St Martin's Church Religious Site

Hours: Open for services; visiting hours vary by parish

Admission: Free (donations often accepted)

St Martin’s Church is an early Christian parish church in Canterbury, England, with origins in the 6th century and regarded as one of the oldest churches in continuous use in the English-speaking world.

The interior is compact and simple, with a small nave and chancel layout typical of an early parish church. It sits close to the cathedral precincts and is often visited as part of the wider Canterbury World Heritage ensemble.

The site was established by early Anglo-Saxon Christians in the post-Roman period and later functioned as a local parish church through the medieval and modern periods. The building has been altered and repaired over centuries, but its early foundation and continuous use remain key features.

The church stands within the city of Canterbury in Kent, adjacent to the cathedral precincts and within easy walking distance of the city centre and other World Heritage buildings.

• World Heritage status: Included together with Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine’s Abbey on the Canterbury World Heritage Site list.

• Check the church's website or local parish for service times before you go - visiting outside scheduled services gives you quieter access to the interior and any volunteer-led exhibits.
• Arrive midweek in the late morning when local visitor numbers tend to be lower than at weekends; that timing also increases the chance of seeing the church lit by natural light.
• Ask at the porch or office about any guided talks or printed histories - small parish churches often have short leaflets or volunteers who point out memorials, inscriptions and architectural phases that many passersby miss.