
Membership
Enjoy a range of exclusive benefits and discounts at both The Beaney and Canterbury Roman Museum….
This award winning facility provides state-of-the-art exhibition galleries, excellent educational facilities and a varied programme of events for all ages.
A cultural hub in East Kent, praised for its welcoming atmosphere, providing a range of services under one roof, uniting art, heritage, books, ideas, information and collections.
Whether you are a frequent Library user, a teacher on a Schools Workshop or an inquisitive explorer studying our treasures from the Ancient worlds; The Beaney is a building for everyone.
The building takes its name from its benefactor, Dr James George Beaney, a Canterbury-born man of modest background who studied medicine before emigrating to Australia, where he found his success. Upon his death in 1891, Dr Beaney left money in his will to the city of Canterbury to build an ‘Institute for Working Men’ with amenities for men from poor backgrounds such as his own. His patronage was fundamental in building the Beaney Institute: a new home for the Canterbury Royal Museum and Free Library, now known as The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
Designed by architect A H Campbell and built in 1897-99.
The architecture has been variously described since that time as ‘Neo-Jacobean’, ‘Mock Tudor’, ‘Cockney Gothic’ and ‘Canterbury’s final Victorian flourish’. Some reviews have been less than flattering, including descriptions of the facade as ‘noisy’ and ‘unpleasantly overbearing’!
Although opinions on the elaborate design have varied depending on time and taste, commentators have not questioned the evident skill of the workmanship involved in creating the facade.
The building has two storeys and basement, a stone plinth from the pavement, a brick ground floor with timber frames and mosaic infilling which are carried through to the jettied first floor. The roof has three gables, with the largest in the middle.
Other interesting details include:
In spite of it’s eccentricity (or perhaps partly because of it) The Beaney is a Grade II listed building with regional significance!
The Statue of Aphra Behn outside The Beaney’s entrance on Canterbury High Street was unveiled by her Majesty the Queen on the 25th of February 2025.
Christine Charlesworth’s bronze sculpture of Aphra Behn has been gifted to the city by the Canterbury Commemoration Society as a tribute to the first prominent professional female writer in the English language.
Aphra (1640–1689) was born in Harbledown, just outside Canterbury, and spent her formative years in the city.
The creation of the statue followed an extensive period of research, consultation and fundraising.
After an international design competition, four maquettes were toured across the UK and the public asked which they thought would be the most fitting memorial.
The winning design presents a 17-year-old Aphra, book in hand and theatrical mask behind her back, looking wistfully about her as she sets out for London with her family.
The Canterbury Commemoration Society would like to thank most warmly all those whose hard work and generosity have enabled Aphra finally to receive the attention she deserves.
Aphra Behn’s statue joins other literary names such as Geoffrey Chaucer, whose statue stands closeby on the corner of Best Lane. Learn more about Aphra Behn in the museum’s Inspiring Canterbury workshop.
Christine Charlesworth’s design for the Aphra Behn statue ‘Playwright, Poet, Pioneer’
Image credit Petar Velchev