Canterbury in Kent, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)

A Centre of Learning

St Augustine's Abbey

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, March 29, 2025

1. A Centre of Learning Marker

Inscription.
This square space was the abbey's cloister. It housed one of the great centres of book production in medieval England.

The monks that lived here followed the Rule of St Benedict, with set times to eat, sleep, and attend services in the church eight times a day. After the dramatic changes brought about by the coming of the Normans in the 11th century, life at the abbey was more settled for the monks over the next 400 years.

The cloister was where they would spend much of their time. The south walk, to your left, housed the abbey's scriptorium. Here there would have been a row of carrels, or desks, where the monks sat and copied out texts as way of ensuring knowledge was passed on. They also produced magnificent illuminated manuscripts.

The abbey's scriptorium continued to produce fine books up until the 15th century, when its library had around 1.900 volumes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 51° 16.697′ N, 1° 5.296′ E. Marker is in Canterbury, England, in Kent. It can be reached from the intersection of Monastery Street and Longport, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Monastery St, Canterbury, England CT1, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Greater South East.

Globally, it is in the Atlantic Ocean,

in the North Atlantic Region,

in Europe,

in Atlantic Europe,

on one of the British Isles,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tombs of kings and archbishops (a few steps from this marker); Wulfric's Rotunda (a few steps from this marker); The Crypt (a few steps from this marker); The Great Norman Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Abandonment and Ruin (within shouting distance of this marker); Reuse and Rediscovery (within shouting distance of this marker); The End of the Abbey (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to St Augustine's Abbey (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canterbury.

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, March 29, 2025

2. A Centre of Learning Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 3, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.