Rochester- Geography, History

Rochester - European City of Medway

Medway is a unitary council in North Kent. It was born on 1st April 1998 out of Rochester-upon-Medway City Council and Gillingham Borough Council taking responsibility for Education and Social Service from Kent County Council. It was a painful birth that left opponents bruised. It covers almost all of the Medway Towns north of the M2 motorway, an urban area with a population of approximately 250 000. It is a strategic location in the Thames Gateway region- and the Transmanche Euro-region. It is larger than all but 8 London boroughs. It is the largest conurbation outside London in the South East, and the largest between London and Brussels. But for non UK readers.. lets start at the beginning. Treat this page as a starting point- facts and dates are quoted with authority but with little academic precision. Caveat lector!

Geology of Kent, the Medway and Rochester.

Kent sits on a domed shape uplift of sedimentary rocks- the core of red sand, is covered with Wealden Clay, Lower and Upper Greensand and Chalk. This produces 3 concentric rings of hills separated by clay valleys.

The River Medway rises on the Redsand (where Christopher Robin played Pooh Sticks) breaks through the Greensand between Tonbridge and Maidstone. In its path it has captured the headwaters of the Darent, and Swale. At Snodland, the Medway starts to cut through the chalk as it enters Rochester. At Cuxton a significant dry valley, the Bush Valley, enters its northern bank,while opposite the Nashenden Valley joins- This is the valley chosen for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the A2 motorway. Three kilometres further on the northern bank one sees the exposed chalkface of the quarry at Frindsbury and on the southern bank Rochester City Centre and Chatham. Each of these communities has its own distinct history and character. Rochester is the Cathedral City situated at the lowest bridging point of the Medway. The town of Chatham originally was sited on the hill above the Chatham Brook (dialect: valley)- the brook is a dry valley leading from the Luton and Capstone Valleys. Beyond here the Medway now forms a complex estuary with the Swale before it joins the Thames Estuary. This peninsula (the Hoo) between the Thames and Medway is an area of London Clay and Alluvium and is a protected Ramsar Site.

Geography and Transport

Rochester is strategically located on the North Kent coast in the main transport corridor between London and the channel points leading to Lille, Koeln, and Paris.

The Romans established a major road along the coast avoiding the difficult terrain of the heavily wooded and marshy weald. Ancient tracks had led the way, other tracks allowed ancient pigs to be taken into the forest for fattening and brought back to the communities on the coast. These tracks have remained and become the road network that we enjoy today. The Roman Road (Watling Street) A2 crosses Kents major river at Rochester. The Romans naturally placed a fortified town here. DVROBRIVAE. The Jutish road followed this line. With the Norman invasion, a more inportant route followed the line of the A21 to Hastings but soon the Watling street resumed its primary importance and the crossing was protected by the spectacular castle.

The Stone Rochester bridge was built between1388 and 1397 and was maintained by the Bridge Wardens from land bequeathed to them. The most heavily used road in the 17C was that from Gravesend to Rochester it was turnpiked in 1712. Railways crossed the Medway at Rochester .The first (1849) (South Eastern Railway) took the direct route via Dartford and Gravesend and the Thames and Medway Canal Tunnel to Strood where it terminated. A boat took the passengers to Chatham. A line(1856) runs along the Medway Valley to Paddock Wood to join the(1842-4) Folkestone Dover line. The second line (1861)(London Chatham and Dover) came south out of London to Bromley and along the North Downs using the Bush Valley to descend to sea level at Rochester where it crossed the Medway

The early two lane M2 motorway bridged the Medway south of Rochester using the Nashenden Valley to regain height, junctions were provided with the A228 and A229 and A249 with a new road to service Gillingham. The gradient is steep by modern standards and the capacity inadequate. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link after much prevarication has been placed adjacent to the motorway- and is undergoing its final planning stages..

The A228 starts at Grain Village, and is the only road to Stoke, Hoo and Strood and along the Medway valley to West Malling. It causes problems throughout its entire length. After 27 years of planning a bypass is being commenced at Strood to lead the London traffic away from the town. There is great potential for industrial development at Grain, which already hosts a deep water container port, servicing South America.

History

There is evidence of New Stone Age (Neolithic) settlement 2500 BC. Bronze age (1800 BC) finds have been made at Allhallows, and bronze swords at Chatham. By 500 BC Kent was on a major axis of immigration- a trackway crossed the Medway at Halling. The Iron age (300 BC ) (Belgic) economy was based on intertribal warfare and slavery. Much was imported and the Medway must have been bridged at Rochester to facilitate in this trade.

The Romano- Britons
Caesars landing 44BC had little import to Rochester, he soon went. The Claudian landing (AD 43) was unopposed, but on reaching the Medway the invaders engaged in a major two day battle with the Britons, just south of Rochester probably by the current Motorway bridge. The Britons came second.

Rochester DUROBRIVAE became the major bridge over the Medway on the Watling Street from the three ports DUBRIS (Dover), RUTUPIAE(Richborough) and REGULBIUM (Reculver) through DUROVERNUM (Kents other Cathedral City). From Rochester it ran to VAGNIACAE (PepperHill,Gravesend ), NOVIOMAGNUS (Crayford) to LONDINIUM. A second major road linked Rochester with LEMANIS (Lymphe). There was much setttlement (villas) along and to the side of these two major roads and also in the Darent valley.

The Jutes and Pre-Normans
445 AD and the Jutes were invited to rule Kent. They were not Saxons but a friesan tribe then resident on the lower Rhine. It is of conjecture whether the Jutes were merely the continental cousins of Kents preconquest Belgic inhabitants. They have had great influence on the place names and the settlement patterns. In AD 604 a diocese was established in Rochester, Justus built a stone church. Charters show that there was a ferry across the Thames in AD 810 at Cliffe. The first synod of the church in England was held at Cliffe, where it was decided to abandon the Celtic Liturgy and adopt the Roman Liturgy.
The Danes plundered Rochester in 842 AD, but failed to capture the city again in 884.

The Normans
After the conquest (AD 1066) Rochester and most of Kent was awarded to Odo of Bayeux, Williams Half Brother. Bishop Gundulf built Rochester Castle, Mallings St Leonards Tower, and London White Tower (The keep of The Tower of London}
Rochester played host to Benedictines, Strood to the Templars and several Hospitals. Rochesters St Barthelomews hospital chapel is the oldest surviving. The Benedictine nunnery at Higham closed in 1521 due to the three nuns scandalous behaviour. All religious houses were closed by the state between 1535-1540. St Andrew's Priory Rochester was transfered to the Dean and Chapter. Gavelkind prevailed in Kent through the middle ages. Here, on death, the land was divided amongst his sons rather than being inherited by the eldest leading to the Kentish plethora of small hamlets rather than the Mercian large villages.

Up unto 1100 Cliffe was a hythe on the Thames but the river changed course and a large chunke of Essex became the Cliffe marshes. Rochester Castle was seiged in 1215 and fell. The Magna Carta was drafted in the great abbey at Cliffe before it was taken for signing at Runneymede.

Defence and cement

The Elizabethan dockyard at Chatham need to be defended. A castle was built in 1560-2 at Upnor whither a chain was stretched across the Medway. Lambarde's map shows Armarda Beacons at Chatham Frindsbury Allhallows and Grain. The Medway gap was again used to transfer information between North and South Kent.In the 17th century, Rochester relied on its river trade and the defence industries at Chatham Dockyard while south Kent was into Agriculture. Rochester gained a grammar school as part of the Reformation settlement, and in 1701 a mathematics school both of which survive to this day.In 1667 the Dutch took ships moored at Rochester- the chain was unmanned. This attack caused the government in 1755 December (Seven Years War)to commisssion Captain Desmaretz to build fortifications to defend Chatham Dockyard. He was suceeded in 1775 by Hugh Debbieg, appointed by Lord Amherst (Hence the name.) Assistant Engineer James Douglas, a friend to J.R.R. Turner came to Amherst in 1779 and was responsible for excavations of tumuli on the Amherst Site- the artifacts being in the Bodlean Museum in Oxford. Further plans, in later times of uncertainty caused the construction of two circles of forts to defend the naval dockyard. Thus started

1820 Fort Amhurst, Fort Delce, Fort Pitt and Fort Clarence
1876 Fort Borstal, Horsted, Luton Darland
And on the Thames Shornemead, Cliffe, Slough Point, Grain and Sheerness.

The resulting need for cement created the Cement industry in Frindsbury, Cuxton, Halling and Snodland.
HM Dockyard at Chatham, builder of wooden walls, builder of Iron Clads and builder of Nuclear Submarines ammassed engineering talent. HMS Victory was designed and built here. Brunel gathered his ideas for the seven foot gauge on the GWR here. Today we are left with a unique collection of Grade 1 listed buildings,dry docks and covered slips, the design model used for major railway termini.

In the twentieth century Rochester has hosted Short's who built the Stirling and Sunderland, and Elliot, Marconi Avionics. The Dockyard has been closed, and the peace dividend has affected Marconi resulting in much unemployment of highly skilled engineering workers.

Guildhall Museum

The Guildhall Museum, Rochester High Street is a innovatively designed civic museum with some hands on exhibits. It holds three collections of National/International Importance.

The Seaton Chest- A complete Cabinet makers Tool Chest bought on 15 Dec 1796. Benjamin Seaton was upwardly mobile, and the tools were little used and are in perfect condition.
The Hulks Artifacts- Handwork of Prisoners and POW incarcerated on the 19 century prison hulks (ships) on the Medway. Straw marquetry, bone and hair model ships etc
The Horton Collection of Victoriana. Elisabeth Horton's collection of small items, beadwork, samplers, jewellery.

There is also the collection that one would expect to find of local artifacts. These are all housed in the historic 17 century guildhall, and Edwardian Conservancy Building.

The Dicken's Centre, Eastgate House

Dickens spent the happiest days of his childhood in Chatham. In later life he moved back to Higham so Rochester featured heavily in his works.

He is celebrated at the Dicken's Centre with static and audio visual displays.

Visitor Centre- 95 High Street Rochester.

The visitor welcoming centre and coach station is in Central Rochester and is signed from both Chatham and on crossing Rochester Bridge. It contains a Tourist Information Centre, Art Gallery and small auditorium as well as displays , state of the art toilets and seating.