Latest news
Ray Evison
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Ray Evison on 14 March 2025. Born in Cheshire, Ray was a stalwart servant of the city and […]
Spring Cleaning Alluvia
Our sincere thanks to Westgate Punts for wading into the Stour with the official CCS statue broom and sweeping the winter debris from our lovely Alluvia. She’s not as new, […]
The Theatre Revolution of the 1580s
On Thursday 13 March the Society heard a fascinating talk by Rory Loughnane of Kent University on the part played by William Shakespeare and Canterbury’s Christopher Marlowe in reshaping Elizabethan […]
Her Majesty Queen Camilla unveils Aphra
On Tuesday 25 February, Her Majesty Queen Camilla did Canterbury Commemoration Society the honour of unveiling Christine Charlesworth’s magnificent statue of Aphra Behn in Canterbury High Street. The statue is […]
SIMMONS RESURGENS!
The unveiling on 26 January of the new information board about Alderman James Simmons, the great improver of Canterbury in the late 18th century, by Stewart Ross, chair of the […]
SIMMONS SCRUBBED UP
The Society’s Secretary and his long suffering wife braved the bitter cold of a January morning to spruce up the tomb of Alderman James Simmons, Canterbury’s Great Tycoon, at St […]
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The latest from CCS on Twitter
Have you seen the Alluvia statue in the River Stour in Canterbury? Created by international artist Jason deCaires Taylor, Alluvia will be formally presented to the public and handed over to Canterbury City Council at 6.30 pm on Sunday 22 September.
Love that locals are freaking out over the new Alluvia statue in the River Stour Canterbury, inspired by Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet - which is said to have been inspired by a 16th century drowning in the Stour.
Especially as it lights up at night - amazing and terrifying
“She should be #Canterbury’s most famous daughter and it’s an absolute crime that she isn’t” – the opening words from @CharloCornell who spoke to us recently about #poet, #playwright & #spy, #AphraBehn: https://www.rotarycanterbury.org.uk/canterbury-rotary-news/aphrabehn-cornell.html
#womenwriters #canterburyhistory #canterburykent
383 years ago today, Aphra Behn (Johnson) was baptised in the village of Harbledown just outside of the city of Canterbury. To meet & be amongst the Aphra experts of the world, you need to be booking for THE conference 2nd - 4th July 2024 @UniKent See bio for booking link.
Yesterday our chair, Stewart and @CharloCornell @AphraStatue went to see the Canterbury-City-bound sculpture of Aphra Behn in all her sandblasted glory at the foundry & met up with the wonderful sculptor Christine Charlesworth to discuss installation, signage and cobbles (!)
The statue of Aphra Behn heading for Canterbury city centre being polished and inspected at the foundry. She’s nearly there: just finishing, trimming, some words & detail to go. What a stunning statue she will be @canterburycc @AphraStatue @CCCU_Culture @UniKentEnglish @mems_ukc