About us

Old Sessions House, Longport, Canterbury, was re-opened as part of the Canterbury Campus in 1998 by Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury. On the same occasion he re-dedicated the University College. This early nineteenth century building, plus 1960s addition, had been acquired in 1995 and was totally refurbished and extended before its formal opening.

The building has won architectural awards for its sensitive yet modern conversion, and has become an important venue for public lectures and other events.

In 2000, the magnificent stable buildings at Salomons were renovated to create specialist teaching and library accommodation. In the same year, the College of Guidance Studies, the smallest higher education establishment in the country, merged into Canterbury Christ Church and courses in careers guidance have since been offered at Salomons.

Since 2000, there has been a substantial growth in sub-degree provision, particularly through Foundation Degrees, recognising the need to widen participation in higher education.

The Broadstairs Campus was conceived and the first phase built in less than a year. Thanet District Council was instrumental in ensuring that the campus was appropriately located and donated the land for the project. Thanet has special economic status and the campus provides an important regenerative element to the district.

In addition, the area has less than average participation in higher education and the establishment of what is known locally as ‘Thanet University’ was strongly supported and welcomed by the local community.

The Broadstairs Campus was formally opened by Archbishop George Carey, after whom one of its buildings is named, in December 2000. The second phase was opened in 2001 with the completion of the Allen Building, which houses social facilities for students and specialist studios for media and music. A hall of residence was opened in 2003.

Canterbury Christ Church has refurbished and renovated historic buildings as often as it has constructed from new. St Martin’s Priory, the first home of Christ Church College, was restored and re-opened in 2001.

With its wonderful gardens and fascinating interiors, this historic building has now become the setting for small meetings, conferences and corporate events, as well as office space for Applied Social Sciences and Law & Criminal Justice Studies.

In 2000, Canterbury Christ Church acquired the lease of the Sidney Cooper Centre in Canterbury city centre. Established as an art school by the renowned cattle painter Thomas Sidney Cooper in 1868, the building was handed to the City Council in 1882 and has since been used for a variety of activities. Canterbury Christ Church art students moved into the building in December 2002, taking it back to its original use as an art school.

In 2004, the refurbished gallery space opened to the public. The gallery exhibits Canterbury Christ Church staff and student work, as well as work by local, national and international artists.

As Canterbury Christ Church expanded, buildings were added to the North Holmes Road Campus. However, expansion meant that the site became full and additional premises became a necessity.

In 2003-2004, two major buildings were acquired in Canterbury – the large office block formerly known as Clarkson House, adjacent to the city centre, and Hall Place, an impressive 16th century building in nearby Harbledown.

Hall Place has been renovated and renamed Hall Place Enterprise Centre to reflect its status as the hub of knowledge exchange activities between the academic and business communities, as well as a venue for conferences and events that bring these communities together. It is home to the Centre for Enterprise and Business Development, the gateway for business support and access to academic resources and training programmes for small businesses.

Clarkson House will undergo a multi-million pound face-lift over several years. Renamed Augustine House, it will provide additional space for both new and existing programmes as well as improved teaching and learning facilities.

In February 2004, Canterbury Christ Church opened The Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health in Folkestone as part of the town’s new Creative Quarter.

The Centre, which is the first higher education venture in Folkestone, researches the link between arts and health.

As a member of the Universities at Medway project, a partnership between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent with Mid-Kent College, Canterbury Christ Church opened a new facility at Chatham in September 2004.

Named Rowan Williams Court, after the present Archbishop of Canterbury who opened it, the building is equipped with the very latest technology and multi-media resources for a range of professional education programmes in the areas of health, education and policing. The programmes offered enable local people to study a range of vocational programmes relevant to their community which also supports the government’s agenda to modernise the public sector.