welcome

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Welcome to Hambrook Marshes: a unique wildlife haven in the city of Canterbury

The beautiful landscape of Canterbury’s biggest green open space is a natural wildlife haven, home to thriving bird life and a wealth of plants and wildflower species. Open all year round, its tranquil riverside paths and wetlands are the perfect way to enjoy nature in the city.  

Visiting hambrook marshes

Hambrook Marshes is close to Canterbury city centre, easy to get to, and open at all times.

NB As a wetland, areas of Hambrook Marshes may be flooded during periods of heavy rain. Wellies are currently strongly advised!

Full information for visitors, including location, travel options, facilities and accessibility.

get involved

Volunteers at work

If you love Hambrook Marshes there are plenty of ways to help out.

Make a donation | Volunteering

about hambrook

Did you know that the land by the River Stour that is now Hambrook Marshes was once a 40 feet deep quarry?

Find out more about the history, and the plants, birds and wildlife that now thrive here.

WILDLIFE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN MAY

  • Whitethroat
  • Blackcap
  • Chiffchaff
    Chiffchaff

latest news

  • LATEST ANNUAL REPORT
    Love Hambrook Marshes’ annual report for 2020-21 is now online. It gives a summary of the charity’s trustees’ and volunteers’ work over the last year, main events on the Marshes, and a review of the current state of the site’s…
  • APRIL WILDLIFE NOTES
    This month saw a very welcome increase in our population of snake’s head fritillaries. The original planting in the boardwalk field about ten years has been on its knees for some time, numbers hovering between two and five for the past…
  • NEW “WELCOME” MARKERS
    We’ve recently painted “Welcome to Love Hambrook Marshes” with our logo on the path at the main entrances to the Marshes. There’s a common misapprehension that the Marshes are owned and managed by the council. People are often surprised to discover that…
  • NEW COVER PHOTO
    Our spring cover photo, a stunning aerial image of Hambrook Marshes, was taken by Lee O’Sullivan. There’s more of his drone photos of Canterbury and the Kent countryside on his instagram.
  • MARCH WILDLIFE NOTES
    Winter drained away during March, with the last three snipe seen on the 21st, and not a single meadow pipit found all month. In their place, though, we now have a couple of pairs of reed buntings, one of which is…
  • FEBRUARY WILDLIFE NOTES
    With plenty more rain (and snow!) in the first half of the month, the fields remained very wet, with widespread standing water, encouraging up to 53 mallard, 76 herring gulls, 45 black-headed gulls and four common gulls to dabble or…
  • WEAVERS ON THE MARSHES
    Our local basket weavers have once more been busy harvesting the one-year-old wands in our osier bed, but covid restrictions meant they were unable to have a major onslaught over one weekend, instead turning out in ones and twos. A strip…