Sightseeing Entry

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:

• 13 October 2025
• 10 November 2025
• 8 December 2025
• 12 January 2026
• 9 February 2026

Plus more dates scheduled in 2026

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).

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).

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.

Speaker 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.

SOLD OUT

This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).

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).

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).

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).

Saturday 29 November, 10:00-16:00 in the Community Studio

Embroider a beautiful festive robin motif, with Royal School of Needlework tutor, Kathryn Sanders - a new and exclusive design and class, inspired by the original James I Charter issued in 1608.

There will also be an opportunity to visit the Cathedral Archives to enjoy a brief curated viewing of the original Charter; an exquisite illuminated document of historic significance.

This exclusive partnership class is part of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral’s unique association with the Royal School of Needlework, dating back to the 1930s.

- SOLD OUT -

Wait list only - Register on the RSN event page

The class cost is £175 per student and includes all materials and necessary equipment to complete the project.

Tuesday 2 December, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

Brenda Tate-Lovery, a former Open University lecturer, will explore interpretations of Angels and Demons, depicted in art since the earliest times; looking at how different generations of artists have interpreted them, from 5th Century to modern day, in the context of belief and practice.

In the vivid imaginations of artists, we will explore how these spiritual beings have become actors in storytelling, stimulating emotional reactions, from fear to humour.

£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).

Monday 15 December, 20:00 in the Claggett Auditorium

All Friends and their guests are invited to assemble in the Nave at 19:00 for our Friends' Carol Service, where we will enjoy Carols and Readings and the wonderful singing of our Cathedral musicians.

Afterwards, many of you may wish to join us for a delicious two-course Christmas Dinner (wine included), complete with a festive, Friendly singalong!

If you wish to stay in the Lodge to extend your festive experience, please contact them directly (see details via the link below).

- BOOK NOW -

Carol Service FREE; Dinner £37.50 for Friends, £42.50 for Friends’ guests

+ Raffle Tickets £5 per book

This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).

Tuesday 20 January 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

As we eagerly await the temporary return of this 11th Century Romanesque masterpiece to the British Museum in London, Patricia Erskine-Hill will speak to Friends about this immensely detailed embroidery that was probably commissioned by Bishop Odo, William the Conqueror’s half-brother, to embellish his newly-built cathedral in Bayeux in 1077.

Over 58 scenes, which include 626 characters and 202 horses, the story shown in the textile begins in 1064 and ends with the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

- BOOKING OPENS SOON -

£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).

Image: Bayeux tapestry design product © Cathedral Gifts Enterprises

Tuesday 3 February 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

Your chance to be entertained by the Cathedral’s Choral Scholars whilst enjoying coffee and pastries.

This informal concert will showcase the progress and repertoire of the Scholars who joined the Cathedral in September 2025.

Expect a warm welcome and a mixed musical medley on a chilly Tuesday morning!

Tickets: £10 Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, £15 non-members. Includes tea and coffee.

This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 256575).

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

Popular speaker Doreen Rosman will continue her series of talks about the history of Canterbury.

A boy born in 1825, who survived into the 20th Century, would have lived through a time of major technological change: the coming of railways, gas and electric lighting, telephones and cinemas, bicycles, cars, and even an aeroplane.

This talk explores how these developments would have impacted on his life, and how the city changed before his eyes. Doreen Rosman taught history at the University of Kent. Her publications include, Canterbury: A History since 1500, the story of a city and its people.

£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).

Tuesday 24 February 2026, 14:00-15:00 in the Eastern Crypt

We are delighted to welcome the return of the Rev’d Dr Jonathan Arnold, Executive Director of the Social Justice Network and Lay Clerk, and Jamie Rogers, Assistant Director of Music, who will perform Schubert’s song cycle, Winter’s Journey.

The lyrics tell the rather sad story of a man unhappy in love who leaves his lover to wander in the ice and snow and reflect upon his human condition.

The songs, which will be in the original German, will be interspersed with readings of their English translations by our Canon Missioner, the Rev’d Dr Emma Pennington.

£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).

Tuesday 10 March 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

We are delighted to welcome back Canon Christopher Irvine, former Canon Librarian at Canterbury and now Honorary Teaching Fellow at St Augustine's College of Theology, to speak to us.

In this illustrated talk, Canon Irvine will lead us on a visual journey of discovery and show us how and why the world of nature is brought into our Cathedral through stone carving, wooden sculpture, and, surprisingly, even stained glass!

£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).

Friday 20 March 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

In this talk given by Patricia Erskine-Hill, attendees will find out more about this extraordinary woman who asserted her power over Russia.

Catherine II, best known as Catherine the Great, was the Empress of Russia from 1762-1796. Born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst (Prussia), she came to power after over-throwing her husband Peter III.

Catherine influenced the arts, established the first state-funded higher education institute for women in Europe, built new cities and towns, and brought recognition to Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.

£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).

Tuesday 28 April 2026, 10:30-11:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

Join John Williams as he once more wanders along the highways and lesser-known byways of early Christian Rome, delving into its outstanding archaeology and art history.

Peeling away the rich layers of meaning of structures, mosaics, frescoes, and everyday objects, he will reflect on the interplay between the Rome of Emperors and the evolving religion of Christianity.

A Trustee of The Friends for eight years to September 2025, Dr Williams was for a long time County Archaeologist and Head of Heritage Conservation at Kent County Council.

£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).

Saturday 30 May 2026, 18:00-19:00 in the Nave

Join us in The Nave of Canterbury Cathedral as we welcome the return of The Central Band of The Royal British Legion for a sensational and heart-stirring concert featuring songs from the shows and military music.

Tickets: Children (up to 12) £10, Adults £25

- BOOKING OPENS SOON -

Tickets will available to purchase on the Canterbury Festival website or via the Canterbury Festival Box Office.

This event is organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral (Registered Charity No 1210093).

Tuesday 16 June 2026, 14:30-15:30 in the Clagett Auditorium

Doreen Rosman returns for a final talk in her series about the history of Canterbury, focusing on one person's experience to evoke what it would have been like to live through this period of tumultuous change.

Doreen Rosman taught history at the University of Kent. Her publications include, Canterbury: A History since 1500, the story of a city and its people.

£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).