Tourist profile


Rochester Castle History Rochester Castle is known as one of the best preserved and finest examples of Norman architecture in England. Its great keep is one of the tallest in the country, measuring 113 ft high, 70 ft square and has walls 12 ft thick in places. It was constructed by the Bishop of


Rochester in around 1090 in the angle of the Roman town wall to guard the important crossing of the River Medway. The four squared towers were added by Archbishop William de Corbell, with the encouragement of Henry I in 1127. In 1215, Archbishop Langton failed to


follow King John's order to hand over the castle to the Bishop of Winchester, a close supporter of the King. The result was one of the best-recorded sieges of the Middle Ages. King John personally besieged the


castle for two months and resorted to undermining the walls using pig fat as fuel. Although a whole section of the wall collapsed, the inhabitants retreated behind a great cross-wall and refused to surrender until forced by starvation. The castle was restored but damaged


again in a siege of 1264. It was repaired 100 years later by Edward III and improved by Richard II. The castle remained in private hands


until the 1870s when the Corporation of Rochester turned the grounds into a


pleasure garden and carried out work on the keep and curtain wall and made a new entrance into the castle grounds via the north bastion from the Esplanade. Since 1984 the castle has been in the hands of English Heritage.


Features For a building that has been knocked about over the years, much of it remains intact. The massive keep still dominates the


River Medway as it has done for over 900 years, but the damage caused by King John’s siege is evident inside, with handsome Norman arches abruptly cut in half and rebuilt in slightly different ways. On the first floor, although


with the emphasis very much on defence, the evidence of fireplaces and garderobes indicate that this was an important area for conducting the business of Rochester Castle. A much grander and more


open aspect is apparent on the second floor of the keep, with the Great Hall, used for entertaining whenever the king or archbishop came to stay, and the Great Chamber, the former state apartment of the archbishop. Richly carved detail still exists around


the fireplaces, doors and windows to give an idea of how elaborately decorated this floor would have been. Surrounding the upper part of the Great Hall is a mural gallery, with large window openings. The top of the


castle is a considerable climb up uneven spiral staircases, but the superb view of Rochester Cathedral and the river is well worth the effort. The Drum Tower


was built by Henry III


Day Excursions & Short breaks


Day trips


February Sat 5th


Weds 9th Milestone Museum


Mon 14th Herne Bay with lunch and bingo £25.00 Thurs 24th Lunch in France


Holidays Fri 4th March


in the 1200s and the Eastern Mural Tower was rebuilt by Edward III the following century. This was later converted into a cottage.


Modern times Fittingly for a castle that has been restored so often in the past, lobbying for another project is underway. A section of the outer wall recently


had to be rebuilt after collapsing because of heavy rainfall, and surveys uncovered serious and expensive defects, especially involving stonework. Conservationists have begun a


campaign to save the walls, floor and roof of the structure. Jon O'Donnell, who chairs the Restore Rochester Castle Committee, claims the castle is decaying at an alarming rate and said access was being restricted because of falling stone. Campaigners plan to raise funds for


the castle's restoration, and petition the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for support. Visiting details: Castle admission costs


£5 adult, £3.50 child/concessions. It is open daily until March 31, 10am to 4pm; and from April 1 - September 30, 10am- 6pm. Tel: 01634 335882.


3 Day Mystery


Mon 28th March Warners Alvaston Hall Mon 4th April


The Buddy Holly Story(Orchard) £39.50 Mon 23rd May The Pennine Mountains £22.50 Wed 25th May Monets Garden


Mon 18th April Shropshire Borders Sun 8th May


Llandudno £42.00 Call now for our 2011 brochures Established 1939


Begonia View, The Street, Ryarsh,West Malling, Kent ME19 5LQ Tel: 01732 845656 www.brooklinecoaches.co.uk


Mid Kent Living 7 South Downs and Coast


£139.00 £249.00 £275.00 £325.00 £359.00 £285.00 £269.00


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