Rochester Cathedral

Rochester was granted city status in 1211 but was demoted to being a town in 1998. They’re trying to get city status back.

There’s evidence that a site on or near present-day Rochester was occupied since Neolithic times. It was the site of a battle between the Romans and locals. The Romans built the first know bridge in the area. Rochester has been continuously occupied since Roman times.

Other than the cathedral and the castle, its main claim to fame is that Charles Dickens had a home near Rochester and set some of his novels in the area.

It’s about 30 miles south of London and, on a fast train, is about 30 minutes from Victoria. I took the slower, much cheaper stopping train which took 50 minutes. The High St is a 5-7 minute walk from the train station and the Cathedral and Castle are very close to the High St.

Rochester is the second oldest diocese in England. The first church on the site was built around 604 by Bishop Justus but was demolished to make way for the current cathedral started in 1083 by the Norman French Bishop Gundulf - no he wasn’t in Lord of the Rings.

The Cathedral Church of Christ and the blessed virgin Mary to give it its full name wasn’t fully finished until around 1343. It wasn’t a continuous building site for almost 300 years, new people came along and wanted to put their mark on the cathedral. Rochester Cathedral, although one of England's smaller cathedrals, thus demonstrates all styles of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

After completing my tour of the cathedral, I crossed the green and looked around the castle grounds. I decided to wait until after lunch to pay £7.20 to visit the keep. I had a very nice lunch but as I was finishing, I saw the dark clouds in the distance and, remembering, the weather forecast of thunderstorms, I made my way back to the station and home. Next time Rochester, next time.

Here are some photos of the cathedral.