Glory to God: Rochester & Canterbury

Rochester Castle
Rochester Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral

Rochester Castle
The Castle of Rochester is one of the best preserved in England. The stone Keep is an example of Norman military building. It stands 35m high and is 22m square. The walls of the Castle are between 3.5-4m thick.


Rochester Centre
City of Rochester
A very sleepy town

A circular staircase leads up to the roof from which there is a great view of the countryside.

The Normans built the outer walls of their Castle along the lines of the Roman wall.

Charles Dickens' Tomb


Charles Dickens
grew up in Rochester. Many of his books feature places and buildings in Medway.


Riverside view of Rochester
from the roof of the Castle
Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle

Perspective model
Model in Overview
Tower inside
The tower inside

Model of tower
Model of tower


In October 1215 a force of rebel barons, between 90 and 140 knights with their troops, seized the Castle and held against the King.
Within days King John held siege against the Castle for the better part of two months. This was one of the greatest sieges ever seen in Medieval England and operations were personally conducted by King John.

The Castle finally fell on 30th November.The soldiers dug down underneath of the foundations of the Keep, where they propped up the tunnel with wood. They then tipped down the the fat of 40 pigs into the hole. They set light to the pig fat which burned and brought down the south east corner of the Keep.

Eventually the Baron's surrendered and only one man was hung. The other knights were sent to prison. It took 12 years to rebuild the Castle, and becuase the architects of the time realised that a round tower is stronger than a square, built a round tower. That is why Rochester Castle has three square and one round tower.
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Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral is the second oldest in England. The present building started construction in 1077 but the original Cathedral was built in 604. The present building is an excellent example of Norman and early English architecture and the Crypt is considered to be one of the finest in the country. People have worshipped here for fourteen centuries.
As seen from top of the castle
The overview in reality

Shortly before some school children sang Christmas Carols
The mainship



A model of the Cathedral
Overview in a model
Who might be burried there?
Tombs in the sideship


The choire
The choire

Quite spooky!
The crypt
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Canterbury Cathedral
The gate to the cathedral
Christchurch's Gate

The tomb of the black prince
The tomb of
the Black Prince


Quite spacy!
Inside
The flags belong to noble families
 One of the naves


The outside of the cathedral
Outside

Anglican structure!
The Bell Harry tower

The Cathedral of Canterbury is famous for its medieval tombs of royal parsonages, such as King Henry IV and Edward the Black Prince, as well as numerous archbishops.

I've been very annoyed by the way the authorities make money out of what is to be considered as a spiritual place. The entry of 4£ is o.k. in order to renovate the building but 2£ in addition to be allowed to make photos is exaggerated!!! :(

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