Rochester High St
A quiet terrace near the river
This is the house which Charles Dickens used as the home of Mr Tope, the head verger at Rochester Cathedral in ‘The mystery of Edwin Drood’
Rochester High Street
The River Medway in the area once occupied by Rochester Docks
A reminder of the docks which once stood on this site
The Keep at Rochester Castle
Rochester Cathedral from the Castle
Rochester Cathedral from the Castle
River Medway from the Castle Terrace
Road Bridge over the River Medway
A Rochester Terrace
Textus Roffensis. Photo by Keith
When Keith and I recently visited Rochester Cathedral we took the opportunity to visit the exhibition space in the crypt. This traces the history of the Cathedral through items from its collection.
Head of a medieval Bishop’s crozier. Photo by Keith
Reliquary. Photo by Keith
The centre of the exhibition is a copy of the Textus Roffensis (The Book of Rochester).
Textus Roffensis. Photo by Keith
The Textus Roffensis is a codex of books probably written from around 1120 AD and bound together in the 14th century. It was written by a monk at Rochester in a local ‘font’ known as Rochester Prickly. It is in two languages Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and Latin. Part of the codex contains the only existing copy of King Ethelbert of Kent’s code of Laws, which originated from around 600 AD. It also comprises a copy of the Coronation Charter of Henry I, used by the Barons as a template when composing the Magna Carta. Other items include documents relating to land holdings of the Cathedral and other legal documents. Together they seem to comprise a reference book to be used in legal disputes involving the rights and holdings of the Cathedral.
Rochester cathedral from the Castle
The Nave
The Great Organ
The Christmas Crib
Steps worn away by centuries of Pilgrims
The first record of a Cathedral on this site is from 604 when King Ethelbert donated a plot of land for its building and Justus was appointed the first Bishop. In 1082, following the Norman conquest, a priory was added by Gundulf, the first Norman Bishop of Rochester and the following year he began work on a new Cathedral. This was completed and consecrated in 1130 and its importance is testified by the presence of King Henry I at the consecration service. However, this building was badly damaged by fire only 7 years later. In 1180 a rebuilding was started, transforming the existing building into the gothic style.
West Door
The Nave
The Cathedral was plundered and desecrated by rebel troops in 1215 after the city has held out in favour of King John. Despite these setbacks, the building continued to grow and in the following 40 years the two transepts were added.
The Nave
The Cathedral was again damaged by military action in 1642, this time at the hands of the Parliamentarian forces. The Cathedral as we see it today underwent a major restoration project in the late 19th century.
The Ithamar (early bishop of Rochester) chapel
The Great Organ
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