History of the Site

Research shows that the campus site used to be part of the Barton Court Estate,which can trace it's origins back to about 600AD, when it was farm and parkland attached to the Abbey of St Augustine. Barton Court was still a farm until early in the 20th century, but much of its land then went to make way for housing, school and college developments.

In the late 1960's Canterbury Art School, which had originally been founded by Sidney Cooper, had outgrown the twelve separate buildings scattered around town. The modern purpose built campus was developed on a greenfield site, and is arranged like an amphitheatre. The greenspace and large trees remind us of past roots.