After a gruelling winter we needed a break, nothing too dramatic, but a change from the everyday, work, and responsibilities, and so decided on a few days in Sandwich on the Kent coast. On the way down from London, we stopped at Rochester and investigated the castle, and the cathedral.
Rochester Castle
“Strategically placed astride the London Road, guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, this imposing fortress has a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Its Norman tower-keep of Kentish ragstone was built about 1127 by William of Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the encouragement of Henry I. Consisting of three floors above a basement, it still stands 113 feet high. Attached is a tall protruding forebuilding, with its own set of defences to pass through before the keep itself could be entered at first floor level.
In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Even then the defenders held on, until they were eventually starved out after resisting for two months. Rebuilt under Henry III and Edward I, the castle remained as a viable fortress until the 16th century.”1
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral is England’s second oldest cathedral. Bishop Justus, one of the missionaries who came with Augustine of Canterbury to bring Christianity to England in the 7th century, founded the first cathedral. The present building dates back to Bishop Gundulf in 1083, but changes have been made over the centuries.
Views inside Rochester Cathedral
The Wheel of Fortune is one of the many wall paintings which once covered the walls, and which dates from the 1200s.
The doorway into the Chapter House Library dates from c.1340 – just wonderful!
Rochester
The High Street is interesting and almost every building seems to have a history! The Corn Exchange is a Grade I listed building with a large and curious clock jutting out from the side of the building. Apparently this was a gift from Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell when he was the MP for the area in 1695-1701.
Eastgate House is a Grade I listed Elizabethan town house which apparently belonged to Sir Peter Buck, a senior officer at the Royal Tudor Dockyard.
The French Hospital of La Providence dates from 1718 when it was built to support French Huguenots fleeing from France. It still offers accommodation to those of Huguenot descent. The gates open off the High Street and it is most attractive.
Sandwich
Sondwic or Sandwic means a trading place or landing place on sandy soil, and this is where we landed!
restlessjo
Full of interest xx
Candy Blackham
Thank you! Rochester could easily take another visit; when I am clearer about the connections between Southwark and Rochester I will certainly visit again. Connections are interesting because ‘Green Southwark’ is the next book!