Rochester - High Street
Walking from the castle in the direction of Rochester Bridge and passing Bridge Chapel (14th century), we come to the main street of Rochester, the High Street, which boasts several memorable buildings along its length, many of which have found mention in Charles Dickens' novels.
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Guildhall Museum
Opposite the Bull Hotel stands the Guildhall, built in 1687, which now houses the Rochester town museum.
Guildhall Museum
High Street
Rochester ME1 1PY
England
High Street
Rochester ME1 1PY
England
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
| Close | 16:30 | 16:30 | 16:30 | 16:30 | 16:30 | 16:30 |
Always closed on:
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Good Friday - Christian (Apr 06)
Good Friday - Christian (Apr 06)
Kenneth Bills Motor Cycle Museum
At 144 High Street is the Kenneth Bills Motor Cycle Museum, which displays British motorcycles from 1921 to 1977.
Old Corn Exchange
On the left of Rochester's Guildhall, just before theturning into Northgate, is the Old Corn Exchange, easily recognizable because of its enormous clock. This building was commissioned by the member of parliament Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell in 1706 as the town's meat market and was only converted into a granary in the 19th century.
Poor Travellers House
A"Dickens house", on the left of High Street, is the Elizabethan Watt's Charity or Poor Travelers House. This was set up by Richard Watts in 1579 as overnight shelter for six poor travelers, and in so doing he established a tradition which lasted right up to World War II. Dickens mentions the house in his Christmas stories.
Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel
The former Bull Inn, over 400 years old, was renamed the Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel after the queen visited it in 1836. In "Pickwick Papers" it appears as the Bull Hotel, while in "Great Expectations" it is the Blue Boar.
