St Paul's without the Walls Church, Canterbury

St Paul’s Church (St Paul’s Without the Walls), Canterbury is a small but historically significant Anglican church located just outside Canterbury’s ancient city walls, near St Augustine’s Abbey. Its unusual name comes from the old meaning of without, meaning “outside” the walls of the city.

The church has medieval origins, with parts of the present building dating from the 13th century. Historians believe it may stand on or near the site of an earlier Norman church and possibly even a Roman burial chapel, as Roman graves have been found nearby. The oldest surviving section is the north aisle, while the tower and other extensions were added during the Middle Ages.

Throughout its history, St Paul’s was closely connected with St Augustine’s Abbey, which appointed many of its clergy. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the parish had to establish its own burial ground because parishioners could no longer use the abbey cemetery.