NOTICE 14.07.25 - Due to emergency electrical works being conducted, there is currently limited access through Christ Church Gate.
During general visiting hours, access to the Precincts may be via the Cathedral Visitor Centre:
10am-5pm Monday-Saturday
12pm-5pm Sunday
Please note, the Precincts will not be open for visiting outside of general visiting hours.
Access for services may change at short notice to entry via Postern Gate, Burgate.
Thank you for your understanding.
Planning your visit? Check our opening times and upcoming closures.
The Friends are the Cathedral's fan club, a group of like-minded people who admire the building, its history and the community which surrounds it.
We work together to preserve it, and, with the great generosity of our membership, contribute financially to many vital projects.
Why join?
Over the years The Friends have given the equivalent of more than £18 million towards various projects to enhance and preserve Canterbury Cathedral. Becoming a Friend is not only about restoring a beautiful old building; it’s about being a part of a community and forming lasting relationships, one which enjoys many activities and ‘behind the scenes’ events.
Membership Benefits
- Free entry to the Cathedral and its Precincts
- Full annual programme of Friends' events
- New member celebration (which includes a private guided tour)
- 10% discount at the Cathedral Shop and Cathedral Lodge (some exclusions apply)
- Exclusive Friends’ Day each summer
- Monthly Friendly Friday e-newsletters
- Annual Cathedral magazine - view a sample of The Chronicle
- Twice-yearly paper mailings
- Membership badge
- Exclusive Friends’ Day each summer
For more information download The Friends leaflet.
Membership Options
Gift a Friends' Membership
Membership of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral – the Cathedral’s fan club – is the gift that lasts all year.
We work together to preserve the Cathedral, and, with the great generosity of our membership, contribute financially to many vital projects.
Becoming a Friend is not only about restoring a beautiful old building; it’s about being a part of a community and forming lasting relationships.
So, when you gift a membership, you also give the gift of being part of our FRIENDly community!
Friends also benefit from free entry to the Cathedral and its Precincts, access to exclusive trips and events, e-newsletters, a 10% discount in the Cathedral Shop and Cathedral Lodge (some exclusions apply), an annual Friends’ Day, Friends’ Carol Service, and a special welcome event in the summer.
Membership starts at just £35 and includes a welcome pack with a Friends’ card and badge.
The Friends can even dispatch the gift on your behalf!
Friends' Day 2025
Thank you to everyone who attended this year's Friends’ Day and helped to make it such a success.
If you are a Friend who was unable to be with us this year, or are someone interested in the work of our Cathedral’s fan club, please find the links below to watch our Annual General Meeting recording and access our Annual Report and Financial Statements (31 March 2025).
History of The Friends
The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 1927 by the then Dean of Canterbury, George Bell. The organization was the first of its kind in the world.
In 1928 Miss Margaret Babington joined Dean Bell as Steward. A redoubtable woman of enormous energy and tremendous vision, she made a huge contribution to the success of the Friends. She staged plays and concerts and enticed illustrious people such as John Masefield, Sir Adrian Boult, Gustav Holst, Dorothy L. Sayers and Dame Myra Hess to the Cathedral. Rudyard Kipling and George Bernard Shaw became enthusiastic members.
Margaret Babington, the energy behind the Friends when it started, handed over her baton to many other stewards and executive secretaries, all of whom have put their own stamp on the efforts of the Friends, and made it the successful charity and membership organisation it is today.
Over the years The Friends have given the equivalent of more than £15 million towards various projects to enhance and preserve Canterbury Cathedral.
Our President is The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Prior to her death, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was our First Friend on the Roll, and the former Prince of Wales was our Patron.
LIMITED TIME ONLY FREE* ART INSTALLATION
moon landing: an immersive music and textile collaboration
9 June - 31 August 2025
This summer, we are hosting the breathtaking installation moon landing; a duo work created by British textile artist and designer of woven textiles, Margo Selby, in collaboration with award-winning composer, Helen Caddick.
*moon landing is free-to-view by anyone with a valid form of Cathedral sightseeing admission (including Cathedral Admission Ticket, Cathedral Pass or Friends’ Card), or those attending a service in the Quire.
Images: moon landing at Canterbury Cathedral © Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral | Jon Barlow
Upcoming Friends events
MONTHLY
FRIENDly Singing for Wellbeing
St Paul’s Church Hall, Canterbury, CT1 1NH
ALL welcome – rusty singers included!
Turn up for a cuppa and a biscuit, followed by sociable singing to put a smile on your face, led by Jamie Rogers, Assistant Director of Music, and our Choral Scholars.
Please join us between 14:00-15:00 on the following Mondays:
Please note, there will be no FRIENDly Singing in July and August
- 8 September
FURTHER DATES FOR 2026 TO BE ANNOUNCED
Free to attend but donations welcomed.
All welcome. No need to book.
Organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Charity No 1210093).
Friends' Day
This event took place on Friday 4 July
Thank you to everyone who attended this year's Friends’ Day and helped to make it such a success.
If you are a Friend who was unable to be with us this year, or are someone interested in the work of our Cathedral’s fan club, you can watch our Annual General Meeting recording and access our Annual Report and Financial Statements (31 March 2025).
A FRIENDLY EVENT
Summer Serenade
Friday 19 September, 18:30-19:30 in the Campanile Garden
Join us after Evensong for a late-summer evening of cocktails and canapés whilst we are entertained by some of our talented Cathedral musicians, led by Caroline McCartney.
We shall enjoy a mixed medley of classical and folk music in the stunning garden of The Lodge which overlooks our Cathedral.
Tickets: £30 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £35 non-members. Includes tea and coffee.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
A FRIENDLY TALK
Bruges – It’s More Than Just Chocolate
Tuesday 23 September, 10:30-11:30 in the Kentish Barn
Melanie Gibson-Barton returns to give us insight into another culture, encompassing the history and geography of this European landmark. Friends will also learn about the modern aspects of the attractive city of Bruges.
For audience members that have visited Bruges, the talk will bring back memories, and will show that there is much more to see in this city to inspire a return visit to explore in more depth.
£10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee on arrival.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
A FRIENDLY TALK
Stone on Stone - the Men Who Built the Cathedrals
Tuesday 7 October, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium
Standing in the Nave of a cathedral, it is hard not to wonder how ordinary human beings could have created sky-scraping, dizzyingly high buildings on which even the top-most parts were delicately decorated, in an age before even the simplest of power tools.
Imogen Corrigan will tell us the story of the men who built the cathedrals of the medieval era: who they were, how they lived and how with the simplest of hand tools they created the astonishing buildings that hundreds of years later still stand as monuments to their ingenuity and skill.
£10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee on arrival.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
A FRIENDLY TALK
Who Was Thomas Becket?
Tuesday 28 October, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium
We’ve all heard of Thomas Becket – or at least the dramatic events at the end of his life and the martyrdom and miracles that came afterward.
Cathedral Guide Maggie Price will speak about the early life and career of the man who will eternally be known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury. This is the first of two talks on Becket.
£10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee on arrival.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
A FRIENDLY TALK
Becket – the Murder and What Happened Next?
Tuesday, 18 November, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium
Almost every visitor to Canterbury has been told a version of Becket’s murder – even if it is only the nursery rhyme, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
In the second of her talks, Cathedral Guide Maggie Price will explain what the effects of the aftershock of Becket’s demise meant for the church – in Rome as well as England – and also the citizens and Crown. Both immediately and for years after.
£10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee on arrival.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
A FRIENDLY TALK
ABCDE – Project 106
Monday 24 November, 11:30-12:30 in the Clagett Auditorium
Since 597AD, there have been 105 Archbishops of Canterbury (ABCs) – the first being Saint Augustine.
The Church of England is currently involved in Project 106: the search for the next ABC. But who decides who will become the ArchBishop of Canterbury Designate/Elect?
In this exclusive talk, the Archdeacon of Canterbury, Will Adam, and Dean David will explain the processes that the Church of England and the Office of Crown Appointments have followed throughout 2025, and more.
£10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee on arrival.
This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).
Giving to The Friends
Please consider making a donation to The Friends to ensure we can continue our work in preserving the Cathedral for generations to come.
- Donate to The Friends online
- Call +44 (0)1227 865292 to donate over the telephone by credit or debit card.
- Send a gift by post to: The Friends’ Office, Cathedral House, 11 The Precincts, Canterbury CT1 2EH. Please make cheques payable to ‘The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral’.
Why not give a gift in memory of someone special?
Please let us have the person’s name when you send us your donation and we will record this gift in our annual publication, The Chronicle.
Leave a gift in your will
You can make a real difference to our work and provide valuable support for future generations to come by leaving a gift to The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in your will. Nearly all legacies to charities are free from inheritance tax.
A possible form of words for such bequests is:
I bequeath to The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, Cathedral House, 11 The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2EH, registered charity number 1210093, the sum of … (for a specific sum) or the residue (or a … share of the residue) of my estate.
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