Canterbury World Heritage Site
What is a World Heritage site?
For the past thirty years UNESCO has been working with countries around the world to identify World Heritage Sites and ensure their safekeeping for future generations.
UNESCO adopted the international agreement about World Heritage in 1972. The United Kingdom signed the convention on 29 May 1984. This is known as the 'Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage'. The Convention was founded on the premise that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and as such should form part of the common heritage of mankind. There are 890 World Heritage Sites (in 148 different States Parties) inscribed on the World Heritage list as at June 2009 (679 Cultural sites, 176 Natural sites and 25 mixed sites). Inscription on the list is a catalyst to raising awareness about heritage on the part of governments and citizens. Heightened awareness leads to greater consideration and a rise in the level of protection and conservation afforded to heritage sites. Regular reporting on the state of conservation of the site and ongoing management and monitoring ensure the upkeep of their outstanding qualities.
The Canterbury World Heritage Site
UNESCO designated the Canterbury World Heritage Site on 9th December 1988 at the 12th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Brazil. The site includes Canterbury Christchurch Cathedral and Precinct, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church.
The justification for the inclusion of the site on the World Heritage list is as follows:
Architecturally St Martin's preserves evidence of Roman and Saxon construction, with later additions. The excavated remains of the abbey conserve some of the most important Saxon remains in the country and the cathedral outstanding examples of Romanesque, Early Gothic and Late Gothic craftsmanship. Notably the great crypt with its carved capitals, one of the earliest (if not the first) Gothic choirs in England, the lofty Perpendicular nave and the finest surviving collection of 12th century and early 13th century stained glass in Britain.
Historically Canterbury is the cradle of English Christianity, and has been associated with the development of the Christian church in Britain since the 6th century onwards. Since the 11th century it has been the seat of the primate of all England. In Medieval times, following the martyrdom of St Thomas, it became one of the three most popular places of Christian pilgrimage. Today it is to Canterbury that all Anglican churches throughout the world look to as their spiritual home and to Canterbury that some 1.3million visitors come every year to worship, to re-live the past and to enjoy the beauty of the present.
The site was designated under Cultural criteria C (i), (ii) and (vi). The criteria are set out in Article 1 of the Convention and are shown below in italics.
Criterion (i). (The site, monument or group of buildings represents a masterpiece of human creative genius). Christchurch Cathedral, especially the east sections, is a unique artistic creation. The beauty of its architecture is enhanced by a set of exceptional stained glass windows which constitutes the richest collection in the United Kingdom.
Criterion (ii). (The site exhibits an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world on developments in architectural, technological, monumental arts, town planning or landscape design). The influence of the Benedictine abbey of St Augustine was decisive throughout the high middle ages in England. The influence of this monastic centre and its scriptorium extended far beyond the boundaries of Kent and Northumbria.
Criterion (vi). (The site is an outstanding example of a type of building, or architecture or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history). St Martin's Church, St Augustine's Abbey and the Cathedral are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo Saxon kingdoms.
The justification and the criteria of designation are a statement of why the site is of significance and what gives it an outstanding universal value.
The City Council is proud of the inscription of the Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church as a World Heritage Site. These sites are milestones in the religious history of England. The international recognition of the value of Canterbury also brings with it considerable responsibilities.
The three monuments are located in the City of Canterbury, the Cathedral being at the heart of the City, the two other monuments being located in an extra-mural suburb.
The City Council is concerned with the management, promotion and interpretation of the three sites. Particular objectives are improving the links and connections between the three sites, and preserving and enhancing the 'buffer zone', and setting of the sites. The Canterbury District Local Plan includes policies t
o ensure that the setting of the World Heritage Site is protected and enhanced.
The City Council fully supports the objectives and aspirations of the World Heritage Site Management Plan. The Management Plan provides a focus for all the parties involved, to ensure that the Canterbury World Heritage Site is preserved and cared for to the highest standard. The Management Plan was deposited in the UNESCO World Heritage Library in May 2002. The City Council approved the Plan in June 2001.
The World Heritage Site Management Plan is in the process of being updated but old copies are available from David Kincaid at Canterbury City Council, Strategic Planning Dept., Military Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1YW,e-mail: conservation@canterbury.gov.uk. ( £5 each),
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Contact us
Write to:
Conservation and Countryside
Planning and Regeneration
Canterbury City Council
Military Road
Canterbury
CT1 1YW
Or
Telephone: 01227 862190
Email: Conservation@canterbury.gov.uk
The Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church provide the visual record of the introduction of Christianity to Britain. St Martin's preserves, in whole or in part, the building in which Bertha and subsequently Augustine and his followers first worshipped. The Cathedral stands on the site where Augustine first established his Cathedral and the ruins of the abbey include the remains of the monastery where his monks lived and worshipped and where the Kentish Kings and first archbishops were buried.
