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The
Dane John Mound, also known as the Dane John Gardens, is a
former Roman cemetery in the city of Canterbury, Kent. It was
converted into a motte-and-bailey castle in the 11th century,
and turned into a civic park between 1790 and 1803.
The first construction on the Dane John site was a burial
mound, built during the Roman occupation of Canterbury between
the 1st and 4th centuries AD. In 1066, Canterbury was occupied
by the Normans. William the Conqueror instructed that a castle
was to be built in the city; it was built on the south side of
the city using the Dane John mound and formed part of the
circuit of defence, with property being destroyed to make room
for it. This timber motte and bailey castle was later
abandoned and the second Canterbury Castle was built just to
the north in 1123.
The Dane John Gardens were built between 1790 and 1803 by
alderman James Simmons, in the south-east corner of the walls,
remodelling the old castle motte, and incorporating the Roman
bank and the medieval wall-walk into the design, although
their design was later accredited to William Masters, the
Canterbury nurseryman. The ownership of the land was disputed,
and the park was taken into the control of the city shortly
after its construction.
During the Second World War, part of the city walls near the
Dane John Gardens were turned into an ammunition depot, dug
into the bank of the wall. The gardens are Grade II listed on
the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The monument atop
the mound and the sundial are each Grade II listed on the
National Heritage List for England.
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