Cool Places
Eastbridge Hospital
25 High Street Canterbury CT1 2BD
In 1170 Thomas Becket was murdered on the alter of Canterbury Cathedral and almost immediately sparked pilgrimages from across the country, travelling to visit his tomb. The small city was hard pressed to provide accommodation for weary pilgrims and a few decades later Eastbridge was founded, a hospital in the traditional sense of the word - a place of hospitality. The building still provides accommodation for the elderly, and you can visit the restored undercroft, where pilgrims slept, as well as the refectory and chapel or step outside to enjoy the quietness of the Franciscan Gardens. A 12th-century relic that's worth a visit for those on a historic trail through Canterbury.
