Canterbury Heritage Museum

All About Canterbury  ⇐

The Heritage Museum building dates from 1373 and is on Stour Street just off Canterbury High Street.  It is quite large, well worth a visit and, for me, second only to Canterbury Cathedral ⇐. The museum is child friendly but there is a charge for adults and it is not open all year round, so please see the website ⇒

For a closer view of an image please left-click once and then again.

First a little history.

The following two artists impression are really from the Roman Museum (a few minutes walk away on Butchery St), but help to complete the picture.

Roman Canterbury AD 150

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Roman Canterbury AD 300

And, back to the Heritage Museum.

Anglo-Saxon Canterbury AD 700

It seems the new locals put aside bijou for hairy Saxon style, although it looks like the early cathedral can be seen in the distance.

Just a few of the items on display:-

6th Century Anglo-Saxon Bronze Brooch

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The Normans came along in the the 11th Century and had a preference for stone.

Medieval Mazer

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And armour.

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Elizabethan Soldier – A “Buffs” Pikeman 1572

The Buffs are a long-standing regiment originating in Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury.  Once known as the 3rd Light Foot but now known as the Royal East Kent Regiment.  Referred to as the Buffs because of the buff colouring of their sleeves.

In 1858 whilst stationed at Malta, Lieutenant John Cotter, Adjutant of the 2nd Buffs, would shout “Steady, The Buffs!”, a shout which was popularised by Rudyard Kipling and entered common use.

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Invicta Steam Locomotive

Invicta was built at the Stephensons Works, delivered and driven by Edward Fletcher and opened the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway in 1830.

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Mary Tourtel who Created Rupert the Bear in 1920.

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Bagpus and Friends

Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin created Bagpus, Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, the Clangers, Tottie: The Story of a Dolls House and The Pogles family in a converted cowshed in Blean near Canterbury using the company name Smallfilms ⇒. 

There are more of these exhibits at this museum and at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood ⇐ (East London).

Tottie: The Story of a Dolls House

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Oliver Postgate’s Canterbury Chronicle

And more from amazing Canterbury later.

November 6, 2016 | Categories: History, museums, Photography, Places to Photograph Near London, Places to Visit, Travel, uk | Tags: anglo-saxon, bagpus, buffs, canterbury, oliver postgate, roman, rupert the bear | 13 Comments