173 Gardens in Canterbury

By Maggy Hendry

The Dane John Garden

Arriving in Canterbury by train at the East Station, on the way into town the visitor will encounter The Dane John Gardens, a historic park within Canterbury’s city walls which dates back to 1551, and includes a mound which was there in the first century AD. From the top of the mound there are excellent views of city and countryside. Awarded the Green Flag Award, and the Green Heritage Site Award, the Dane John (named from the French donjon, a castle keep) is a popular spot in the summer with its colourful floral displays, its shady treelined avenues and areas of grass for playing, picnicking and relaxing in the sun. For children there is space to run around in and a maze. On summer weekends the gardens play host to musicians of all sorts from World Music to brass bands, and the park is also a rallying point at the end of local demonstrations, with speeches and music in the bandstand. In November the grounds are taken over for a long weekend by a Christmas Eurofair featuring stalls from France, Belgium, Italy and so on, as well as local crafts and produce.

Westgate Gardens

At the western end of the High Street next to the West Gate Tower lies the Westgate Gardens, another pleasant floral experience with the River Stour running through it, providing an ideal setting for a picnic, a relaxing stroll or seat in the sun watching the swans, ducks and moorhens and admiring the 200 year old oriental plane tree and some grand medieval ruins ( probably brought by the Victorians from other parts of the city). For the more energetic visitor it is possible to walk (or cycle, although  a proper cycle track has yet to be built) further along the banks of the river and out into the countryside to the village of Chartham, for a relaxing drink in the historic timber framed pub, The Artichoke, which carries the full range of the local Shepherd Neame beers. Many events are organised here on summer weekends and punt trips leave across the river from the corner of Whitehall Road (near the Westgate towers).

Other gardens

There are a number of other small gardens will delight the visitor who explores the back streets of the town and several of the pubs and restaurants have gardens of their own.