Kent’s 16 Most Beautiful Abbeys & Priories: A Local’s Guide

Kent was once one of the top counties in England for abbeys and priories. There used to be somewhere between 50 and 60 of them, including grand Benedictine abbeys, smaller priories, urban friaries and medieval hospitals run by religious communities.

The county’s early conversion to Christianity, combined with its agricultural wealth and proximity to the Continent, made it the perfect place for monastic life to flourish for nearly 1,000 years.

Then Henry VIII’s Dissolution between 1536 and 1540 swept the whole lot away in just four years, with buildings demolished, libraries scattered and communities disbanded.

Today, just three religious communities still function in their original tradition: the Benedictine nuns at Minster Abbey, the Anglican Benedictine nuns at Malling Abbey and the Carmelite friars at Aylesford Priory, all of whom have remarkably re-established themselves on their original medieval sites.

Everything else is sadly either a romantic ruin, an archaeological footprint or completely lost to history.

I love visiting old abbeys and learning more about their history. My favourite site is the St. Augustine Abbey, because that’s where it all started, but I also love Bayham Abbey because it’s so remote and quiet and you can actually imagine how it might have been when it was still a working abbey.

I’ve put together 16 amazing abbeys and priories that you can still see today in Kent. Some you can visit directly, others just admire from the nearest public footpath, but all give you an idea what life looked like when they were thriving communities.

1. St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury

This is where English Christianity really began and standing among the ruins (and realising that…) is such a privilege. Founded in 598 AD by St Augustine himself, just after he arrived from Rome to convert the Anglo-Saxons, the Abbey became one of the most important monastic sites in Europe.

King Æthelberht and Queen Bertha are both buried here, along with several early Archbishops of Canterbury. For nearly 1,000 years it was a centre of learning and pilgrimage, until Henry VIII dissolved it in 1538 and turned part of it into a royal palace for Anne of Cleves.

Most of the buildings were quarried for stone, but you can still trace the foundations of the great church and see the surviving Norman crypt. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Cathedral and St Martin’s Church in Canterbury.

Last time I visited the St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury, I spent ages with the audio guide and was amazed at how much of the original layout you can still make out.

• Location: Longport, Canterbury, CT1 1PF

2. Minster Abbey, Minster-in-Thanet

The Minster Abbey is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in England, which still blows my mind every time I visit. Founded in 670 AD by Princess Domneva, who was granted the land by King Egbert of Kent as compensation for the murder of her two brothers, the Abbey has an extraordinary story.

The land was measured out by her pet deer, which ran across Thanet to mark the boundary and you can still see a carving of the deer on the Abbey today. Her daughter St Mildred became the second abbess and is the patron saint of Thanet.

The Vikings destroyed the original monastery in 1011, but the Saxon stonework survives in parts of the current building, which dates mostly from around 1027.

After the Dissolution, the Abbey passed through various hands until 1937, when Benedictine nuns from Eichstätt in Bavaria bought it back and re-established monastic life after nearly 400 years. The community still lives and worships here today, and they welcome visitors warmly. Last time I went, one of the sisters showed me around and pointed out the Saxon walls and I came away with a jar of their homemade honey from the gift shop.

• Location: Church Street, Minster-in-Thanet, CT12 4HF

3. Aylesford Priory (The Friars), Aylesford

The Carmelite friars first came here in 1242, making this one of the earliest Carmelite settlements in Europe and remarkably they’re still here today.

The Friars was actually given to the Carmelites by Richard de Grey, who’d brought them back from the Holy Land during the Crusades.

St Simon Stock, who became the sixth Prior General of the order, lived and died here and he’s still buried in the chapel.

After the Dissolution in 1538 the buildings became a private house, but in 1949 the Carmelites bought it back. The post-war shrine area was designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott, brother of the more famous Giles, and the ceramic Stations of the Cross by Polish artist Adam Kossowski are beautiful.

It’s a working priory, retreat centre and pilgrimage site all rolled into one. Last time I visited, I had a lovely lunch in the tea rooms and enjoyed walking through the peaceful garden and the priory grounds. I also stocked up on fresh vegetables and local produce from the one of the best farmer’s markets in Kent which is regularly held at the priory. Afterwards, I walked a section of the Medway Valley path from Aylesford towards Maidstone ( and returned back by train…), it was such a fantastic day out.

• Location: The Friars, Aylesford, ME20 7BX

4. Boxley Abbey, Boxley

Founded in 1146 by William of Ypres as a Cistercian house, Boxley became famous (or infamous) for the Rood of Grace, a wooden figure of Christ on the cross that appeared to move its eyes and mouth miraculously. Pilgrims flocked here for centuries to witness it.

When Henry VIII’s commissioners arrived in 1538, they discovered the whole thing was operated by hidden wires and levers and they paraded the mechanical Christ through London before burning it publicly at St Paul’s Cross. The scandal was used as powerful propaganda for the Reformation.

Most of the abbey was demolished, but the impressive 13th-century tithe barn survives and is now part of a private estate. You can see the barn from public footpaths and the surviving abbey gatehouse is visible from Boxley village.

• Location: The Street, Boxley, ME14 3DX

5. Bayham Abbey, Lamberhurst

These are some of the most romantic ruins in Kent, sitting in beautifully landscaped grounds right on the East Sussex border. Founded around 1207 by Premonstratensian canons (a rare order in England, often called the White Canons because of their habits), Bayham was created by merging two smaller struggling houses.

The Abbey did pretty well for itself until Cardinal Wolsey dissolved it in 1525 a full decade before Henry VIII’s main Dissolution, to fund his new college at Oxford.

In the 18th century, Humphry Repton landscaped the grounds into a picturesque park for the Pratt family, deliberately preserving the ruins as a romantic feature, which is why they look so wonderfully gothic today. The gatehouse and church walls are particularly atmospheric. The Bayham Abbey is looked after by English Heritage and the best thing is that it’s completely free to visit.

• Location: Bayham Road, Lamberhurst, TN3 8LX

6. Lesnes Abbey, Abbey Wood

Technically just over the modern London border but historically very much Kent, Lesnes was founded in 1178 by Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar to Henry II, supposedly as penance for his involvement in the murder of Thomas Becket.

De Luci himself retired here and is buried in the chapter house. The abbey struggled financially throughout its history because of the constant cost of maintaining the Thames marsh walls and it was actually dissolved early in 1525, again by Cardinal Wolsey to fund his Oxford college.

The ruins sit in lovely parkland with woodland behind and there’s a fossil bed nearby where you can hunt for sharks’ teeth from the Eocene period.

• Location: Abbey Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 0LX

7. Faversham Abbey, Faversham

This is Kent’s great lost abbey, founded in 1148 by King Stephen and Queen Matilda as their family mausoleum. Stephen, Matilda and their son Eustace were all buried here, which made the abbey one of the most royally significant religious houses in England. The abbey was a Cluniac foundation and grew wealthy on royal patronage.

Sadly, Henry VIII’s Dissolution was particularly thorough here and almost nothing remains above ground. The royal tombs were destroyed and there’s still mystery about what happened to the bones.

Archaeological digs in the 20th century revealed the foundations and a fragment of the gatehouse survives on Abbey Street as a part of a house.

If you want to learn more about the lost abbey you can visit the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre nearby and also follow a self-guided history trail around the town (including visiting the site of the other Faversham Abbey at Davington).

• Location: Abbey Street, Faversham, ME13 7BG

8. Malling Abbey, West Malling

Founded around 1090 by Bishop Gundulf of Rochester (the same man who built the White Tower at the Tower of London and also the Rochester Cathedral and Rochester Castle), Malling was a Benedictine nunnery and one of the few Kent abbeys to have a continuous use stretching back to the Norman period.

The medieval gatehouse and parts of the original church survived and the Norman tower (St. Leonards) is particularly impressive. The tower was built on the other side of the town and it’s thought to be part of the St.Leonard’s Church, which was later destroyed.

Just before the Dissolution, Malling Abbey was one of the wealthiest women abbeys in England. They had annual income of about £245, large property and lands, all of this was taken by the Crown, despite the nuns resisting until the last minute.

After the Dissolution it passed through various private hands, but in 1916 Anglican Benedictine nuns re-established a religious community here and they’re still in residence today.

It’s a working monastery, so access is limited, but you can visit the church for services and the grounds on certain open days. The continuity here is wonderful, with nearly 1,000 years of monastic life on the same site, only briefly interrupted.

• Location: Swan Street, West Malling, ME19 6JX

9. Dover Priory, Dover

Most people who pass through Dover Priory railway station have no idea they’re standing on the site of a medieval Benedictine monastery, which I always think is a bit of a shame.

Founded around 1130 by Archbishop William de Corbeil, the Priory of St Martin became one of the more significant religious houses in east Kent, partly because of its location at the gateway to England.

Pilgrims arriving from the Continent on their way to Canterbury would often stop here first. The priory had a turbulent history with the monks at Canterbury Cathedral, who claimed authority over it, leading to centuries of squabbling and even physical fights between the two communities.

After the Dissolution in 1535 the buildings were largely demolished, but the refectory and parts of the gatehouse survived because they were incorporated into Dover College, the independent school founded on the site in 1871. The school’s chapel is the converted monastic refectory and you can sometimes visit on heritage open days.

• Location: Dover College, Effingham Crescent, Dover, CT17 9RH

10. Folkestone Priory and St Mary & St Eanswythe Church, Folkestone

This is one of my favourite stories about abbeys in Kent. St Eanswythe was the granddaughter of King Æthelberht of Kent (the first Christian Anglo-Saxon king) and she founded one of the earliest English nunneries here around 660 AD, when she was just a teenager. She died young, around 640 AD, and became a local saint, with her relics celebrated for centuries.

The original monastery was destroyed by Viking raids and coastal erosion, with the current parish church built in the 12th century on higher ground. Her bones were hidden in the church wall during the Reformation to save them from destruction and forgotten about until workmen rediscovered them in 1885 inside a lead casket.

But, the most amazing part is that in 2020, a research project carried out DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating on the bones and confirmed they really do date from the mid-7th century and belong to a young woman of royal Kentish descent. That makes them the oldest verified Anglo-Saxon royal remains in England, which is absolutely extraordinary. The relics are still in the church today behind a small grille.

• Location: Priory Gardens, Folkestone, CT20 1SW

11. Davington Priory, Faversham

Davington Priory is an another great example of historic building still being used today (although not as a religious place).

The priory was founded in 1153 by Fulk de Newenham as a Benedictine nunnery for 26 sisters. Unusually for Kent, parts of the original Norman church still function as the parish church today (St.Mary Magdalene Church), so you can actually worship in a building that’s been in continuous religious use for nearly 900 years.

The priory was dissolved in 1535, slightly before the main Dissolution, when the community had dwindled and nobody but just the prioress was left.

The domestic buildings were converted into a private house, which is now Grade I listed. In the 1990s the house was bought by the musician Bob Geldof who has lived there for nearly 30 years.

The Norman west doorway of the church is very beautiful, with chevron carving that’s barely worn after all these centuries.

• Location: Priory Road, Davington, Faversham, ME13 7EQ

12. Horton Priory, Monks Horton

The surviving fragment of this 12th-century Cluniac priory is now part of a private house, but the Norman west front is one of the finest pieces of Romanesque architecture in Kent. Founded around 1142 as a daughter house of Lewes Priory in Sussex, Horton was always a small foundation, often with just a handful of monks.

It was dissolved in 1536 and the lands passed to Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop who helped Henry VIII break away from Rome. The Norman doorway and west wall survived because they were incorporated into the later manor house, which is how so many monastic fragments managed to escape complete destruction. It’s privately owned but occasionally opens for heritage days.

• Location: Monks Horton, Sellindge, TN25 6DG

13. St Radigund’s Abbey, Dover

These atmospheric ruins near Dover are another Premonstratensian house, founded around 1191 and dedicated to the Frankish saint Radegund.

The abbey was never wealthy and struggled with the constant warfare in this corner of Kent, being so close to the Channel coast. But I also found out that in 13th century they monks also supervised the building of Dover Castle, which I’m sure must have been pretty important. After the Dissolution in 1536, the buildings became a farm, with the gatehouse and parts of the church incorporated into the farm structures.

You can still see the impressive gatehouse tower and substantial sections of walls, there it actually quite a lot to see. It’s privately owned but visible from public footpaths.

• Location: Abbey Road, Dover, CT15 7DL

14. West Langdon Abbey, West Langdon

Another Premonstratensian abbey (Kent did rather well for White Canons), founded in 1192 by William de Auberville. It was a modest house that never grew particularly large or wealthy, dissolved in 1535.

The site now has fragments incorporated into Abbey Farm, with substantial flint walls and parts of the gatehouse surviving. It’s privately owned but the ruins are visible from the road.

The story here is similar to many smaller Kent abbeys, with the buildings recycled into farm use rather than completely demolished, which is actually why we have anything left to see at all.

• Location: West Langdon, Dover, CT15 5JE

15. Combwell Priory, Goudhurst

Founded around 1220 as an Augustinian priory by Robert de Thurnham, Combwell sits in beautiful Wealden countryside near Goudhurst (Kilndown). It was a small house, never particularly notable and was dissolved in 1536.

After the Dissolution the buildings were converted into a country house, which was largely rebuilt in the 18th century but still incorporates monastic fragments. The current house is private, but the setting in the High Weald is gorgeous and there are public footpaths through the surrounding estate. The priory is literary over the road from Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest so you can make a day of it.

• Location: Combwell, Goudhurst, TN17 2QU

16. Higham Priory, Lower Higham

A small Benedictine nunnery founded around 1148, possibly by King Stephen’s daughter Mary. The community was always small and by the time of the Dissolution there were just a handful of nuns left, with the priory closing in 1521.

What makes Higham interesting is that the medieval church of St Mary’s (which I mentioned in my favourite churches in Kent blog) was actually the priory church, which is why it ended up stranded in the countryside when the village moved. The priory buildings themselves are long gone, but the church survives as a beautifully atmospheric reminder of a past long gone.

There are some great easy level walks around Higham and Shorne Marches or you can explore the Thames & Medway Canal. If you follow the road back to Lower Higham and Higham you will get to Gads Hill Place, where Charles Dickens lived.

• Location: Church Street, Higham, ME3 7NN

This blog post was originally published on 10 June 2026 and last updated on 10 June 2026