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Tickets and opening times

We can’t wait to welcome you to Canterbury Cathedral. Tickets can be booked online or are available to buy on the day at our visitor centre. Please check our website prior to your visit as opening times may be subject to change.

Monday to Saturday 09.00 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)

Sunday 11.30* - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)
*Between 11.30-12.30, access is available to the Cathedral grounds and Shop only. The Cathedral church opens at 12.30.

 

 

Adult

£17.00

Our standard visitor ticket is valid for 12 months, meaning you can re-visit the Cathedral as often as you want during that time at no extra cost.

Children (aged 17 and under)

Free

Children go FREE when accompanied by a paying adult. (Max 2 children per paying adult; does not apply to group bookings or school visits). Children must be accompanied at all times.

 

Canterbury Students

Free

Students studying full-time at local universities - Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Kent, University for the Creative Arts - enjoy FREE entry with their student ID.

English Heritage Members

20% discount on visitor entry

  • Not valid with other promotions or offers.
  • Discount applies to tickets bought on the door at our Visitor Centre only. Discount is not available for online booking. Standard price admission tickets cannot be refunded and exchanged for discounted tickets.
  • Valid until 31 March 2025. T&Cs apply.

Cathedral Pass

Locals can enjoy unlimited visits for the equivalent of just 10p per month!

You may be eligible for a Cathedral Pass if you:

  • work in the old city of Canterbury
  • live within 4 miles of Bell Harry tower, including within The Precincts
  • are a member of the Cathedral Congregation
  • are immediate family of a Cathedral staff member
  • are a member of any church in the diocese (on the parish electoral roll or equivalent)

Our Cathedral Pass cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions or offers.

Apply for The Cathedral Pass

Event calendar

Have a look at the range of events Canterbury Cathedral has on offer below.

 

 

What's on

There’s something for everyone – see what exciting events are currently taking place.

See what's on

Service times

Daily Eucharist   08:00
Lunchtime Eucharist   12:30 (Wednesdays and Feast Days only)
Daily Choral Evensong or Said Evening Prayer with Organ Meditation*   17:30
Sunday Choral Eucharist*  11:00
All are welcome and there is no charge to attend a service. *Live streamed online.

Services

Online worship

Every day the Cathedral’s services are broadcast on our YouTube channel. It’s perfect for when you are unable to be here in person. 

Explore 

Find us

We can't wait to welcome you to the Cathedral

Monday to Saturday 09.00 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)
Sunday 11.30 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)

Between 11.30-12.30, access is available to the Cathedral ground and Shop only. the Cathedral church opens at 12.30.

Address

Cathedral House
11 The Precincts
Canterbury
CT1 2EH
United Kingdom

Parking 

Parking in the Cathedral grounds is only available for Blue Badge holders, subject to limited availability and prior arrangement. There are several public car parks nearby. 

Find out more

 

Planning your visit? Remember to check our closures.

Change ringing

Developed since the 17th century, change ringing is a way of ringing bells at a steady rhythm. The order in which the bells ring changes constantly and no two should be identical. There are many methods of change ringing, and some have curious names such as ‘Kent Treble Bob Major’ or ‘Marvin the Paranoid Android Minor’.

The Campanile (Bell Tower)

In the Saxon Cathedral in the late 10th century, the smallest bell required 10 ringers to sound, while the largest required 24. In 1160, Prior Wybert added an even more intricate bell that required 32 ringers. Following the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170, these remained silent for a year.

More bells were given over time and in 1540, the Priory was dissolved by Henry VIII. Five bells, which totalled over 11 tonnes in weight, were sold. The bell tower was then demolished in the 17th century.

The Bells of Canterbury Cathedral

These notes on the bells of Canterbury Cathedral have been largely based on an article written in ‘The Ringing World’ by Nicholas J Davies F.S.A. Scot. in December 1993. Nick Davies died in May 2006. From the days when he learned to ring while a scholar at King’s School, Canterbury in the 1950s up until very shortly before his death after a determined battle with cancer, Nick was, to say the least, an enthusiast for bells. For many years he served as Bells Adviser to the Diocesan Advisory Committee; he was Chairman of the Kent County Association of Change Ringers from

1990 to 1993; he served on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers for many years and was particularly devoted to the bells of Romney Marsh where he lived.

Nick was also a Member of the Canterbury Cathedral Company. His wife, Brenda Davies, has said that he would be delighted that some of his words are being used in this description of the history of the bells of the Cathedral.

Towers

Prior Henry of Eastry gave six bells to the tower in 1317, which almost totalled 3 tonnes. Whether these survived until 1408 is unknown. Work commenced on the reconstruction of this tower in 1433. 

In the 15th century after completion, a small bell called ‘Bell Harry’, was hung on the roof of the central tower, thereafter it was known as “Bell Harry Tower”.

Until 1316, the NW Tower was vacant. When Prior Henry of Eastry added a spire surmounted by a weather cock, the tower was then known as ‘Cock Steeple’. In 1440, Arundel’s five bells were installed, changing the name to the ‘Arundel Tower’. 

After a storm the spire was taken down, and four of the bells cracked. So in 1726, they were removed altogether, recast into eight, and rehung in the SW Tower.

By 1824, the tower was pulled down due to its condition. It was rebuilt from its foundations, necessitating an Act of Parliament. The NW tower remained vacant for 150 years.

In 1451, five bells were hung in the SW tower, and in 1499, the bell ‘Dunstan’, was recast and hung on the roof, where its successors remained until 1981. 

In 1726 the bells, now six in number, were sold. This ended a period of 90 years when the Cathedral possessed two separate rings of six bells. 

In 1758 ‘Dunstan’ was again cracked. After being recast in 1762, the exact weight of the new bell remained uncertain, but after it was taken for tuning, it was declared to be the largest bell in Kent, and still remains to be.

Glossary of Terms

Ring The term is used for a set of bells
Tenor The heaviest bell in a ring 
Headstock The wood or metal body to which a bell is clamped, and on which are mounted bearings and a wheel for swinging the bell
Treble The lightest bell in a ring
Peal A length of continuous ringing of not less than 5,000 changes
Touch The sequence produced by a ring of bells when they sound once and which will depend on the order in which the bell are rung (a length of ringing comprises a number of 'changes')

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