Kent 7 - Rochester - when is a city not a city /the whipping post /will a charge make any difference ?

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So when is a city not a city? An old definition of a city was a place with a cathedral . The more modern definition is a place with a sizeable population . Not historical but more around the way our country is growing in population . What were once towns can now be designated a city if the monarch allows it . Our own town Wrexham was moved to city status last year . The largest town in North Wales it more than deserved the honour but it was not well liked by many in the town . Many harked back to the market status of the town . The markets had gone years ago . They harked on about the Wrexham of the past with the shops full . Again long gone. The cry went up "It's not a city , it is a town " Well it is a city and that is that . So what of Rochester . It has a cathedral so city status was set upon it a long time ago.

Having been around the cathedral and the imposing castle it was time to have a look around the town. A town part of the unitary authority of Medway lying a the lowest bridging point of the River Medway. It lies 30 miles south of London and is joined up with neighbouring towns of Chatham , Rainham , Strood and Gillingham . It was at times hard to work out where Rochester ended and the next town began. Such was the density of population. We were to find out that Rochester lost its city status in 1998 following the formation of the Medway authorities. Somehow they failed to protect their city status . Something went badly wrong there and campaigns have been ongoing to reinstate its city status . The monarch can do that each year but for some reason Rochester has failed in its requests.

When you visit a new area you always want to have a look at the town centre . To compare and contrast it with your own . We headed from the castle into the centre . Kent has extremely different building styles than North Wales . We walked to the High Street through one of the three remaining gates which led into the monastic precinct. It was built around 1334 with a lower construction of cobbles, the local ragstone and flint banding . Above was the shiplap prevalent in the area. The gate had been known by many names . Chertseys Gate named after Edward Chertsey who had taken part in Jack Cades Rebellion in the year 1450. Cemetery gate as it led to the burial ground of St Andrews Priory . College Gate named after College Yard which led to the college founded by Henry VIII after the dissolution of the monastery. Finally known as Jaspers Gate . Now this is all linked to the local man we all know Charles Dickens. He immortalised the gatehouse in his unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood . One of the main characters was known as John Jasper .Inside the structure is an unusual bakers oven complete with oven door . In the 19th century the town corporation made an order that all homes in the city must have a brick dust bin in their back yards. Fear of fire was rife in the largely timbered city. The gatehouse had no backyard for its bin which should be used for storing hot embers from the fires so a chute was constructed from the living quarters below to a store in the walls of the gatehouse . Later an oven door was added .

The High Street was full of independent shops and for a while we were amazed that there were no empty shops . We did however find some nearer the end of the street . We missed Miss Havershams house which is closed until the summer . We also missed the Hugenot museum - closed on the day we visited but we did find the Guildhall.

A wonderful building like a Tardis inside The Rochester Guildhall still in use was built in 1687. It incorporates a elaborate courtroom and council chamber. A courtroom that featured in Dickens’ Great Expectations. You can see a theme here . The great writer used Rochester landmarks to great effect in his tales . The museum was founded in 1897 to honour of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. It was first set up in Eastgate House further along the High Street and was moved into the Guildhall in 1979 The collections reflected the story of the town, the river from Roman times to the present day. We climbed the grand staircase to the top to the Main chamber with its elaborate plaster ceilings and paintings of the great and good of the city . The regalia of the mayor , his or her consort were on display . Mayoral brooches , mayoral tools of the trade were all in locked cases . It felt an impressive place to still hold council meetings and to cater for weddings . There were items which told the story of the siege of the castle , a gallery on the Making of Mr Dickens . We stepped aboard a full size reconstruction of part of a 18th century Medway prison hulk and saw the complete set of 1 8th century cabinet maker’s tools in the world.

On other floors were flint axes , flints that had been worked , flint tools and bronze axes . A roman mirror and a whipping post . I wondered how popular the museum would be when they charged an entry fee of £5 each from the middle of the month.

We left the museum and walked back to the Esplanade and the car . We crossed near the Old Bridge. The bridge was cast iron and built in 1856. The approach was guarded by very impressive stone lions . It felt a fitting entrance from the town of Strood into Rochester itself .

Time for our first night at the Premier Inn at Gillingham/Chatham . Hard to find as the road works blocked our exit and we had to rely on old fashioned map reading . The hotel was standard . Book in at 3pm . Make sure you put car registration in the machine otherwise you will get charge £100. Same carpets , same beds, same bedding , same curtains . The restaurant was attached to the hotel . Breakfast served there . Full english or continental . Meals served from 6pm . We had a quiet night as we seemed for once away from the traffic . So that was our first day done and dusted . Tomorrow would be another day and two different experiences .

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