Greyfriars House The New Team

Christine and Keith Chapman are the new team at Greyfriars Guest House in CANTERBURY.

Greyfriars House is on the site of the old gatehouse to the Greyfriars monastery which is the oldest Fransiscan monastery in the country. Imagine that these friars arrived here on this very sport during the lifetime of St. Francis!!  They then "camped" for fifty years on the island until being given permission to stay!! Visitors and locals alike still attend a service there on a Wednesday, in the remains of the monastery which Henry tried so hard to demolish!  The monastery gardens are the other side of the river which runs at the back of the house with the Greyfriars monastery still spanning the river as it has for the eight hundred years.

As a team Christine and Keith had successfully run local hotels and guest-houses over a period of twenty years, and have also had businesses in the hospitality trade abroad.

Christine also spent some time working with Canterbury Tourism.

Then five years ago they retired to spend most of the year in sunny South Africa.  However, wanting to spend more time over here with the family, and trying to escape the vuvuzelas during the World Cup they came back to Canterbury and found that The Greyfriars House really needed their expertise.

Their plan is to reinstate Greyfriars to it's former glory. The building itself cannot be changed of course. It is a listed building and has features that are found in few other buildings in the area. The walking tour passes here each day to point out features to our tourists, and to draw their attention to the bridges over the river to the monastery and gardens and so on. In the summer time the punts pass by filled with visitors to show them the historical features viewed from the river.

Since taking over at the Greyfriars House back in November they have redecorated, updated and revamped the rooms and are now offering a warm, personal welcome to former guests and of course to new ones. Christine says that she is always happy to advise on local attractions, and feels it is important to pass on their passion for the culture and history of the city.  How lucky we are to have so much history on our doorstep, with a City full of hidden treasures.

Christine and Keith hope that visitors to Canterbury will enjoy the atmosphere and personal service and look forward to welcoming guests again this year.

Click here to enquire online or phone 01227 456255

Written by: The Editor