The Poor Priests’ Hospital

Our vision is to preserve, protect, and re-present the Poor Priests’ Hospital, a Grade I and II listed, 12th Century heritage building close to the Marlowe Theatre, into a world-class Creative Learning Centre and Heritage Destination for Kent.

The Poor Priests’ Hospital is a rare and remarkable survival of a medieval building and has had a bewildering range of uses including a House of Correction, a house for Paupers, a Bluecoat School, a Workhouse, a Police Station, and most recently Canterbury Heritage Museum.

We will revitalise a forgotten corner of the city centre and breathe life into this At-Risk building welcoming over 50,000 visitors a year and create:

• A world-class Creative Learning Centre with dedicated studios, classrooms and break out spaces where our work with young people, artists and the community can thrive.
• A restored medieval Great Hall and Chapel creating one of the only free-to-access heritage destinations in Canterbury.
• A riverside café for events and private hires in the building, capitalising on Canterbury’s visitor economy.

Here young people and the community will be able to flourish. They will be able to develop their creative lives, feel a sense of belonging and place, learn new leadership and theatre-making skills and find pathways into employment in the performing arts.

“This landmark development will consolidate Canterbury’s status as the performing arts capital of Kent, contributing to a rich and revitalised city centre and boosting the local economy. Ultimately the Poor Priests’ Hospital development project will make Canterbury a better place to live, study and work.” Alan Baldock, Leader of Canterbury City Council

Making it happen

We have been using the building since 2017 when we ran a series of projects funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through Pioneering Places. The building has also had early investment through Canterbury City Council’s Levelling Up bid to fix urgent repairs to the roof.

Our ambitious capital project will cost approximately £7 million in total. We have received an initial grant of £600,000 from National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop our plans and will be putting in a further bid for £2.95 million in December 2025.

We have a fundraising target of £3.42 million for match funding to generate from trusts and foundations, individuals, corporates and a public appeal.

 

If you’d like to discuss supporting this project or learn more about it, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Kate Bierman, Campaign Director, or call the Development Office on 01227 935767.