantations of hops on every side, the fine appearance of
Hales-place, the view of St. Martin's hill and church,
and the royal cavalry barracks; and lastly the surrounding hills encircling the whole, all together combining to form a prospect so pleasing, as is hardly to be
exceeded any where for the extent of it.
The city of Canterbury is of an oval shape. It is
within its walls about half a mile from east to west, and
somewhat more from north to south. The circumference of its walls is not quite a mile and three-quarters; it has four large suburbs, situated at the four
cardinal points. The western part of the city may be
called an island, being incircled by two branches of the
river Stour, which divides just above it, and unites
again at a small distance below it, the road through the
city passing over two bridges, the one at Westgate,
the other at Kingsbridge. Here are several corn and
other mills on the river. Besides the streams of the
Stour, the city is supplied with plenty of excellent water, which flows from two springs rising, the one among
the ruins of St. Augustine's monastery, and the other
on St. Martin's hill; for the dispensing of which there
are several public conduits in the principal streets of the
city; (fn. 1) and there is a strong chalybeat water in the wes
tern part of it. (fn. 2) Within the precinct of the cathedral,
the inhabitants there enjoy likewise the benefit of most
excellent water, brought in pipes from two springs,
which arise in the North Holmes, about a quarter of a
mile north-east of the city.
From the river the ground rises with a gentle ascent
towards the east. The parish churches and the remains of the several religious houses are interspersed
in different parts of the city; at the north-east part of
it is the precinct of the cathedral, being in size something more than three quarters of a mile in circuit,
and nearly of a quadrangular form; adjoining to the
north west side of it is the precinct of the archbishop's
palace.
There are four principal streets, where, as well as
in the other parts of the city, though the houses are in
general antient, yet the fronts of them have been so far
modernized, as to make a chearful and sightly appearance. The High-street, through which the way leads
from London to Dover, crosses the middle of the city
eastward, and is a fine street, of considerable width, being half a mile in length, in which are the church of
Holy Cross Westgate, (fn. 3) Kingsbridge hospital, All Saints
church, two of the principal inns, and the guild or
court hall, as it is usually called, of the city, situated in
the middle of this street, as the fittest and most conveof them, was pulled down in 1754, and the reservoir for the
water was placed in the upper part of the two towers of St.
George's gate.
nient place for it. It is a very handsome commodious
building, for the several purposes it is intended for. In
the hall, on each side, there hang some match-locks,
brown-bills, and other old weapons; and at the upper
end, where the court of justice is kept, there are several portraits, most of them whole lengths; one of which
over the mayor's seat, being that of queen Anne; the
others being of those who have been benefactors to
the city, and underneath each is some account of their
donations. In the middle of the hall, is a handsome
brass branch for candles, given by Sir Thomas Hales,
bart. and Thomas Knight, esq. (fn. 4)
In the street, close to the court hall, is a public water
cock, with an inscription, commemorating that Sir
John Hales, bart. brought the excellent water of it
from St. Austin's into this city, at his own expence, in
1733; which generous benefaction was continued by
his descendant Sir Edward Hales, bart. in 1754.
Beyond this, in the same street, are St. Mary Bredman's church, the public assembly-rooms, (fn. 5) the cornmarket, (fn. 6) the meat-market or shambles, (fn. 7) and St.
George's church; nearly opposite to the corn-market,
is the new-built church of St. Andrew, and on the same
side eastward, the mansion of the White Friars.
The middle of the High-street is crossed by two
streets; along that to the southward, called St. Margaret's, and Castle street beyond it, the high road leads
by the castle and the suburb of Wincheap, to the town
of Ashford; in the former is St. Margaret's church,
and not far from it, on the opposite side of the street,
a handsome house called the Whitfield-house, from its
having been for many years the residence of the family
of Whitfield, a branch of those of Tenterden, in this
county; of whom John Whitfield, esq. died possessed
of this house in 1691, whose descendants resided here
till his great grandson John Whitfield, esq. (fn. 8) alienated it
to John Jackson, esq. (fn. 9) an alderman of the city, who
resided in it till his death in 1795; after which it was
sold by his devisees to G Gipps, esq. who again conveyed it to Mrs. Lydia Frend, who occupied it as a
boarding school for young ladies. She is since deceased, and it now belongs to Mr. Thomas Frend, and
still continues to be occupied for the like purpose.
At the end of St. Margaret's street, where formerly
was an iron cross, are four vents or streets. That strait
forward leads to the Old Castle and the county sessions
house, whence the road continues through Wincheap
to Ashford. That to the right leads to Stour-street,
at the end of which is St. Mildred's church; and that
to the left or eastward leads to the Dunjeon, through
the scite of the antient Ridingate over the Roman
Watling-street, towards Dover, and by a branch from
it southward, to Hythe and Romney Marsh, over the
Stone-street way.
On this road, at a very small distance from St. Margaret's street, before you come to the Dunjeon and Ridingate, is a large capital mansion-house, formerly the
property and residence of the family of Man, who were
possessed of the aldermanry of Westgate, held of the
crown in king Henry III's reign, from which time
they continued resident in this city. In Henry VIII.'s
reign, John Man, gent. was of Canterbury, as appears
by his deed dated in the 8th year of it, sealed with his
coat of arms, which was, Or, a chevron ermine, between
three lions rampant-guardant, sable. His great-grandson William Man, esq. resided in this parish of St.
Mary Bredin, (the church of which is situated close to
the gardens of this house northward) whose son Sir
Charles Man, anno I Charles I. built this mansion,
which has a most respectable appearance; at length,
after it had continued in his descendants till the latter
end of the last century, (fn. 10) it was alienated by one of them
to the family of Denew, which had resided at Staplegate in this city for many descents; one of whom, Nathaniel Denew, resided here, and dying in 1720, (fn. 11) left
it to his widow Dorothy, eldest daughter of Sir Abraham Jacob, of Dover, and she alienated it to Capt.
Humphry Pudner, who died possessed of it in 1753, (fn. 12)
upon which it passed by his will to his daughter Katherine, wife of Thomas Barrett, esq. of Lee, in this
county, whom she survived, and afterwards sold it to
Mrs. Cecilia Scott, of the family of Scott's hall, who
resided in it, and dying unmarried in 1785, devised it
by her last will to her brother William Scott, esq. of
Blendon-hall, in Bexley, in this county, who afterwards
removed hither, and now resides in it.
To return to the High-street, where, on the northern side, opposite to St. Margaret's-street, is a narrow way called Mercery-lane, antiently le mercerie, no
doubt from that trade having been principally carried
forward in it; the houses of it are the most antient of
any in the city, each story of them projecting upwards,
so as almost to meet at top; the west side of it being
the scite of one of those antient inns, which Chaucer
mentions as frequented by the pilgrims in his time. (fn. 13)
This lane leads to the entrance into the precincts of
the cathedral, the principal gate of which is opposite to
it. Hence to the eastward, and parallel with the Highstreet, is Burgate-street, (fn. 14) through which the high road
leads to Deal and Sandwich. In this street is the market place, recently built by the corporation, in an elegant airy stile, for poultry, butter, and garden-stuff, (fn. 15)
and further eastward, St. Mary Magdalen's church.
From the end of Mercery-lane, opposite to Burgate-street, the street leads through that of St. Alphage
northward towards Northgate, through which the high
road leads to the island of Thanet. On the east side
of Palace-street, is the precinct of the Archbishop's palace, and opposite to it St. Alphage church; a little
distance behind which is the precinct of the Black
Friars; all which will be further mentioned in their
proper places; I shall only notice further, that not far
northward from the latter, stood a small house, the
property of the Templars, (fn. 16) and one likewise formerly
belonging to the chaplains of the chantry of Edward
the black prince, (fn. 17) the scite of which has been for many
years known by the name of the Mint, from its being
esteemed a privileged place, under the controul of the
board of green cloth.
THE SUBURBS without the walls of the city are very
extensive; that of St. Dunstan's, westward of the city,
through which the high road leads to Whitstaple and
London, is in a strait line with the High-street of the
city, being a broad and handsome approach to it, and
is within the jurisdiction of the county of Kent. A description of it has already been given in the History of
the county. The suburb without Northgate, through
which the road leads to the Isle of Thanet, was till
of late but meanly built and inhabited; it is now
much improved in buildings, In this suburb, near the
city wall, is a fine spring of water, called St. Radigund's bath, built over and sitted for cold bathing. In
the altering of a very antient house near the bath some
time since, some hollows or pipes were discovered, carried along in the thickness of an old stone wall, which
seemed a contrivance for heating the room in former
times, and making a sudatory or sweating room of it.
This estate of St. Radigund's is now held under a lease
from the corporation, by James Simmons, esq. who
has greatly improved it, as well as the cold bath, which
he has much enlarged. In this suburb are the hospitals of St. John, and of Jesus, usually called Boys's
hospital, and the remains of St. Gregories priory. The
suburb towards the south, called Wincheap, through
which the high road leads to Ashford, is much better
built, though not so populous; great part of the western side is in the parish of Thanington, and county of
Kent; at the south extremity of it are the remains of
the hospital of St. Jacob. The last suburb remaining to
be mentioned, is, that on the eastern side of the city,
by far the largest of them, through which the high road
leads to Sandwich, Deal, Dover and Romney Marsh.
That to Sandwich and Deal, passes from Burgate
along St. Paul's, where is the church of that name,
along the borough of Longport, where the way or
street is remarkably wide and spacious, being the
highest ground and esteemed the most pleasant and
healthy of any part within the city, or without. On
the north side of it is the wall which bounds the precinct of St. Augustine's abbey, on which the Kent
and Canterbury hospital is built, and on the opposite
side the mansion of Barton. Hence the road continues through the borough of Longport, to St. Martin's parish; on the south side at the bottom of the
hill is a good house, which, as appears by the wills in
the Prerog-office, has been in the possession of the family of Austen, branched off from those of Adisham,
ever since queen Elizabeth's reign, and continued so
down to Mr. John Austen, lately deceased; it is now
inhabited by William Hougham, sen. esq. who married Mr. Austen's sister; partly up the hill, on the
opposite side is St. Martin's church, and a little above
it a good gentleman's house; it was formerly the residence of the family of Wylde, who remained owners
of it, till Sir John Wylde, then of the precincts of
the archbishop's palace, conveyed it in 1634 to
Cheney Ebourne, merchant, of St. Martin's, who in
1653, alienated it to Sir Henry Palmer, late of Howlets, but then of Covent-garden, in Middlesex, who
died possessed of it in 1659, and gave it to Anne his
wife, and she, previous to her re-marriage with Sir
Philip Palmer, settled it on her three daughters, Eliza,
who married James Smith, gent. Mabella, who married William Glover, vicar of Burnham, in Buckinghamshire, and Priscilla; the two latter of whom conveyed their shares in it afterwards to Mr. James
Smith, above-mentioned, who then became entitled
to the whole of it, which in 1677 he sold to Thomas
Conyers, gent. whose daughter Mary carried it in
marriage to John Wilson, gent. of Canterbury, and
they in 1694 joined in the sale of it to the Rev. Owen
Evans, rector of St. Martin's. He died in 1742,
having been rector of that church fifty years. He
married first Anne, daughter of John Whitfield, esq.
of Canterbury, by whom he had no issue; and 2dly,
Frances, daughter of Dr. Martin Lister, physician to
queen Anne, whom he left surviving, as well as a
daughter Frances by her, and they joined in the sale
of it to Charles Pyott, esq. of the city of Canterbury,
who resided here and died possessed of it in 1789, (fn. 19)
leaving by his first wife an only daughter and heir
Anne, whose husband Robert-Thomas Pyott, esq. is
now, in her right, in the possession of it.
About half a mile further beyond the summit of
the hill, is Stone-house, the property of Mr. William
Hammond. (fn. 18)
The remaining part of this suburb southward lies
without St. George's-gate, near which, on the right
hand, close under the city wall, where formerly was
the city ditch, a market is held on a Saturday weekly,
for the sale of all kinds of cattle. Hence the high
road divides that which leads strait forward towards
Dover, being newly made through part of Barton
field; on the sides of which there have been built several genteel houses, now called St. George's place;
and the other which turns south-eastward, in a circular rout by Oaten-hill, where was formerly the place
of execution for criminals, and St. Sepulchre's priory,
falls in with the old road coming from the antient
Riding-gate, on the Watling-street way, leading towards Dover, and likewise to Hythe and Romney
Marsh. On the south side of this road, about half a
mile from the city, is a seat, formerly the hospital of
St. Laurence, now the property and residence of Mrs.
Graham.
Since the commencement of the present war, there
have been erected for the military several ranges of
barracks in and near the city. Near the northern
suburbs, on the Margate road, opposite Barton mill,
there were erected in 1794 the royal cavalry barracks,
for a compleat regiment, on land purchased of Sir
Edward Hales, by the board of ordnance. They are
substantially built of brick, elegant and spacious,
forming three sides of a quadrangle, and are said to
have cost about 40,000l. The barracks for the infantry are private property, and were built in 1798
and 1799, by Messrs. Baldock and Delasaux, to contain near 2000 men. The situation of both is pleasant and healthy, the soil being dry, though well supplied with excellent water.
There are besides these, temporary barracks in different parts of the city, for detachments of the royal
artillery, for two regiments of cavalry, and a proportionate number of infantry. The southern district
comprizes Kent, Sussex, and Suny. The depository
for the cannon, ammunition, and ordnance stores of
the royal artillery, is in a field adjoining to the old
Dover road, at the corner of Nackington-lane.