Canterbury

The City of Canterbury lies in east Kent. First built by the Romans, it is one of Britain's oldest cities. It has always been a important place, particularly in Medieval times when it was a place for pilgrimage following the murder of Thomas Becket. Although its national importance decreased following the dissociation of the monasteries, it is still an important regional centre. It is now the only city in Kent now that Rochester lost its city status and it is a major tourist destination.

History

Canterbury in 1926

As might be expected, several Roman roads meet in the centre of Canterbury. The A2 historically entered along London Road and through Westgate and along New Dover Road; this route is now mostly the A2050 except inside the city walls and along London Road. The A28 has always gone around the city on the ring road, though the route to the north has been re-aligned to run along part of Military Road. The B2068 mostly runs along Stone Street, a Roman road towards the ancient port of Lympne, though it diverges from the modern route towards Canterbury.

The only high-quality road in the area is the dual carriageway A2 bypass. Although a primary route, the A28 is slow through Wincheap to the south and towards Sturry to the north, with numerous roundabouts and fronting properties. The two roads connect at an interchange near Thanington, but the Dover-bound exit from the A2 to the A28 has never been built, and is currently obstructed by the park and ride. There have been numerous proposals for a Canterbury Eastern Bypass, which would reroute the A28 away from the city centre, connecting to the A2 at Bridge, and potentially also bypass Sturry.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A2	(M2), London
A2	Dover
A28	Ashford
A28	Margate
A299	Ramsgate	Accessed via A28
A252	Charing, Challock	Accessed via A28
A257	Sandwich
A260	Folkestone	Accessed via A2
A290	Whitstable
A291	Herne Bay	Accessed via A28
B2068	Hythe	Actually goes to M20 J11; remainder of route is via the A261
A2005		Link across city centre
B2043		Link across northern side of city between A2 and A28

Links

• City Council
• Tourism in Canterbury
• Official Page of Canterbury Cathedral
• Canterbury Cathedral Wikipedia Page

• £30 million bypass in Canterbury rejected by KCC - sparking fears of severe traffic delays at Sturry level crossing  11.03.2021 (archive.org)