Kingsmead Field is an informal area of public space owned by Canterbury City Council. It is located in a busy mixed-use area of Canterbury, just outside the city centre, with entrances from Kingsmead and Stonebridge Roads. To one side of the field flows the smaller branch of the River Stour, to the east lies the new housing estate of Kingsbrook Park and to the south is the Kingsmead Leisure Centre. The field provides an important green oasis in this increasingly dense urban area. It is used by the local community for a variety of activities such as football, dog walking and recreation.
How to Find Us
The River
The Great Stour river, which flows through Kingsmead Field, is an important biodiversity habitat. It is one of only 200 chalk streams in the world. As such, the river provides an environment which supports special wildlife habitats and species. The high quality of the water flowing in the river provides an important resource for invertebrates such as a range of mayfly species and damselflies. Other key species that frequent the Stour at Kingsmead Field include the kingfisher, the grey wagtail and the endangered water vole. Chalk streams also support the growth of key plants such as water crowfoot (see our image above). We are working with Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership to enhance the river habitat for the benefit of key species such as water voles.
To read more about the importance of chalk streams, please see the >Kent Wildlife Trust briefing.
For more information on the Great Stour, see for example >Kentish Stour.
For more information on the wildlife found on our field, please see the Our field page.
The History of the Field
For centuries, the area now known as Kingsmead Field was part of the lush water meadows that characterised this area of Canterbury. In the Nineteenth Century, Kingsmead was considered a beauty spot with its stunning views of the Cathedral stretching over the fields.
Views across the River Stour to Canterbury Cathedral, C19th
Views over the River Stour to Canterbury Cathedral, C19th
In the Twentieth Century, the field has largely served the community as a recreational and sporting resource, with a short intermission during the war years. In the 1940s, Canterbury City Council used the area to dispose of debris created by the heavy bombing of the city during the Blitz. A few years later, the land was restored to grass playing fields with pitches created for hockey, football and cricket. The fields also served for informal recreational and sporting activities such as dog walking, wildlife watching and ball games. Just behind the playing field, a stadium was erected which over time served as a space for football, athletics, speedway and greyhound racing. This was demolished in 1999 and in 2005 developers began building the Kingsbrook Park housing estate.
This new residential estate reduced the footprint of the land by about two-thirds. In 2012, Canterbury City Council slated the whole of the remaining green area for further residential development. Strong desire amongst local residents for the retention of the field led to the formation of the Save Kingsmead Field campaign. Three years later, this campaign succeeded in securing 80% of the land as protected open space. The Friends of Kingsmead Field was formed to work with the Council to manage the field for use of the local community and for the protection of its wildlife.
To read more about the work of the Friends of Kingsmead Field, please see About Us.