English Heritage Open Days in Rochester (9-12 September 2010)

Rochester Cathedral

Tucked away behind Bishop Hamo's majestic medieval doorway lies the cathedral library. Not normally open to the public it was part of this year's English Heritage Open Days scheme and one of several places open in Rochester over the weekend.

The library is used by the clergy prepare for services, for meetings and by the Cathedral's Guild of Embroiderers. While no photos were allowed, it offered a glimpse into the life behind the scenes of the Cathedral. Some books date back to the 13th century and, expecting mainly ecclesiastical volumes, I was rather pleased to notice a selection of Viking legends on one shelf alongside Bede and other historical books.

Eastgate House

Eastgate House in Rochester is a beautiful Grade 1 listed 16th century town house that featured as the Nun's House in Charles Dickens' 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood'. Built by Peter Buck, Mayor of Rochester, the house stayed in the Buck family for five generations, then changed hands and uses several times before eventually ending up as the Charles Dickens Centre from 1979-2004. Now empty, the house showed off its fantastic wooden fireplaces and panelling and beautiful roof mouldings to great effect. In one room some hand-painted wall decorations were visible, the precursor to wallpaper and some fine Delft tiles grace a fireplace in the entrance hall.

The Bridge Chapel

Also open over the weekend was the Rochester Bridge Trust chamber and chapel. This charitable trust has maintained river crossings over the Medway at Rochester since medieval times and the chapel itself dates from the 14th century. It stood at the end of the medieval bridge as a place for pilgrims and travellers to pray. Both chapel and chamber walls display a beautiful collection paintings and drawings of the various bridges over the centuries and the chamber gives views of the present bridge.