A Story of Prayer and Pilgrimage, Murder and Martyrdom

Canterbury Cathedral is one of the world’s most revered religious sites. Britain’s most ancient cathedral, it is home of saints, centre of pilgrimage, seat of the leader of the Church of England and the symbolic heart of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its vast complex is one of the most spectacular buildings in Europe.

We worked with the cathedral team on a major, £24.7million transformation project - The Canterbury Journey. The project aimed to safeguard the building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, increase visitor numbers and broaden appeal. We delivered a new visitor centre, interpretation trail and series of exhibits through the site.

The renewed interpretation trail ties together more than 1,400 years of history. It reveals stories of Anglo-Saxon monks, power struggles between king and country, Chaucer’s pilgrims, the great Magna Carta and, most dramatically of all, the murder of Thomas Beckett. Importantly, it features the people who have shaped this most holy of places – from bishops to deans, stonemasons to scaffolders – and marvels at their extraordinary skill and devotion.

From the crypt to the precinct, you are led around the most holy parts of the cathedral. Unseen treasures feature along the trail. Prized manuscripts, medieval bibles and Anglo-Saxon artefacts provide moments of focus and bring stories to life. Working closely architects, conservators and surveyors, we have helped make the space safe and suitable to display some of these priceless objects for the first time.