Hidden away in the cul-de-sac All Saints Lane stands All Saints Court (Image 1), one of Canterbury’s best surviving timber-framed buildings (Listed Grade II star). Formerly a pilgrims’ rest associated with Eastbridge Hospital, the original site included a wing overlooking the River Stour, now lost. The site later became cottages and by the 1920s was condemned as unfit for habitation. The builder Walter Sidney Cozens , son of CHAS founder Walter Cozens, then played a key role in saving and restoring the property, revealing the frontage as it is seen today.
It later became a Youth Hostel, and afterwards the Woodman School of Dancing. After further renovation it became a private house around 2009. The upper storey room runs for a continuous 77 feet, one of the longest rooms in any Canterbury home.
What to see:
- an impressive example of a 16th century timber framed house with continuous overhang facing street (Image 2)
- seven decorated corbels in a row (examples in Images 3 and 4) – rare in Canterbury buildings – and possibly taken from buildings at the St Augustine’s site known at the time as Lady Wootton’s Palace
- fine example of a Kentish peg style roof (Image 5)
Access: frontage visible from All Saints Lane
Sources: Cameron (2005); Cantuccio (1970); web site Images of England
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