CONCRETE & STONEWORK
CONNECTED CANTERBURY
Connected Canterbury is a major public realm enhancement scheme by Canterbury City Council which will transform key sites across the city, including Dane John Gardens, the historic City Wall, Castle Row, Greyfriars Gardens, Nasons Courtyard and St. Radigunds.
Funded by the UK Government through the Levelling Up Fund and designed by HTA Design, the works will create a series of‘ story gardens’: landscaped spaces that combine physical improvements with interpretation and wayfinding to reveal Canterbury’ s layered history and enhance connectivity across the city centre.
As principal contractor, Blakedown’ s focus is not just on creating new spaces, but on carefully revealing and interpreting what is already there. Rather than a blank canvas, the works engage with existing structures, archaeology and services, and in some cases elements that are no longer visible but still shape how the scheme is delivered.
Phase 1 focuses on Dane John Gardens, the City Wall and the Castle Row Green Link, three connected sites that sit within Canterbury’ s historic core but are experienced very differently on the ground.
At Dane John Gardens, a Grade II Registered Park and Garden with multiple Scheduled Monuments, the work centres on restoring structure and improving how the space is used. The sensitivity of the site has dictated delivery, with controlled excavation and construction carefully sequenced in response to site conditions.
Reinforced concrete formation has been used to support the reinstatement of the Yorkstone steps to the Mound Pinnacle, carefully coordinated under the oversight of Canterbury Archaeological Trust. Alongside this, the central avenue has been resurfaced and the distinctive‘ serpent’ benches refurbished. A new kiosk, housing a café, accessible toilet and store, has been introduced, set within a reclaimed Yorkstone terrace. Planting patterns have been reestablished using contract-grown stock by Palmstead Nurseries, with a scheme designed by Noel Kingsbury, reflecting the historic layout of the gardens alongside a more climateresilient strategy.
Along the City Wall, the approach is more linear, improving the wall walk as a continuous route through resurfacing, planting and interpretation.
At Castle Row, where much of the original structure is no longer visible, levels, planting and route alignment are used to reference what was once there, including a new shared pathway intersected by a decorative Kent Ragstone crossing, detailed with engraved granite kerbs featuring historic place names.
Phase 2 extends the programme across Greyfriars Gardens, Nasons Courtyard and St Radigunds, with delivery already underway.
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