St George's Square

History of St George's Square (Purcell Architecture)

From Norman foundations

St George's Square is centred on the surviving tower of the former St George's Church, a church likely founded in the late 11th century and first recorded in the mid-12th century. Archaeological evidence shows that the original Norman church was built using tufa and large coursed flints, with an apsidal east end and a nave aligned north-west to south-east. A churchyard extended to the north-east.

The church evolved considerably throughout the medieval period. A north aisle was added during the 12th century, while the chancel was rebuilt in three phases between the 12th and 14th centuries. A Lady Chapel was added in the 13th century, followed by a vestry in the early 14th century.

Investment, growth and Christopher Marlowe

In the 15th century the church underwent a major remodelling. Norman windows were replaced with larger Perpendicular Gothic windows, and much of the surviving west tower dates from this phase. However, the tower still incorporates an early 12th-century Norman round-headed arch alongside later Gothic arches, together with reused Roman brickwork.

The church is perhaps best known as the place where playwright Christopher Marlowe, a Canterbury native, was baptised on 26 February 1564. Historic maps from the 16th and 18th centuries show the church standing beside St George's Gate and its substantial churchyard.

During the 19th century the building underwent significant alterations. Medieval nave columns were replaced with cast-iron columns around 1835, before a Gothic Revival restoration in 1872 introduced new columns and arches. At the same time, the church was enlarged by incorporating material salvaged from the demolished St Mary Magdalene Church. By 1873 the church could accommodate around 500 worshippers.

World War II and beyond

The surrounding area was devastated during the Baedeker Raids of 1942. On the night of 1 June 1942, St George's Church suffered catastrophic bomb damage. The ruined church stood for around a decade before most of the building was demolished, leaving only the tower. Although the tower initially appeared to survive largely intact, part of its upper stage later collapsed. Today it is the only surviving historic structure in this part of Canterbury.

During the 1950s the tower was restored by the Ministry of Works, with new internal floors, a roof, extensive stone replacement and repointing carried out to preserve the structure. Post-war redevelopment transformed its surroundings into a modern civic space. A sunken garden was initially created beside the tower, requiring the excavation of burials and burial vaults, while archaeological investigations in the 1990s uncovered graves and floor surfaces dating back to the late 10th or 11th centuries.

Later redevelopment for the Whitefriars Shopping Centre reshaped the square into the hard-landscaped public space seen today.

In 2026 Canterbury City Council unveiled the new Clocktower Gallery with revolving exhibitions created by students studying at the University for the Creative Arts.