ROCHESTER CASTLE

Rochester Castle

If you’re a fan of castles there is just ONE fact – out of many – that you need to know, and it’s the reason you need to tick a visit here off your list: Out of forty seven Norman castles in England, Wales and Ireland – and the seventy one in North Western France – Rochester Castle’s Norman Keep is the most original one .... in the WORLD! And that’s despite the addition of the round South tower following King John laying siege to it in 1215.

It is still the tallest Norman Castle Keep in England at 113ft, and the only castle for which the Normans paid any compensation for the land on which it is built – to the Bishop of Rochester so they kept in his good books!

In the care of English Heritage, you can still climb virtually to the top of the stone structure and enjoy the stunning views up and down the Medway valley.