We are pleased to announce the launch of Visualising Canterbury Castle, a nine-month project funded by the Castle Studies Trust. The project will create a new 3D digital reconstruction of Canterbury Castle’s Norman keep. The reconstruction will be informed by both existing excavation data, and then iteratively developed through a series of multi-disciplinary co-design sessions. The project team comprises Dr Katie McGown (Principal Investigator), Mike Farrant (Lead 3D artist), and co-investigators Dr Catriona Cooper, Prof Leonie Hicks, Sam Holdstock, and Prof Alan Meades.

Canterbury Castle is one of c.104 national examples of a tower keep castles (Scheduled
Monument Number 1005194), and one of 20 Norman Castles built in Kent. It is part
of a series of royal castles on the route from Dover to London and identified as being one of the
earlier examples of the period usually dated to between 1085-1125, with archaeological evidence
suggesting a date c.1100-1125. It has been comparatively overlooked in the research of royal castles of the area, and the role that the castle has played in shaping the city has been overshadowed by other historic monuments.

We are currently inviting individuals with an interest in Canterbury Castle, and subject-specialist knowledge in related fields, to take part in the co-design sessions. This may include – but is not limited to – expertise in history, archaeology, education, games design, museum studies, architecture, and heritage tourism. Sessions will be held in-person in Canterbury between May – November 2025. If you would like more information about how to get involved, please contact Dr Katie McGown (katie.mcgown@canterbury.ac.uk).

The project will continue to publish updates about the project on the Arts and Culture blog, but if you are curious to see an early prototype in person, come along to the Daphne Oram Gallery during this year’s Medieval Pageant and Trail on Saturday, July 5th.