Rochester Castle: History & Visiting Guide 2026

ByMagdalena Marsden

Overlooking the River Medway, Rochester Castle is one of England’s finest and best preserved examples of Norman architecture and the tallest Norman Keep in England. Strategically situated on the London Road to guard an important river Medway crossing, the imposing fortress endured cycles of destruction and rebuilding throughout its complex history.

The beginnings of Rochester Castle

The first castle at Rochester was founded in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest and was given to Bishop Odo, probably by his half-brother William the Conqueror.

Between 1087 and 1089, Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, built a new stone castle at Rochester on the request of King Rufus. The castle was later granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury in perpetuity by King Henry I in 1127, and William de Corbeil built the massive keep that still dominates the castle today. Throughout the 12th century, the castle remained in the custody of the archbishops.

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The siege of Rochester Castle

Control of the strategic castle went back and forth over the centuries, most notably when King John seized it in 1215 after a long siege during his conflict with the barons.

In 1215, Rochester Castle was held by rebellious barons who had risen up against King John. Determined to crush this defiance, King John laid siege to the formidable fortress. What followed was an epic two-month struggle that would push Rochester Castle to its limits.

In 1215, Rochester Castle was garrisoned by rebel barons defying King John. Determined to seize back the strategic fortress, John laid siege, first undermining the outer walls before using the fat of 40 pigs to fuel a mine that brought down the keep’s southern corner. Despite this devastating damage, the defiant defenders held on for two grueling months before finally being starved into submission.

Though battered, Rochester Castle still stands as one of England’s most imposing Norman fortresses, continuing to draw visitors from around the world centuries later. Its epic siege of 1215 bears testament to the castle’s formidable medieval might.

New way of experiencing life at Rochester Castle

Visitors can now experience Rochester Castle with all five senses. Three new smelling stations will transport people centuries back in time, immersing them in the sights, sounds, textures, tastes, and now scents of the Norman fortress’s rich history. These innovative additions will allow guests to connect on a deeper, more vivid level with this iconic medieval monument.

At the food store smelling station, guests can imagine the savory aromas of fish, poultry, cheese, herbs, spices, ale, and wine once filling this vital castle room. In the chapel, visitors will encounter the intense scents of burning incense like myrrh, ambergris, cinnamon, saffron, and rosemary, inspired by 11th century manuscripts. These transportive scents will immerse people in the sights, textures, tastes, and now smells of daily life within the Norman fortress centuries ago.

The final smelling station dares visitors to experience the stench of the castle’s cess pit, where all human and animal waste accumulated. This putrid aroma will truly transport the bravest guests back to the unsanitary realities of medieval life. Hold your nose and take the plunge into the sights, sounds, textures, tastes, and now smells of Rochester Castle’s history!

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Practical information for visiting Rochester Castle

Location: Castle Hill, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1SW

Opening Hours: 1 November – 31 March: 10am – 4pm, 1 April – 30 September: 10am – 6pm

Ticket Prices:

  • Adult: £8.50
  • Child (under 18): £5.00
  • Concession: £7.60
  • Family (2 adults and up to 3 children): £22.10
  • English Heritage members: free

How long to allow for your visit?

If you want to see all the displays, you will need about 45 minutes to an hour to see the castle. The area around the castle – the castle grounds are also interesting and have a great views across the river Medway. You can also combine your Rochester castle visit with visiting other historic sites in Rochester and then it can easily make up a whole day out. 

Gift Shop

There is a small English Heritage gift shop at the castle ticket office with local souvenirs, preserves, toys and books.

Facilities

The nearest toilets are in the castle grounds gardens about 50 metres from the castle.

Drinking or Eating at the castle

You are welcome to bring a picnic and sit at the castle gardens (free access). There is no tea room or cafe at the castle, but the Rochester High streets is only few minutes away and has plenty of cafes, restaurants and tea rooms.

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How to get to Rochester castle

Here are a few options for getting to Rochester Castle from London:

  • Train: Take a Southeastern train from London Victoria, London Bridge, or St Pancras stations directly to Rochester station. The journey takes around 1 hour. Rochester station is about a 10 minute walk from the castle.
  • Car: Drive from London on the M2 motorway towards Rochester. Exit at Junction 1 to reach the city center. The drive takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on traffic. Parking is available near the castle.
  • Bus: Take a National Express bus from London Victoria Coach Station to Rochester. The bus ride takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes. The Rochester bus station is a 10 minute walk from the castle.
  • Taxi: A taxi from central London to Rochester Castle takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes. Book a licensed London black cab for the most direct route.

The most convenient and fastest option is to take the train from London to Rochester station. Southeastern offers regular direct trains taking just around an hour. Walking from the station to Rochester Castle takes about 10 minutes. Driving or taking the bus takes longer depending on traffic.

Parking at Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle has no direct on-site parking, so visitors must use nearby public parking facilities. The closest option is the pay-and-display Boley Hill Car Park located just across from the castle entrance. This car park provides disabled parking spaces, while the Kings Head Car Park opposite Boley Hill also offers disabled spots.

For motorcoach access, drivers can drop visitors off behind the Rochester Visitor Information Centre, which sits adjacent to the castle grounds. Coaches can then utilize the free Corporation Street Coach Park located just a short walk away along Corporation Street. This coach park has spaces for up to 5 coaches to park.

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The complete history of Rochester Castle

The Bishop of Rochester & castle early history in 11 century

The introduction of castles to England by the Normans in the 11th century helped them secure their newly conquered territory. Rochester, a city built on the site of a Roman town at the junction of the River Medway and Watling Street, was an important location.

It was assumed that the first castle was situated next to the river, just outside the southwest corner of the town walls. The conjectural site of the early castle later became known as “Boley Hill”.

According to the Domesday Book of 1086, the Bishop of Rochester was given land valued at 17s 4d in Aylesford, Kent, as compensation for the land that became the site of Rochester Castle. Rochester is the only castle mentioned in the survey for which property owners were reimbursed when their land was taken to build the castle.

From the 11th century, castle-guard was a feudal obligation in England, which often took the form of knights garrisoning castles for their lords for a set period. Rochester’s castle-guard consisted of 60 knights’ fees, marking it as a particularly important fortification.

Bishop Odo & the centre of rebellion

It was probably William the Conqueror who gave the city and its castle to Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the king’s half-brother. On William’s death in September 1087, his territories were divided between his two sons. Robert, the elder, inherited the title of Duke of Normandy, and William Rufus became King of England.

A significant number of Norman barons objected to dividing Normandy and England, and Bishop Odo supported Robert’s claim to the English throne. Several others, including the earls of Northumberland and Shrewsbury and the Bishop of Coutances, came out in support of Robert. Odo prepared Rochester Castle for war, and it became one of the headquarters of the rebellion.

Bishop Gundulf & his new castle at Rochester

After the abandonment of Rochester’s first castle, it was replaced by another on the current site, in the southwest corner of the town walls.

Founded between 1087 and 1089, some parts of the castle survive, much altered by use and reuse in subsequent centuries. Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, had granted the manor of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire to Rochester’s monks, so on the Conqueror’s death, Lanfranc and Gundulf, who was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1077, had to appeal for reconfirmation of the original grant from the new king.

William Rufus demanded £100 in exchange for confirmation of the grant. The two bishops felt such a sum was beyond their means and sought a compromise. Instead, it was agreed that Gundulf would build a new stone castle at Rochester.

In 1127, King Henry I granted Rochester Castle to the Archbishop of Canterbury, William de Corbeil, and his successors in perpetuity. He was given permission to build “a fortification or tower within the castle and keep and hold it forever”.

Corbeil is responsible for building the great tower or keep that still stands today, albeit in an altered state. The 12th century saw many castles in England rebuilt in stone, an advancement in sophistication of design and technology. Rochester had already been given a stone curtain wall by Bishop Gundulf, and the keep dates from this period.

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King John & uprising

King John ascended to the throne in 1199, but it was not until July 1202 that he confirmed Hubert Walter as the custodian of Rochester Castle. It is believed that John wanted to regain direct control of the castle, which was an important stronghold at the time.

In 1212, a plot to overthrow King John was discovered, marking the beginning of the crisis of his rule. The defeat of John’s ambitions to retake Normandy at the Battle of Bouvines in July 1214 exacerbated the situation in England. John returned to England in October of that year, and a few months later, barons in the north of England rose against him.

In May 1215, a group of barons renounced their feudal ties to John and captured London, Lincoln, and Exeter. John persuaded the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, to give control of Rochester Castle to a royal constable, Reginald de Cornhill. However, under the terms of the agreement, the castle was to revert to the control of the archbishop at Easter 1215.

This period was later extended to Easter 1216, and letters patent dated 25 May 1215 requested that other royal constables take over from Cornhill. The castle was to be returned to the archbishop when the agreement expired or if peace was restored to the kingdom before Easter 1216. In the meantime, control reverted to Langton, whom John had asked to hold the castle “in such a way that by it no ill or harm shall come to us or our kingdom”.

The peace did not last, and the First Barons’ War broke out. A group of rebels headed to Rochester to hold the city against John. The events of the rebel takeover of the castle are unclear, but the contemporary chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall recorded that the king demanded Langton hand over the castle to royal control and the archbishop refused.

Langton held out against the king’s demands, but the rebels feared he would eventually succumb to pressure from the king and seized control of the castle. According to Ralph of Coggeshall, this was done with the consent of the castle’s constable, Reginald de Cornhill, who seems to have switched allegiance from the king to the archbishop after John appointed him as royal constable of the castle.

At the time, John was in southeast England recruiting mercenaries in preparation for his war with the barons. Rochester blocked the direct route to London, which was also held by the rebels. Hearing the news that the city was in enemy hands, John immediately rode to Rochester and arrived on 13 October.

The siege of Rochester Castle

Royal forces had arrived ahead of John and entered the city on 11 October, taking it by surprise and laying siege to the castle. Rochester bridge was pulled down to prevent the arrival of a relief force from London. The siege that followed was the largest in England up to that point and took nearly two months.

Boley Hill to the south of the castle may have been used as John’s headquarters during the siege. According to the Barnwell chronicler, five siege engines hurled a barrage of stones at the castle’s wall day and night. These were supported by missiles from smaller bows and crossbows.

The Barnwell chronicler claimed they smashed a hole in the castle’s outer walls; Roger of Wendover asserted they were ineffective and that John turned to other methods to breach the defences. A letter dated 14 October indicates John was preparing to undermine the castle’s walls.

When the castle’s outer walls were breached, the defenders retreated to the relative safety of the keep. It too withstood the efforts of the siege engines, and once again, John turned to mining to bring down the walls. The mine was dug beneath the southeast corner of the keep.

A letter sent from Rochester on 25 November offers insight into the methods of medieval siege craft. John ordered Hugh de Burgh to “send to us with all speed by day and night forty of the fattest pigs of the sort least good for eating to bring fire beneath the tower”. The wooden props supporting the tunnel dug beneath the keep were set alight to collapse the mine, bringing down one corner of the keep.

Conditions within the keep worsened by the day, and the garrison was reduced to eating horse flesh. To reduce the demand on limited provisions, some members were sent out of the keep, beginning with those least capable of fighting. Some sources record that they had their hands and feet amputated by the besiegers.

On 30 November, the garrison eventually surrendered and were taken captive. Initially, John wanted to execute them all as was the custom of the time when a garrison had forced a long and bloody conflict. Savaric de Mauléon, one of John’s captains, persuaded the king otherwise.

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Henry III reconstruction of the castle

Henry III, son of King John, ascended to the throne of England as a nine-year-old boy in 1216 with the support of the barons. After the death of his father, the castle at Rochester was returned to royal control in 1217. However, the castle was in dire need of repairs due to the damage incurred during John’s siege. Between 1217 and 1237, around £680 were spent on repairs, of which £530 were taken up by work on the keep.

Henry III funded the construction of residential and other buildings in addition to making the castle a working fortification. In 1244, £132 was spent on building a second chapel next to the royal apartments. Stables and an almonry were added in 1248.

The main gatehouse was rebuilt between 1249 and 1250 at a cost of over £120. Further repairs were carried out on the keep in 1256, costing more than £120. Later in the decade, further attention was paid to the castle’s defences, possibly in response to Henry III’s worsening relations with his barons.

Another castle siege in 1264 by Earl of Leicester

During the 1264 siege, the garrison retreated within the keep. Henry III’s reign was in crisis in 1258, with agricultural problems leading to a famine, defeat in Wales, and worsening relations with the pope.

Discontent amongst England’s magnates led Henry to promise reform, but under continued pressure, his authority disintegrated. A royal council of fifteen magnates was formed in June that year, and the rule of the country transferred from the king to the council. With foreign help, Henry’s reign was restored in 1261 as the council was reluctant to start a civil war.

Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, raised a rebellion in 1264, leading to civil war between those loyal to the king and the baronial forces led by de Montfort. Rochester’s constable in 1264, Roger de Leybourne, held the castle in support of Henry. John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, was the garrison’s co-commander.

A baronial army led by Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford, laid siege to the castle on 17 April that year. The royalist garrison set alight the suburbs, and the king’s hall within the castle was burned down. An army under Simon de Montfort marched from London with the intention of attacking the city from another direction.

The earl’s first two attempts to cross the Medway were fought back, but he was successful on 18 April, Good Friday, using a fire-ship. The smoke may have been used as cover for the rebels, or the ship may have been used to burn the bridge while the army travelled by water. In a co-ordinated attack that had been pre-arranged, the armies of de Montfort and de Clare attacked the city. They entered Rochester in the evening and that night the cathedral was raided. The following day, the rebels captured the castle’s outer enclosure, and the royal garrison retreated to the keep.

Siege engines were set up and targeted the keep. As in 1215, the keep proved resistant to missiles, and after a week had not succumbed. According to one contemporary source, the besiegers were about to dig a mine beneath the tower, but the siege was abandoned on 26 April when the earls received news of a relief force led by Henry III and his son, Prince Edward.

To repair the damage done to the keep by King John’s mine, Henry III built the Round Tower, which is cylindrical and in contrast to the other two towers visible. During the repairs, a stone wall dividing the castle’s enclosure into two parts was built, which no longer survives.

The castle’s outer curtain wall was also repaired, and a chapel was built within the castle. In 1226, the hall, buttery, and dispensary were repaired. Work on the keep began in 1226 and was mostly repaired by 1227, but work continued on it until 1232. Between 1225 and 1226, the town walls were enhanced by the addition of a ditch at the cost of £300. The new ditch enclosed Boley Hill, possibly to deny the position to future aggressors who might attack the castle.

The castle neglect in 13th & 14th century

After the siege of 1264, the castle incurred severe damage and no attempt was made to carry out repairs until the reign of Edward III (1327-1377).

The constables of the castle were noted in 1275 for not making any effort to repair the structure, but instead causing further damage by stealing stone from the castle for reuse elsewhere. In 1281, the constable, John of Cobham, was granted permission to pull down the castle’s hall and chambers, which had been left as burnt-out ruins after the siege.

Numerous surveys in the following century bear testament to the castle’s sorry state and follow its steady decline. By 1369, few of the castle’s buildings still stood, and even then in a state of ruin. The keep was in desperate need of repair, but it was still in use and was the centre of the domestic life at the castle.

Elizabeth de Burgh, Queen of Scots, was confined in the castle in 1314 from March to June after being captured by the English in 1306.

The castle high status is being lost during 14th century

Between May 1367 and September 1370, repairs costing £2,262 were carried out. Records show that sections of the curtain wall were repaired, and two mural towers were built, one of them replacing a tower on the same site. More work was undertaken between 1370 and 1377, the year of Edward’s death.

The royal apartments built during Henry III’s reign were never repaired; it has been suggested that this was because by the 14th century, when considerable sums were being spent on repairs elsewhere in the castle, Rochester had fallen out of favour as a royal residence. As the castle’s importance as a high-status residence waned, its role as a barracks and administrative centre came to the fore.

The reign of Richard II (1377-1400) saw the investment of £500 in repairing the castle. This was in part in response to French raids on England’s southern coast during the Hundred Years’ War, as England’s fortunes in the conflict worsened.

The most significant of these works was the construction of a tower at the north end of the castle, overlooking the bridge over the Medway. Records document the sum of £350 spent on a new tower between 1378 and 1383, and it mostly likely refers to the one guarding the bridge.

The Peasant’s Revolt in 1381

Rochester Castle saw fighting for the final time during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. It was besieged and captured by a group of rebels who plundered the castle and released a prisoner. It has been suggested that the £66 10s spent in 1384-1388 and the £91 13s spent in 1395-1397 may have been partially in response to damage incurred during the revolt.

The castle’s decline in 16th century

During the reigns of Henry IV (1399-1413) and his successor Henry V (1413-1422), Rochester Castle was in the guardianship of William, Earl of Arundel, and his brother Richard. The castle was given to Henry V’s widow, Catherine of Valois, in 1423 as part of her dower to support her financially.

She died in 1437, at which point the castle came under the custodianship of the clerk of the King’s works. Despite this, there are no records of building work during the 15th century, and almost nothing is known about Rochester Castle between then and the second half of the 16th century.

The decline of the castle’s military significance is marked by the leasing of the surrounding ditch, beginning in 1564 at the latest. Between 1599 and 1601, stone from Rochester Castle was reused to build nearby Upnor Castle, an artillery fort.

Anne of Denmark visit in 1613

In 1610, James I granted Sir Anthony Weldon control of the castle. Anne of Denmark and her daughter Princess Elizabeth came to the castle and had dinner on 14 April 1613 before Elizabeth sailed from Margate on her journey to Heidelberg.

Diarist Samuel Pepys commented on the condition of Rochester Castle, and as early as the 17th century, the castle may have acted as a tourist attraction. By this time, many castles were in a state of ruin, and Rochester was amongst those in need of repair, although still in use.

During the English Civil War, Anthony Weldon declared for the Parliamentarian cause. The castle did not see fighting during the war, even when the city was captured by Royalists in 1648; this may indicate that the castle was not a serviceable fortification by this point.

Weldon’s support for the Parliamentarians may have spared the castle from slighting (demolition) in the aftermath, a fate suffered by many other castles.

Rochester becomes more derelict in 18th century

Walker Weldon inherited the castle and carried out the destruction of part of the outer wall in the 18th century and sold the stone and bricks as a building material. In 1743 the castle was used as a prison, but only for a little while. The castle was passed to Robert Child in 1774 and he tried to use the castle as an army barracks, but his idea wasn’t very successful.

At that point the caste starts to look more like a ruin and the artist JMW Turner is inspired to paint the castle hill. By the time Charles Dickens moves to Rochester, the castle also has a gardens and it’s described by Dickens as a castle ruins in the Pickwick Paper and the Mystery of Edwin Drood.

By 1872 the Rochester Castle gardens and the castle area was opened to public and efforts were made to preserve the castle as ruin. From 1984 Rochester Castle is being looked after by the English Heritage.

Rochester Castle architecture & layout

Rochester Castle’s design has evolved over time, with the original castle being a motte-and-bailey structure with a timber palisade and earthen banks, which has since vanished. The current castle was built in the late 12th century by Bishop Gundulf and was enclosed by a stone wall, using the remains of the Roman town walls as foundations.

The circuit had at least one tower, which was replaced in the 14th century. The original gateway was radically altered in the 13th or 14th century. The castle’s keep is considered one of the most important surviving 12th-century keeps in England and France, with military historian Allen Brown describing it as “among the finest and oldest in all England.”

The keep is the castle’s dominant feature and is richly decorated with hangings and furnishings. It has a square plan and measures 70 by 70 feet externally, with pilaster buttresses at each corner.

The primary building material used was local Kentish Ragstone, while Caen stone used to face the keep was imported from Normandy. The tops of the turrets rise 125 feet above the ground, 12 feet above the battlements. The walls of the keep are 12 feet thick at the base and taper to 10 feet at the top. It is the tallest keep in England, and only those at Dover, the Tower of London, Colchester, and Norwich are larger.

Rochester’s keep follows the traditional pattern of having an entrance at first-floor level, with a forebuilding attached to the north side guarding the entrance.

A stone staircase began on the west side of the keep before turning and meeting the forebuilding, which could be entered by crossing a drawbridge across a gap 9 feet wide.

There was another entrance in the west of the forebuilding, and at some point, a new doorway was knocked through to the keep at the bottom of the drawbridge pit. The original door from the forebuilding into the keep was protected by a portcullis.

The keep’s interior is divided for its entire height by a cross wall running east–west. The ground floor was used for storage, with the three storeys above providing accommodation.

The first floor probably contained a hall and great chamber, divided by the cross wall. This level may have been the accommodation of the castle’s constable who looked after it during the owner’s absence. There is a room called “Gundulf’s Chamber” built into the thickness of the wall in the north-west corner, which may well have been the constable’s private chamber.

The second floor contained the keep’s best accommodation and some of its most elaborate decoration. It is 27 feet high and surrounded by a gallery in its upper half built into the thickness of the walls. The floor also had a chapel measuring about 28 by 15 feet.

At some unknown point in the post-medieval period, a fire gutted the keep, leaving it in its present state without floors or a roof.

On the second floor, there are openings in the cross wall, broken by a series of Romanesque columns between round-headed arches. The cross wall carried a well shaft, with a well-head at each floor. The third floor had a second chapel and access to the roof, and may have held additional accommodation.

The riverside curtain wall dates from the 12th century when the castle was first surrounded by a stone wall. The current entrance in the northeast occupies the approximate location of the main gatehouse constructed by Gundulf and then rebuilt during 1249–1250. It was pulled down in the 1870s when the enclosure was converted into a municipal garden.

An engraving from 1735 by the Buck brothers gives some indication of the gatehouse’s form: the gate was an archway between two towers projecting from the curtain wall. It was reached by a stone causeway across a ditch, rather than a drawbridge.

A tower containing a postern gate was located in the northwest corner of the enclosure, built at the close of the 14th century to guard the bridge over the Medway.

The tower and postern no longer stand, but 19th-century antiquary and engineer G. T. Clark made some notes on the structure while it was still standing and commented that it had mechanisms to lift supplies for the castle from the river.

This blog post was originally published on 22 January 2024 and last updated on 22 January 2024

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