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Guildhall Museum
The Guildhall
The Rochester Guildhall was built in 1687 and is one of the
finest 17th-century civic buildings in Kent. Its staircase and main
hall have magnificent plaster ceilings, given in 1695 by Admiral
Sir Cloudsley Shovell, who was the Member of Parliament for the
city of Rochester at the time. It is open 10am-4.30pm (4pm last
admission) Tuesdays to Sundays.
Outside, mounted on the roof, is an amazing weather vane in the
form of a fully rigged 18th-century warship. This is 1.52m tall and
weighs just under 51kg. It is made of gilded copper and lead alloy
and has weathered the ever-changing climate since 1780.
The museum
The museum was founded in 1897, in 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 wide-ranging collections are housed in two separate
buildings, the Guildhall (1687) and the River Medway Conservancy
Board Building (1909).
The museum's wheelchair-accessible entrance gallery contains a
small shop selling souvenirs items, a reception desk, and an
attractive introductory exhibition highlighting the role that River
Medway has played in shaping the environmental and human history of
Medway. Text accompanying this exhibition is reproduced in English,
French and Dutch.
All visitors (including those with mobility difficulties, and
wheelchair users) can access electronic media in the gallery which
enables them to view short films highlighting key features of the
museum displays.
The collections are housed in two separate
buildings. Highlights of the displays include:
- a full-size reconstruction of part of a
Medway prison hulk;
- archaeological objects that visitors can touch;
- civic silver and regalia from Medway's past;
- the most complete set of 18th-century cabinet
maker's tools in the world;
- a Victorian drawing room and kitchen;
- a large selection of paintings and prints of
the area;
- the Dickens Discovery Room;
- the Rochester "Riverside Eye" camera interactive.
Free quizzes for children and families are
always available. Borrow a clipboard and pencil and follow a themed
trail around the museum.
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