ROCHESTER, Kent, an episcopal city, a municipal and a parlia mentary borough, is situated on the right bank of the river Medway, immediately adjacent to the parliamentary borough of with which it forms one continuous town, In 51* 23' N. lat., 0* 36' E. long., distant 8 miles N. from Maidstone, 29 miles E.S.E. from London by road, and 31 miles by the North Kent branch of the London and South-Eastern railway. The population of the city in 1851 was 14,938. The borough is governed by 6 aldermen and 18 councillors, of whom one is mayor; and returns two members to the Imperial Parliament. The livings are in the archdeaconry and diocese of Rochester.
Rochester probably existed antecedently to the Roman invasion. By the Romans It was called Durobrivm. During tho independence of the Saxon kingdom of Kent it was of importanco both as the seat of a bishopric (established about 604) and as a place of strength, situated at the passage of the Medway. It was destroyed by Ethelred, king of Mercies, in 676, and by the Danes in the time of Ethelwulf, in 839; it was besieged again by the Danes in 835, but relieved by Alfred, who drove the invaders to their ships. At various periods from the 10th to the 13th century Rochester city and its castle, which had been built or repaired by the Conqueror, were the objects of hostile attack and siege. Three times in the 12th century tho city was nearly destroyed by fire. In the rising of the commons under \Vat Tyler, the castle was assailed. Edward IV. was the last king who paid any attention to the repair of the castle. James IL embarked at Rochester when he fled to France after his abdication, in 1638.
The town consists of several streets irregularly laid out ; the prin cipal street leads from the bridge at the west end of the town into Chatham on the east side. On the left batik of tho 3ledway is Strood, which is united with Rochester by the bridge. Rochester, Chatham, and Strood thus form in effect one town : they are commonly spoken of in the locality as 'the three towns.' The streets are lighted with gas and paved, and the houses are of respectable appearance. The environs are extremely pleasant, and in the outskirts of the town are some handsome villas, and rows of neat modern houses, built on the higher ground which rises from the low margin of the river.
The cathedral is situated on the south side of the High-street within the ancient Priory gate. It consists of a nave with side aisles,
a choir (the floor of which is raised 10 steps above the floor of the nave), a principal transept, at the junction of the nave and choir, and a emaller transept at the east end of the choir. At the intersection of the principal transept is a central tower, erected in 1825 ; at the western end of the church there appear to have been originally four low towers, two on each side the doorway and two at tho extremities; of these only two now remain, which are different in style. On the north side of the choir, between the two transepts, but nearer to the principal one, is a low square tower, now in ruins, called Gundulph's tower. The dimensions of the building are as follows :—Length of the nave 150 feet ; breadth with side aisles 66 feet; length of the choir 156 feet; making the total length of the church 306 feet : length of the principal transept 122 feet ; of tho smaller transept 90 feet ; area of Gundulph's tower, inside, 24 feet square; walls of Gundulph's tower 6 feet thick. Extent of the west front of the cathedral 81 feet. Tho chapter-house is in ruins; a mean building, erected in the place of it, nerves for chapter-house and library. The nave is part of the structure of Bishop gundulph, who rebuilt the eathodral, near the close of the 11th century, on the site of the previous etructure, said to have been founded in 604, when the diocese was constituted. The west front is a good specimen of enriched Norman architecture ; but the great west window is an insertion of perpendicular character, as are most of the other windows of the nave. The nave has Norman piers and arches, except in tho part nearest the choir, where the arches are early English. The roof of the nave is now flat, but there are indications that it was intended at first to be vaulted. Most of the eastern part of the church is of plain early English architecture. The roof of the choir and of both transepts is vaulted and groincd. The pillars of the choir are of Petworth marble. The crypt is very spacious, extending under the buildings of the choir ; its character is early English, scarcely differing, iu one part, from Norman. There are several chapels, in one of which the bishop holds his consistory court. The Interior of the cathedral was about the year 1842 repaired and In many places restored by the dean and chapter at an expense of about 14,000/.