John & Barbara's UK Journal: With Dickens to Rochester

Flying Visit to Rochester
15 May 2008

J&L gave us the opportunity of going with them to Rochester today. It was a grey day, but a free ride was not to be missed. Rochester is due north of Leybourne and Maidstone and the readers mind may be more familiar with the sea port of Chatham. Both Rochester and Chatham are located on the river Medway -already mentioned in this saga when we met it much further south and inland.

◄Chatham Dockyard c. 1830CE

Chatham is, of course, associated with the royal navy -Chatham Dockyard was established by Elizabeth I in 1568 and the small village of Chatham grew to service it. At one point thousands of men were employed at the dockyard, and many hundreds of vessels were launched there, including HMS Victory which was built there in the 1760s.

After World War One many submarines were also built in Chatham Dockyard. The dockyard was shut as an operational site in 1984 by Margaret Thatcher, and the Conservative Government; a large part of it became a historic site (operated by Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust) and the rest has been developed for housing, industrial sites and as a commercial marina.

◄A model of HMS Victory made for the 1941 film, 'That Hamilton Woman'.

To check it out on Google: Chatham

Rochester

We parked on High Street, a common name for the main street of English towns, I've found. Barbara ducked off on her usual quest for things small, old, and interesting. I made my way due north to explore as quickly as possible this very interesting old town. Rochester is well worth a leisurely visit as it is full of interesting treasures, historically speaking, and the city fathers and business people have done their best to maximise that for the visitor.

I duly found my way into a Dickensian feature, the 'Six Poor Travellers' House'. As a 'poor traveller' I felt myself drawn...

It was founded by the Elizabethan MP Richard Watts to provide board and lodging for six poor travellers and continued to do so right up until WW2. The Dickens link comes in his short story, 'The Seven Poor Travellers'. It is referred to as a 'Tudor Charity House'.

It can be seen on the RHS of this photo: the white building before the one with columns. ►

◄ A plaque on the wall of the Tudor Charity House.

The house is hosted by a pleasant man who kindly encouraged me to explore every room, and, most importantly, the poor travellers rooms accessed by going through the back door into the very lovely walled garden in the rear. On each wall one can read more about the house which was an interesting exercise in early welfare by a very civic minded man of this era. Why it should have ceased operating I have no idea, as I would have been very happy to stay in the rooms. Each one is roomy, with a bed, a window, and a very large open fire place indeed. I imagine a cold, wet, weary traveller, who could not afford the more salubrious accomodations offered elsewhere, would have found it very welcoming indeed.

▲ Looking back towards the back door of the house with the entrance to each of the rooms on the RHS.

▲Looking out onto the courtyard entrance from one of the rooms.

▲Inside looking at the bed and chair.

▲The wondeful open fireplace in each room.

▲The walled garden at back of the Poor Travellers -I doubt it looked quite as nice as this, but you never know.

After the rather close and detailed examination of this place of rest, I journeyed on and found the Castle and Cathedral. The Cathedral is HUGE. A very large and imposing edifice indeed. Greeted at the door I was asked how far I'd come. I answered, "About 12,000 miles". Where upon I discovered that the courteous and courtly gentleman greeter, who was about my own age, had been to Kiwiland, many years ago, and was shortly off to France for another well earned break from the onerous task of greeting folks like me to his Cathedral. He gave me a map, which I found useful to navigate myself back to my entry point much later.

▲Rochester Cathedral: England's second oldest Norman/Gothic Cathedral

▼One nave after another nave: three in all.

▲It's all very grand and very large and cavernous.

Just opposite the Cathedral is Rochester Castle guarding the town and its environs. Rochester Castle's full technical description is: A stone Norman bishop's keep and bailey fortress. It is built on the Roman city wall and during King John's siege of 1215, it was breached when a mine collapsed part of the curtain wall and the adjacent tower.