Canterbury Cathedral

The group of buildings devoted to monastic life included two cloisters. The great cloister was surrounded by the buildings essentially connected with the daily life of the monks: the church to the south, with the refectory placed as always on the side opposite, the dormitory, raised on a vaulted undercroft, and the chapter-house adjacent, and the lodgings of the cellarer, responsible for providing both monks and guests with food, to the west. A passage under the dormitory led eastwards to the smaller or infirmary cloister, appropriated to sick and infirm monks.

Priors of Christ Church Priory included John of Sittingbourne (elected 1222, previously a monk of the priory) and William Chillenden, (elected 1264, previously monk and treasurer of the priory). The monastery was granted the right to elect their own prior if the seat was vacant by the pope, and – from Gregory IX onwards – the right to a free election (though with the archbishop overseeing their choice). Monks of the priory have included Æthelric I, Æthelric II, Walter d'Eynsham, Reginald fitz Jocelin (admitted as a confrater shortly before his death), Nigel de Longchamps and Ernulf. The monks often put forward candidates for Archbishop of Canterbury, either from among their number or outside, since the archbishop was nominally their abbot, but this could lead to clashes with the king or pope should they put forward a different man – examples are the elections of Baldwin of Forde and Thomas Cobham.

14th and 15th centuries

thumb|right|Quire screen

Early in the 14th century, Prior Eastry erected a stone quire screen and rebuilt the chapter house, and his successor, Prior Oxenden inserted a large five-light window into St Anselm's chapel.

The cathedral was seriously damaged by the 1382 Dover Straits earthquake, losing its bells and campanile.

Plan of Canterbury Cathedral showing the complex ribbing of the Perpendicular vaulting in the [[nave and transepts]]

thumb|right|View from the northwest [[Wiktionary:circa|circa 1890–1900.]]

From the late 14th century the nave and transepts were rebuilt, on the Norman foundations in the Perpendicular style under the direction of the noted master mason Henry Yevele. In contrast to the contemporary rebuilding of the nave at Winchester, where much of the existing fabric was retained and remodeled, the piers were entirely removed, and replaced with less bulky Gothic ones, and the old aisle walls were completely taken down except for a low "plinth" left on the south side.

The Cathedral reverted to its previous status of 'a college of secular canons'. According to the cathedral's own website, it had been a Benedictine monastery since the 900s. The New Foundation came into being on 8 April 1541. The shrine to St Thomas Becket was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII and the relics lost.

In around 1576, the crypt of the cathedral was granted to the Huguenot congregation of Canterbury to be used as their Church of the Crypt.

In 1642–1643, during the English Civil War, Puritan iconoclasts led by Edwin Sandys (Parliamentarian) caused significant damage during their "cleansing" of the cathedral. Included in that campaign was the destruction of the statue of Christ in the Christ Church Gate and the demolition of the wooden gates by a group led by Richard Culmer. The statue would not be replaced until 1990 but the gates were restored in 1660 and a great deal of other repair work started at that time; that would continue until 1704.

Furnishings

In 1688, the joiner Roger Davis, citizen of London, removed the 13th-century misericords and replaced them with two rows of his own work on each side of the quire. Some of Davis's misericords have a distinctly medieval flavour and he may have copied some of the original designs. When Sir George Gilbert Scott carried out renovations in the 19th century, he replaced the front row of Davis' misericords, with new ones of his own design, which seem to include many copies of those at Gloucester Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and New College, Oxford.

Statues on the West Front

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Most of the statues that currently adorn the west front of the cathedral were installed in the 1860s when the South Porch was being renovated. At that time, the niches were vacant and the Dean of the cathedral thought that the appearance of the cathedral would be improved if they were filled. The Victorian sculptor Theodore Pfyffers was commissioned to create the statues and most of them were installed by the end of the 1860s. There are currently 53 statues representing various figures who have been influential in the life of the cathedral and the English church such as clergy, members of the royal family, saints, and theologians. Archbishops of Canterbury from Augustine of Canterbury and Lanfranc, to Thomas Cranmer and William Laud are represented. Kings and Queens from Æthelberht and Bertha of Kent, to Victoria and Elizabeth II are included.

18th century to the present

thumb|upright=1.3|left|The Christchurch Gate with the new (1990) bronze statue of Christ; the original was destroyed in 1643

The original towers of Christ Church Gate were removed in 1803 and were replaced in 1937. The statue of Christ was replaced in 1990 with a bronze sculpture of Christ by Klaus Ringwald. In September 1872, a large portion of the Trinity Chapel roof was completely destroyed by fire. There was no significant damage to the stonework or interior and the damage was quickly repaired.

thumb|The cathedral did not sustain serious damage during either World War

During the bombing raids of the Second World War its library was destroyed, but the cathedral did not sustain extensive bomb damage; the local Fire Wardens doused any flames on the wooden roof.

In 1986, a new Martyrdom Altar was installed in the northwest transept, on the spot where Thomas Becket was slain, the first new altar in the cathedral for 448 years. Mounted on the wall above it, there is a metal sculpture by Truro sculptor Giles Blomfield depicting a cross flanked by two bloodstained swords which, together with the shadows they cast, represent the four knights who killed Becket. A stone plaque also commemorates Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom in 1982. Antony Gormley's sculpture Transport was unveiled in the crypt in 2011. It is made from iron nails from the roof of the south-east transept.

In 2015, Sarah Mullally and Rachel Treweek became the first women to be ordained as bishops in the cathedral, as Bishop of Crediton and Bishop of Gloucester respectively. In 2022, it was announced that David Monteith, who is gay and in a civil partnership, would serve as dean of the cathedral. His appointment was criticised by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON); the Church of England defended the decision stating that Monteith lives chastely with his partner. In 2024, the cathedral began offering blessings for same-sex couples "already in civil partnerships or civil marriages" or in "covenanted friendship" during ordinary or regular church services in accordance with "Prayers of Love and Faith".

The cathedral is Regimental Church of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and a graduation venue for the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Conservation

thumb|One of the many stained-glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral

Due to its size, age and significance, the conservation of the cathedral is an ongoing task. The roofs and the internationally important stained glass have been cause for particular concern. In 2018, the Thomas Becket Miracle Windows Research and Conservation Project, led by Léonie Seliger and Dr Rachel Koopmans, analysed and conserved the eight 12th century windows in the Trinity Chapel.

During the autumn of 2008, a major restoration of the lead roof over the transept was completed at a cost of approximately £500,000. In 2018, the lead roof of the nave was replaced, with a temporary platform installed under the vaults to enable conservation, part of a 2016–2022 programme that also included improved landscaping and accessibility, new visitor facilities and a general external restoration. The so-called Canterbury Journey project was expected to cost nearly £25 million; the funding included a £13.8 million Heritage Lottery grant, £10.9 million from the Canterbury Cathedral Trust and £250,000 from the Friends of the Cathedral.

Historic designations

The cathedral and its precincts comprise a large number of listed buildings. The majority are listed at Grade I, the highest grade, with a much smaller number listed at Grade II*.

Grade I

The cathedral itself is listed at Grade I. Other Grade I listed buildings include: the Chapter House, the main gate into the cathedral precincts,

the cloister, a passageway known as the Dark Entry, the Lavatory Tower, the Library, Meister Omers, at No.16 The Precincts, originally a guest house for visitors, the Norman Staircase, the

Prior Sellinge Gate, the

Prior's Chapel, the remains of the Cellarer's Hall in the Archbishop's Palace Garden, the Archbishop's Palace itself, the Archdeacon of Canterbury's House, the Cathedral Appeal Fund Office & the Deanery, the Wolfson Library, and Nos. 22–26 and 27 and 28 The Precincts.

Grade II*

Buildings listed at Grade II* include; No.17 Cathedral Precincts, the Pilgrims Entry or Pentise attached to Number 29, Cathedral Precincts and the County of Kent War Memorial Cross.

Scheduled monuments

Christchurch Priory and the Archbishop's Palace, and the Norman Staircase, the Cellarer's Hall, and the Pilgrim's Entry are also designated scheduled monuments, the latter three under a composite listing, Monuments in the precinct of Canterbury Cathedral.

Foundation

thumb|Main west entrance, Canterbury Cathedral

The Foundation is the authorised staffing establishment of the cathedral, few of whom are clergy. The head of the cathedral is the Dean, currently David Monteith, who is assisted by a chapter of 30 canons, four of whom are residentiary, the others being honorary appointments of senior clergy in the diocese. There are also a number of lay canons who all together form the greater chapter which has the legal responsibility both for the cathedral itself and also for the formal election of an archbishop when there is a vacancy-in-see. By English law and custom, they may only elect the person who has been nominated by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. The Foundation also includes the choristers, lay clerks, organists, King's Scholars, the Six Preachers and a range of other officers; some of these posts are moribund, such as that of the cathedral barber. The cathedral has a workforce of over 300 (many of whom work part-time), and approximately 800 volunteers.

Dean and Chapter

As of 23 December 2025:

Dean – David Monteith (since 17 December 2022)
Archdeacon of Canterbury and Canon Residentiary – William Adam (Archdeacon and Canon since 18 July 2022 collation)
Canon Precentor – Lindsay Yates (since 2 November 2025)
Canon Missioner – Emma Pennington (since 16 March 2019)
Canon Treasurer (Diocesan Canon) – Andrew Dodd (since 27 September 2020 installation)

The Cathedral uses "Vice Dean" not of one particular appointee, but to refer to the Canon in Residence for each month.

Finance

Canterbury Cathedral receives no government or state funding and only occasional grants from English Heritage. It is not funded by the Church of England. The Church Commissioners pay the salary of the dean and two of the residentiary canons only. The cathedral is therefore largely self-funded.

It costs around £20,000 per day to maintain the cathedral. (2023) In order to meet these costs the cathedral has to rely on income from entry fees paid by visitors and a number of commercial operations such as property rental, the Cathedral Shop, as well as the Cathedral Lodge Hotel and Conference Centre.

The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral is a charity which exists to "cherish the history and beauty of the Cathedral; to preserve its fabric, worship, ornaments and furnishings and to provide a channel for individuals to show their support". The Friends have published Canterbury Cathedral chronicle since 1928. The Friends have also published a number of books relating to the cathedral; these include The Romance of Canterbury Cathedral issued anonymously in 1932 by Raphael Tuck; the author was Margaret Agnes Babington (died 1958) whose name appeared in some of the later editions. Margaret Babington was honorary steward and treasurer of the Friends and undertook fund raising lecture tours for the cathedral. She was the daughter of the vicar of Tenterden.

Appeal

The "Save Canterbury Cathedral" appeal was launched in October 2006 to protect and enhance the cathedral's future as a centre of worship, heritage and culture. The aim was to raise £50 million; by the end of 2010 the appeal had raised £11.5 million, and as at May 2014 over £20 million had been raised.

The core part of the fundraising programme is focused on the cathedral's fabric. The major conservation-restoration projects already identified will cost £30 million. Fabric conservation is the most urgent element of the campaign. The appeal – the third of its kind following major fundraising drives at Canterbury in the 1950s and 1970s – was launched to fund these projects. Fundraising for the appeal will take place over a number of years both nationally and internationally, stressing the cathedral's role as the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and as a World Heritage Site. An integrated conservation programme that addresses the priority areas has been drawn up by the cathedral's Surveyor to the Fabric, John Burton.

Major repair and conservation projects to be funded by the appeal include roofs of the nave, aisles, and North West and South East Transepts; stone carvings, pinnacles and stone facings of the central Bell Harry Tower; work on the North side of the Corona Chapel;

Police service

The cathedral has its own police service, known as the Canterbury Cathedral Close Constables. They are attested Constables, with powers of arrest, who police and protect the Cathedral and Close. They also work with Kent Police.

Music

Polyphonic music written for the monks the once monastic cathedral survives from the 13th century. The cathedral may have had an organ as early as the 12th century, though the names of organists are only recorded from the early 15th century.

One of the earliest named composers associated with Canterbury Cathedral was Leonel Power, who was appointed master of the new Lady Chapel choir formed in 1438.

The Reformation brought a period of decline in the cathedral's music which was revived under Dean Thomas Neville in the early 17th century. Neville introduced instrumentalists into the cathedral's music who played cornett and sackbut, probably members of the city's band of waits. The cathedral acquired sets of recorders, lutes and viols for the use of the choir boys and lay-clerks. The organ has now been fully restored and greatly enlarged, including reinstating the fourth manual, by Harrison and Harrison with work finishing in February 2020.

Organists

Organists and assistant organists at Canterbury Cathedral have included composers William Shelbye, Clement Charlton Palmer, Gerald Hocken Knight and Philip Moore and musical directors Allan Wicks and Stephen Darlington. Following 42 years as both Assistant Organist and Organist and Master of the Choristers, David Flood retired on 29 December 2020. Following 10 years as assistant organist and latterly director of the Girls' Choir and a period as acting director of music, David Newsholme was appointed Director of Music in July 2021. The Assistant Organist is Jamie Rogers and he was appointed in December 2021.

Choirs

There has been a choral tradition at Canterbury Cathedral for 1400 years. The cathedral choir consists of boys aged eight to fourteen and girls aged twelve to eighteen with 12 lay clerks and choral scholars. Choristers can be from any school, although before February 2023, choristers had to board or attend St Edmund's School under a choral scholarship. This changed under the leadership of David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury under The Equality and Inclusion Plan.The changing of this tradition prompted some criticism. .

There are seven choral services a week with Choral Evensong at 5:30 pm Monday through Sunday, although it is not live-streamed on Thursday. There is Sung Eucharist on Sunday at 11 am and extra choral services on important dates such as: Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

The Girls' Choir of Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 2014 and their first performance was at Evensong that January, it was attended by more than 600 people and widely covered by the international press. They gave their first concert in December of that year.

Bells

thumb|upright|Great Dunstan.

The cathedral has a total of 21 bells in three of its five towers:

The South West Tower (Oxford Tower) contains the cathedral's main ring of bells, hung for change ringing in the English style. There are fourteen bells – a ring of twelve with two semitones, which allow for ringing on ten, eight or six bells while still remaining in tune. All of the bells were cast in 1981 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry from seven bells of the old peal of twelve with new metal added and rehung in a new frame. The length (draught) of the ropes was increased by lowering the floor of the ringing chamber to the level of the south aisle vault at the same time, also allowing for the new bells to be set lower in the belfry than the old, with the intention of reducing stress on the Medieval structure. The heaviest bell (tenor) of this ring weighs . The ringers practise on Thursday at 7:15 pm.

The North West Tower (Arundel Tower) contains the cathedral's clock chime. The five-quarter chimes were taken from the old peal of twelve in the Oxford Tower (where the clock was originally), and hung from beams in the Arundel Tower. The chimes are struck on the eighth Gregorian tone, which is also used at Merton College, Oxford. The hour is struck on Great Dunstan, the largest bell in Kent at , which is also swung on Sunday mornings for Matins.

In 1316 Prior Henry of Eastry gave a large bell dedicated to Saint Thomas, which weighed . Later, in 1343, Prior Hathbrand gave bells dedicated to Jesus and St Dunstan. At this time the bells in campanile were rehung and their names recorded as "Jesus", "Dunstan", "Mary", "Crundale", "Elphy" (Ælfheah) and "Thomas". In the 1382 Dover Straits earthquake the campanile fell, destroying the first three named bells. Following its reconstruction, the other three bells were rehung, together with two others, of whose casting no record remains.

The oldest bell in the cathedral is Bell Harry (approximately ), which hangs in a cage on the top of the central tower to which the bell lends its name. This bell was cast by Joseph Hatch in 1635, and is struck at 8 am and 9 pm every day to announce the opening and closing of the cathedral, and also occasionally for services as a Sanctus bell.

The cathedral also has custody of the bell of HMS Canterbury, a World War I-era light cruiser, hung near the Buffs Chapel in the southwest transept.

Library

thumb|Two leaves from the Lyghfield Bible

The library at Canterbury Cathedral has been in operation since the Middle Ages, and thus possesses a large number and variety items from the time period. Certain items within the library's collections that survived the turmoils surrounding the dissolution of the monasteries have been a part of the collection for nearly a millennium.

The cathedral library has a collection of about 30,000 books and pamphlets printed before the 20th century and about 20,000 later books and serials. Many of the earlier books were acquired as part of donated collections. It is rich in church history, older theology, British history (including local history), travel, science and medicine, and the anti-slavery movement. The library's holdings are included in the online catalogue of the library of the University of Kent.

In July 2018, the cathedral purchased at auction a medieval Trussel Bible for £100,000. This Bible, subsequently renamed the "Lyghfield Bible", after the monk William Lighfyld, had previously been at Canterbury, and had been removed following the dissolution of the monasteries.