Many rare engravings, drawings and photographs of this world-famous and much cherished Cathedral – both external and internal – are featured in this category, including those surviving from the Fisk Moore archive. Other Cathedral views can be found under the ‘Canterbury Blitz’ and ‘Cathedral Precincts’ categories.
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THE GREAT STORM OF 1987
On the morning of the 16th October 1987, a ‘Great Storm’ or ‘Hurricane’ devastated much of South East England. In Canterbury, part of Holter’s Mill collapsed, as did the parapet of the Roper Chapel at St. Dunstan’s Church. Vast trees were also torn up in the Dane John, Westgate Gardens and on Miller’s Field. The colour pictures are from Canterbury and across East Kent. ‘Before’ and ‘After’ pairings are also available.
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THE LOST PUBS OF CANTERBURY
The recent decline in the number of public houses seen on our streets is not a new phenomenon. In late Victorian Canterbury, there were no less than 165 licensed premises; today, there is only a small fraction of that number left. This photo collection includes pubs lost to the blitz and demolition, as well as those closed inns that survive in a new guise.
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THE PRECINCTS OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
It may be surprising to learn that the Cathedral Precincts occupy nearly 25%, or one whole quadrant, of the old walled City. Canterbury residents seldom see much of this vastly historical area, and access to most of it is strictly limited. And yet, there are significant fragments of many ancient monastic buildings still to be discovered behind those ‘Private’ signs. Both archive and modern views are available in this collection.
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THE WHITEFRIARS AREA OF CANTERBURY
Occupying much of the south-east quadrant, no other part of Canterbury has seen more changes than that historically referred to as the Whitefriars. A combination of bombing, and protracted post-war demolition across this area provided a blank slate for comprehensive redevelopment from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s. The whole process was repeated again in early 2000s. Photographs are available from all periods, some of which originally appeared in ‘Yesterday’s Whitefriars’, now out of print.
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BEFORE THE CHANNEL TUNNEL
This particular collection contains photographs of every building lost during the construction of the Channel Tunnel Terminal and its access roads, combining family snaps, professional survey materials and many personal images of the changes. A few archive views of the affected area also available. Some of these pictures originally featured in the book of the same name, currently out-of-print.
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THE 1953 CORONATION IN CANTERBURY
Celebrations in the City took the form of street parties, decorated buildings and vehicles, fancy-dress parades, local ‘coronations’ and a lavish two-day-long historical pageant along the city wall ramparts. All of the above are represented in this category. Some pictures were originally featured in ‘Canterbury 1945-1975’, which is now sadly out-of-print.
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THE NORTHGATE AREA OF CANTERBURY
In the 1830s and 1840s, a new grid of streets was laid across a large part of the suburb of Northgate, which had recently been used to site temporary barracks during the Napoleonic wars. The houses built here were largely to accommodate the soldiers, and their families, stationed at the permanent Infantry Barracks in Sturry Road. By the late 1950s, these houses had become life-expired and a massive slum clearance programme began. This collection includes pictures of most of these lost dwellings.
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RAILWAY SCENES IN AND AROUND CANTERBURY
Until the early 1950s, Canterbury was a significant railway hub, and although the Canterbury to Whitstable and Elham Valley lines are no more, the City still boasts two main line stations. This collection includes scenes from the lost lines and archive pictures from all of the railways in this area, including a detailed survey of the now lost extensive coal yard at the West Station.
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AERIAL AND PANORAMIC VIEWS OF CANTERBURY
Taken from either an aircraft or a tall City building, including the Cathedral, this category includes many panoramic scenes from across the 20th century, including a high-level RAF mosaic survey from the late 1940s, and a lower level aircraft survey from the same period. Many views from the Cathedral show the blitzed City and, later, its progressive rebuilding, spanning the years from 1942 to the early 1970s.
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ART DECO BUILDINGS IN THE CANTERBURY AREA
Buildings in the ‘International Moderne’ style of the 1930s were never common in the Canterbury area. However, those that were built are fine examples of the genre. This modest collection includes examples of some lost buildings and those still hanging on.
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TRANSPORT IN AND AROUND CANTERBURY
This category is largely based around the cars and lorries to be seen on the City streets from the 1930s to the 1970s. Also featured are archive garage scenes from both Barrett’s and Invicta Motors: the two principal Canterbury dealers. General street scenes are included, as are some buses, but please see the ‘East Kent Buses’ collection for that specific company.
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THE ERIC BRADFORD COLLECTION
During his lifetime, noted entomologist Eric Bradford kept a detailed photographic record of his studies, and digital scans from the original record cards are now being made available here for the first time. Examples are shown below, and any enquiries are welcomed.
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