Saints and Stones: Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr (Canterbury)
Home
Saints
Stones

The Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr was founded in the 12th Century in Canterbury to provide overnight accommodation for poor pilgrims to the shrine of St Thomas Beckett.

The hospital is situated on the King's Bridge near the Westgate in Canterbury. It was established sometime after the death of Thomas Becket (1170), possibly as early as 1176, when Canterbury Cathedral became a site of pilgrimage. For many years, there were no rules laid down for the treatment of pilgrims. In the 14th Century, however, the Hospital was reformed by the Archbishop. He created ordinances, as well as a code of regulations to be acted on concerning pilgrims. He ruled that every pilgrim in health could rest in the lodgment for one night at the cost of four pence, that weak and infirm applicants were to be preferred to those with better health, and that women "upwards of forty" should attend to the bedding and administer medicines to the sick. The institution survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries and other religious houses during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, although the pilgrimage to St. Thomas of Canterbury did not survive this period.

The Undercroft was the first part of the building built. It was the pilgrims' sleeping area.

About Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr

Eastbridge Hospital Website
Wikipedia: Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr, Canterbury

Journey to Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr

Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr is located on Kings Bridge in the city of Canterbury in Kent in southeast England.

Ordnance Survey Map (TR1499057969)

Visitors Information

Visitors information for Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr may be found at the Eastbridge Hospital website. General tourism information for Canterbury may be found at the Visit Canterbury website. General tourism information for Kent may be found at the Visit Kent website.

Additional Photos of Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr

Front of Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr
Chantry Chapel of Our Lady, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr
Early 13th Century Mural in the Refectory, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr
Tapestry, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr
Icon of St. Thomas by Peter Murphy, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr
Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr from the River Stour


Top of Page