The Yeomans Cottage, Eastbridge Hospital

Reviews (4)

• Chris

  The Yeomans Cottage at Eastbridge Hospital is a wonderful and truly unique way to experience Canterbury. We were fortunate enough to stay there for three magical days in November 2025. The cottage is a part of Eastbridge Hospital, which was established in the 1100s by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a place of hospitality to pilgrims.For a building that is over eight hundred years old, the Hospital is well preserved and lovingly maintained. One extraordinarily cool thing about staying at the Yeomans Cottage is that many interior areas of the Hospital that are not currently open to the public are however accessible at no charge to cottage guests, who are free to wander around and check out those areas at their leisure and at their own pace. Those same interior areas include original architectural details that are many centuries old, as well as an impressive array of historical artifacts. To be inside the place is akin to stepping into a time machine, definitely a major treat for anyone with even a passing interest in history.The Yeomans Cottage has its own private entrance, which is reached via a short walk through the Hospital's interior and a couple of short corridors. The cottage has two floors, with a living room and a modern kitchen on the first floor, and a bedroom and bathroom on the upper floor. Both floors have terrific, up-close views of the Great Stour, a picturesque narrow river that winds through Canterbury, and on which can be seen the occasional passing gondola-like boat, filled with visitors on a river tour of the area. The cottage also faces the Franciscan Gardens, located on the opposite bank of the river. It is a multi-acre complex of gardens and trails that are about as storybook-like as you can get. As an outdoor environment, the exterior of the cottage and its immediate surroundings are such that no matter which direction you point a camera, the resulting photo will probably come out looking like a postcard. The place is simply that visually stunning.The cottage is immaculately clean, has modern amenties, and is reasonably priced. It also could not possibly be more centrally located within Canterbury, being more or less in the center of the town's High Street, and thus close to all of the major attractions in the area and near many good restaurants and lots of shopping (including a small supermarket a few doors down from the Hospital's entrance). Incredibly, the hustle and bustle of the High Street becomes almost completely inaudible the moment you close the Hospital's door behind you, and the quietness is a welcome respite. But re-open the door, and you're once again instantly in the center of the action. The cottage also comes with its own dedicated parking space in a nearby car park.Perhaps the most striking feature of the Yeomans Cottage, though, is that it somehow manages to balance centuries-old interior architectural details with modern comforts in such a way that: (1) fully preserves the feel of a very old and historical place; and (2) still offers guests a complete range of 2025-era amenities, including Wi-Fi.Julie, the concierge of Eastbridge Hospital, is a delight to interact with and made our stay smooth and enjoyable. She was very thorough in explaining to us the key points of the Hospital, of the cottage, and of the area. She also has a good sense of humor. At one point I asked her, for example, what the technical term was for the person who propels and steers the punt (i.e., the aforementioned gondola-like boats seen from the cottage's windows) and she replied "You mean the man with the stick." Also, she absolutely saved the day when we arrived to the Franciscan Gardens gift shop a few minutes after it appeared to have closed for the day. (Thanks again, Julie!)All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend the Yeomans Cottage at Eastbridge Hospital. Really a terrific place to stay, as well as a genuinely unique and memorable experience.

• Adele Birkmyre

  We had the best time staying in the Eastbridge hospital which isn’t a hospital at all. That was just the old word for hospitality back in the day. It was amazing staying in the centre of Canterbury. It was wonderful walking out the main door and being right on the high street but when you were in your cottage it had the peace and quiet of the countryside. Juile the host is amazing so friendly and kind and full of stories of the history of the place. You could tell that she loves and cares for the place you’re staying in. We honestly felt so lucky to be able to stay in a building so old and well preserved and full of history. A real hidden wee Gem. We will definitely go back one day.

• Andrew Sheppard

  We loved staying in this cottage which is a part of the 12th century pilgrims hostel and is fascinating to experience and explore. The building is situated in the centre of Canterbury and yet is very quiet and peaceful inside. It is next to the beautiful grounds of the old Franciscan Friary ( the first one in England) which is wonderful to visit. The concierge was very friendly, informative and helpful.