What the Dickens! Rochester & Castle

Eastgate House

On a day that began warm, a Saturday, and not taking a stroll elsewhere with my walking companions I decided a trip to Rochester Castle was a good idea. I used the park and ride at the top of City Way near Horsted to park the car and take the free bus into Chatham and Rochester.  As a certain ancient comedian and entertainer used to say "A good idea Son" and so it proved to be.  From the bust stop I walked casually into the pedestrianised high street, an extension or part of Watling Street as far as the art shop, Frances Iles, where I examined the goods - on the way back I purchased some water color paper.

But first, the Roman Wall and Eastgate.

The wall faces on to a car park and I could imagine horses instead of cars, and citizens, peasants and slaves looked upon by soldiers milling around shifting goods instead of shoppers forking out for parking and perhaps there for some purpose similar to mine, a little shopping and some sight seeing. And even in the increasing cloud there was still plenty to see.  I imagined the Romans doing their bit, using the river and the land around living in a busy town and controlling the crossing perhaps with a wooden bridge spanning the Medway.  As I passed by the wall, noting a man getting ready with a brass instrument to busk, was aware of the later occupation by the Normans - they stuck a castle on top of a hill to make their point - and how much their influence had shaped the city.

I can see you!

Beyond the wall at Eastgate House there are gardens and the place where Dickens' Chalet now sits, a rather incongruous but historic addition.  It backs on to the old Alms houses where six men of the parish were able to lodge.  In recent years the high street carries mostly pedestrian traffic and the motor traffic is redirected around the centre and along a wide road, nicely out of the way until you reach the bridge and apart from the odd glimpse along side streets one is not aware of it.

We have to mention Dickens and his influence on Rochester because there are reminders of his presence in the city and in Chatham. He lived at Gads Hill in Higham where he wrote some of his works and of course Rochester was the setting for Satis House (named as the place opposite The Vines) and the hub of Pip's adventures in Great Expectations. The annual Dickens Festival is well attended involving residents and enthusiasts from Kent and attracting many visitors.

But dominating the city is the Norman castle and the Cathedral both worth a visit.  On this day I chose the castle and although the sky clouded over and became quite cold I took body and camera to the grounds and using my English Heritage card I entered and took the tour.  With the aid of  a handset (hire price £1) I wandered around from the portcullis entrance, down to

the cess-pit and up onto the battlements.  Terrific views and good healthy leg exercise.  I enjoyed the experience even with the wind whistling around my nether regions on the river side.


To look at the solid walls and the height of the keep one would agree that with having to catapult rocks at the walls and try to scale the place with ladders to deal to the enemy with swords and knives against pots of boiling oil, heavy missiles and arrows an army would give up.  The silly buggers attacked.  Mind you, they were sneaky.  Having thrashed the locals and with a large enough army it was a matter of sitting tight for a while and starving the garrison out.  One successful ploy was to burrow under a tower, cook a load of pigs and burn the pig fat and timber in the mine unde

Rochester Cathedral

r the foundations and watch the tower collapse in on itself.  Result: the starving garrison driven mad by the smell of cooking pork, having eaten their horses, and not being invited to the feast suddenly had to fight some well fed, if greasy soldiers.  They lost.

However, on the ecclesiastical side I learned that the castle was initially built for a Bishop whose subsequent replacements turned up in the city instead and occupied buildings along with the church and then the cathedral.  Good idea. House are much warmer than castles and although they tend to get torched in a punch up are much easier to surrender from.

Rochester Castle

I didn't go inside the cathedral being content to walk around the gardens and was rewarded by some roses and ancient walls covered in flowers and plants and, letting my feet carry me past Kings College I strolled into The Vines gardens and saw Satis House.  On the way a squirrel popped up onto a wall and sat briefly before scuttling off.  I liked that.