Tourist profile


The twin pillars of city’s great history


By Stephen Eighteen


ROCHESTER may be famous for its associations with novelist Charles Dickens and the Victorian era, but its largest landmarks are steeped in a more bygone age. The cathedral and the neighbouring castle, both dating back to at least the 11th century, are the most distinctive architectural features along this part of the River Medway.


Rochester Cathedral History Rochester Cathedral is England's second oldest, behind Canterbury, having been founded in 604AD by Bishop Justus. The present building dates back to 1077, when it was built by Bishop Gundulph, who later introduced a community of Benedictine monks. It suffered two serious


fires in the 12th century, which resulted in a rebuilding programme, and contains architecture from many periods of history through rebuilding and modifications carried out over many centuries. It became a major place


of pilgrimage in the 13th century, following the death of William of Perth, a Scottish baker who was murdered nearby. His body was brought to the Cathedral and at his shrine, of which no trace remains, miracles were reported. Modern pilgrims who journey to the Cathedral still climb the Pilgrim Steps, often lighting candles at the William of Perth prayer-station in front of the oratory. Some visitors who journey to the Cathedral today are direct descendents of those early pilgrims.


Features The glorious Norman architecture of the nave and one of the finest Romanesque facades in England, help to explain why the cathedral attracts over 150,000 visitors annually. The building is blessed with some fine


6 Mid Kent Living


examples of later Gothic styles as well as the magnificent 14th century chapter library door. Except for the large central window


(inserted in the mid 1400s), the façade of the cathedral looks largely as it did when it was built in the mid-1100s. It is the only surviving cathedral front from the period and is considered the finest English example from a Norman building. The cathedral is full of


monuments and tombs in remembrance of people with connections, either as clergy benefactors or members of the local community. One of the most elaborate commemorates the nearby burial of Dame Ann


Henniker, wife of the MP for Dover in the late 1700s. The two winged figures, an angel and Father Time stand out as some of the best examples in the world of coade stone, a cast ceramic material invented in the 1760s. The spire dates from 1904 but is


intended as a replica of the one erected by Bishop Hamo de Hythe in 1343. The garden is rated one of Rochester’s


best-kept secrets with its majestic magnolia grandiflora and view across what was originally the monastic herb garden.


Modern times In 2004, Rochester Cathedral


celebrated 1,400 years of history by creating the first real fresco in an English cathedral for 800 years. Dedicated on June 24, St John the Baptist's Day, the fresco is on the theme


Visiting details The Cathedral is free to enter and


open daily, 7.30am to 6pm (5pm on Saturdays). Guided tours are available and must be booked in advance at £4 per person.


Images courtesy of Rochester Cathedral © David Robinson


of baptism. It was painted by Sergei Fyodorov, the


Russian iconographer, and the richness and size of this narrative painting draws visitors from near and far; some to admire its artistry, and others to use it as a focus of meditation and prayer. There are more than 25 memorials to


individual officers and soldiers of the Corps of Roral Engineers and a number of memorials representing members of the corps that have given their lives in the discharge of their duty. The latest memorial to the Corps of


Royal Engineers was dedicated during the service of remembrance on the Corps Memorial Weekend, last September.


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