This inn known as the name and sign of the Unicorn was built in the 35th year of Elizabeth I, in 1593. Though this original structure has at different intervals of time undergone alteration.

When first built the property was a dwelling house, owned by one Robert Budden, a woollen drayper of Canterbury. He held title to this and two other properties in the City, a messuage in Burgate Street and another in Kingstreet (now Best Lane) until his death in the final year of James I, in 1625, whereafter only a 'widow Buddenne' is recorded here. By 1638, she had sold this house to one Solomon Buesden, a leather merchant of Canterbury, who it appears conducted the business of buying and selling hides from the house for many years to follow.

By 1661, Buesden had died and the property had been passed to his son Isaac a leather seller of St Dunstans, who was carrying on the family business. However in 1664 he applied for and was granted a licence to sell ales from the premises, which at first bore no title other than that of an ale house in St Dunstans and that Isaac Buesden, a leather seller and now tapster was of that house. He kept the house until his death in 1692, whereafter it passed to his son Jacob. In that same year he registered the house under the title of 'The Unicorn'.

Jacob Buesden kept 'The Unicorn' until 1708. In that year he sold it to Thomas Snelling, a shoemaker of Canterbury. He kept it for only a short while before selling in 1712, and moving to Beercart lane, where he had a shoemaking business for many years to follow. 'The Unicorn' was purchased by Henry Nat Vile. In that year he made a successful application before the justices at Canterbury and was granted a full licence for the house. He kept it until his death in 1736, where-after his daughter Susannah, inherited it and all it contained, by the terms of his will. She is recorded as a milliner by trade and appears to have conducted this business, beside the day to day running of 'The Unicorn'.

Susannah Sorrell sold 'The Unicorn' in 1741, to Stephen Stokes who in that same year changed the name of the house to that of 'The Star'. However this proved unpopular, for in the following year he changed it back again to 'The Unicorn'. He kept the house until 1763, selling it in that year to Phillip Watson. A brewer of Longport and by 1765 one Zacharia Powell was keeping the house on a lease, he had purchased from him. Powell kept it until 1772, handing over in that year to Wiliam Norris, a cutler of North Lane. By the time he left in 1780, Phillip Watson had sold the house to Francis Giles who was also a brewer of Longport.

Nathan Salmone took over the lease and stayed until 1787, being succeeded in that year by James L. Fisher. Before the close of the 18th Century there followed three other innkeepers. In 1794, Thomas Sewell, in 1796, Frederick Solley and in 1799, Thomas Patcher. It was whilst in the hands of the latter that 'The Unicorn' gained the reputation of being a 'bawdy house'. Between 1802 and 1808 certain affrays took place in this house and as a result of which complaints were made and the offenders charged as follows:- In May 1802, one called Venn described as a ruffian was charged with assaulting a women called Sedgegrove for which he was sentenced for three months in Canterbury Prison, in 1804 Timothy Johns was ordered to pay a fine of 4 pounds or go to prison for one month for insulting the landlord Patcher, in 1805 one called Rawlings was fined 5 pound for drunkenness and insulting behaviour, and on the last occasion in 1808 after an affray between a miller called Adams and a carpenter called Potter, over the repute of a women called Grissen, Thomas Patcher was himself brought before magistrates and fined 8 pounds for keeping 'a disorderly and bawdy house'.

In 1810, Patcher gave up 'The Unicorn' to Thomas Wraight, and in 1815, Mrs Eliza Giles sold to Flint and Kingsford brewers of St Dunstan's. Wraight in 1817, was succeeded by John Holmes who kept the house until 1833, being succeeded by Isaac Ratcliffe, whose brother Richard was a bootmaker of St Dunstans. Ratcliffe was succeeded in 1851 by Alfred Foreman, he in 1865 by James Partiss, he in 1873 by James Roberts, he in 1889 by George Jordan, he in 1894 by William Benson, he in 1897 by George Blackman, he in 1902 by James Draper and whilst in his hands the Flint Brewery sold to George Beer and Rigden who were eventually taken over by Whitbread, Fremlin. Draper left in 1912 being succeeded by George Minter, he in 1921 by Charles Fisk, he in 1923 by William Best, he in 1932 by Henry Callow and he in 1937 by Cyril Gerrard. He Stayed until 1958 when he was succeeded by Edward Evans, he in 1959 by Frederick Evans and he in 1960 by Donald Stanley White, and he in 1961 by Stanley Newman, he in 1967 by Bernard George Acton, being succeeded in 1982 by John Frank Balcombe, who was succeeded 1997 by the present keepers Lorenzo Domenico Carlo and Emma Louise Carnevale-Maffe', joined by David and Donatella Wilkinson in 2006.