Floatplane attracts record-breaking visitor numbers at Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral is celebrating its busiest August on record after welcoming an incredible 59,500 visitors during the month. The arrival of a newly restored Short Scion Floatplane, built just a short distance away at the historic Short Brothers Factory, captured imaginations and drew crowds in unprecedented numbers.

© Steve Hartridge Photography

 This marks the Cathedral’s second busiest month ever recorded, surpassed only by the 107,000 visitors in February 2020 who came to see Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon. The previous August record stood at 38,740 in 2012 when the People’s Monarch artwork went on display. This record has now been comfortably overtaken thanks to the success of this summer’s exhibition.

 The Short Scion Floatplane was originally built in Rochester in the 1930s and was newly restored by the volunteers of the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society Limited (MAPSL). Thanks to generous support from the Rochester Bridge Trust, the aircraft has been brought back to life and showcased in the awe-inspiring setting of the Cathedral. The Floatplane was accompanied by a host of family activities, provided by Rochester Bridge Trust, including the return of Adventure Golf. In the Crypt was the Heritage Lottery funded exhibition, Pioneers of Flight: Made in Medway. The exhibition explored the legacy of the Short Brothers in aviation history.

 Rochester Cathedral would like to thank the Rochester Bridge Trust, MAPSL and all the partners and volunteers who helped make the Floatplane exhibition such a success.