Fragments from an exceptional monument discovered in the ruins of ‘Gundulf Tower’ in 1922 possibly formed part of shrines of St Paulinus and Ithamar reconstruced by Bishop Hamo de Hythe in the fourteenth century.
Read MoreThe north-west curtain wall of Rochester Castle forms a bastion, or projection, at the point where the medieval Rochester Bridge crossed the Medway. An excavation in 2017 revealed the watergate in the west face of the bastion for the first time in decades.
Read MoreThe walls of the medieval priory of Saint Andrew survive in sections around the boundary of the Cathedral Precinct, particularly well preserved in the south-east corner.
Read MorePerhaps second only to Gundulf in shaping the medieval Cathedral and St Andrew’s Priory, there is some evidence to suggest it may be down to Hamo and the turbulent times in which he lived that resulted in the two halves of Textus being bound together in the mid-fourteenth century.
Read MoreOne of several elaborate sculptural fragments discovered in the North Quire Transept and possibly originating in John de Sheppey’s chantry chapel.
Read MoreSeveral elaborate sculptural fragments discovered in the North Quire Transept are thought to have originated in John de Sheppey’s chantry chapel.
Read MoreThis elaborate piscina or lavabo bowl was used to dispose of water in the Mass. It was recently discovered reused as a garden feature at a local property in the Precinct.
Read MoreFeaturing a hog with an apple in its mouth, this quadripartite boss possibly originated in the cellarer’s range of the monastic priory.
Read MoreFeaturing an unknown Bishop, this large label stop is one of a pair which for some time resided around the Cathedral Precinct. Its provenance is currently unknown.
Read MoreShips are of the few types of graffiti for which we have contemporary written records, detailing a colourful devotional ritual to St Nicholas, the patron saint of those in peril on the sea.
Read MoreRandolph Jones investigates the medieval heralds of the crypt vaulting.
Read MoreCommissioned by Bishop Hamo de Hythe around the time of the Black Death, the Chapter Doorway is described as one of the finest examples of the English Decorated style, although we find issue its iconography today.
Read MoreBishop’s Chaplain Lindsay Llewellyn-MacDuff discusses the medieval Lady Chapel mural in an extract from the Bertha's Daughters: A History of the Church in Kent
Read MoreThe medieval equivalent of a datestone, dozens of regal sculpted heads adorn the Cathedral architecture, from the House of Normandy to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Read MoreThe medieval sculpture of the Nave Crossing features a bestiary of demons, dragons, imps and grotesques. Why did the builders and patrons of the medieval Cathedral fill their place of sanctity and refuge with such nightmarish imagery?
Read MoreUnlike most monastic establishments where the cloister (‘enclosed'/’seperate’ - the monastic part of the medieval Cathedral Precinct) ranges are to the south of the nave the cloister at Rochester is situated to the south of the presbytery and quire.
Read MoreRochester Cathedral features twelve intact medieval coffin-tombs spaced around the east end of the building in proximity to the high altar. They were the final resting place of bishops of priors.
Read MoreThe monks of Saint Andrew’s Priory were buried to the east of the Cathedral, beneath the site of the Old Deanery and Cathedral car park. Excavations during works over the past 30 years have revealed many skeletal remains from the area.
Read MoreDendrochronological analysis undertaken on timbers of the roof over what is now the Chapter Library suggests felling of the timber around the time of, and possibly paused by, the Black Death.
Read MoreRochester Cathedral
The Chapter Office
Garth House, The Precinct
Rochester
Kent, ME1 1SX
Telephone 01634 843366
Email info@rochestercathedral.org
Registered Charity Number 1206900
Cathedral opening hours 10am - 4pm Monday to Saturday 1pm - 3pm Sunday
