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Rochester, England

Rochester is a historic small city in Kent, located at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway approximately 30 miles (50 km) from London. It is home to a number of important historic buildings, the most prominent of which are Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral. Many of the buildings in the city centre date from the 18th century.

The city was for many years the favorite of Charles Dickens who lived nearby at Gads Hill, a fact that is celebrated in the annual Dickens Festival. The 16th century Eastgate House, one of the city's older surviving houses, has been the home of the Charles Dickens Museum since the 1980s, a decade in which the High Street was redecorated with Victorian-style street lights and hanging flower baskets in order to give it a more historic atmosphere. The city also has revived the annual Sweeps' Festival, this is has ancient roots relating to the Green Man, and is celebrated by a large gathering of morris dance sides.

During World War II the Short's Aircraft Company manufactured flying boats at its factory on the Medway not far from Rochester Castle.

Rochester and its neighbours Chatham and Gillingham form a single large urban area known as the Medway Towns with a population of about 250,000. However Rochester has always governed land on the other ride of the bridge in Strood, and in recent times included the parishes of Cuxton, Halling and Cliffe, and the Hoo peninsular. Watling Street passes through the city,and to the south the Medway is bridged by the M2 motorway and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Demographics
3 External Links
4 External Sources

History

All this is evidence of an important and thriving continuous civic life. Rochester Cathedral may be one of Englands smaller cathedrals but it demonstrates all styles of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Also Rochester has been a player in all important events of English history.

Demographics

Rochester is part of the
Medway Towns.

External Links

Medway Council Official Site [1]

External Sources

Rochester, The evolution of the City. Ronald Marsh. 1974 p&p Medway Borough Council.
City of Rochester upon Medway Visitors Guide 1996.
Rochester Cathedral, Pitkins Guide ISBN 0-85372-669-8
The Dutch Raid, p&p City of Rochester Society 1998.