Rochester in the spotlight

Above: Rochester Castle

Above: Rochester Cathedral

Above: Fagin and friends

Rochester has an island feeling, due to its location on the promontory of the river Medway. This gives it a rather local, isolated aura, but there’s plenty going on in a town that often gets overlooked.

A major development, Medway Waterfront, is underway and will provide up to 16,000 new homes and 40,000 jobs. Rochester Riverside is one of six development areas that include Gillingham Waterfront, Chatham Centre and Waterfront, Chatham Maritime and St Mary’s Island, Strood Riverside and Temple Waterfront.

But that’s not all. The latest news for Rochester is that its beautiful Cathedral, one of England’s oldest, has been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Rochester Cathedral will use the grant of £931,000 for Ancient Stones, Untold Stories, an innovative scheme designed to bring the past to life for visitors.

The Very Rev’d Adrian Newman, Dean of Rochester, is delighted with the HLF support. He told Kent Life: “Rochester Cathedral plays a vital role within our community, especially in the way it helps create a sense of place and identity for people. Its rich history has left hundreds of fascinating stories waiting to be told, which we can now bring to life in creative and imaginative ways.”

Bringing to life its superb heritage is something at which Rochester actually excels. This is perfectly illustrated by the connection with the town’s most famous former resident - Charles Dickens. Everywhere you venture there are signs of his presence: the Expectations pub, the Dickens Centre and numerous plaques on public buildings.

They call is the Golden Mile - the area around the Castle and Cathedral, nestling up against the river Medway. It's magical

The great man is celebrated in a very big way every year at the annual Dickens Summer Festival (31 May to 1 June) and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Festival. The idea was actually conceived in the early 1970s after seeds were sown by Rochester upon Medway City Council (the forerunner to Medway Council). Its services were centralised at the Civic Centre in Strood, which left the Guildhall in Rochester and Eastgate as redundant buildings.

The council opened a museum in the Guildhall and decided that as Charles Dickens’ Chalet was actually in Eastgate’s garden, it would be a fitting tribute to the writer if Eastgate itself became a centre dedicated to the novelist. And so the Dickens Centre was born, and that led to a small committee deciding that a festival dedicated to the great man was a good idea.

A low-key event to start with, it ran over three days and included a costumed parade, Victorian cricket match, walking tour of Dickens’s landmarks, a production of Oliver and a grand ball.

One Dickens’ devotee and train enthusiast persuaded what was then British Rail to run a Dickens special train from London to Rochester. With dozens of costumed characters mingling with ordinary passengers on the journey, the media got rather excited and much TV, radio and press coverage followed.

By 1984 the event had extended to four days, and every type of Victorian entertainment imaginable was represented - Punch and Judy, magic lantern shows, treasure hunts, flea markets and Dickens’ readings.

Today, it is back to a three-day event and attracts in excess of 300,000 visitors. A total of five parades make their way through the centre of town, including one from the rail station and Rochester Pier.

The Festival kicks off with an opening parade led by the Mayor of Medway. It starts at Star Hill and makes its way into Rochester Castle Gardens. Forming the heart of the parades is the Dickens Fellowship Society whose members dress up in Victorian costume. You’ll spot a few characters, such as Ebenezer Scrooge, Oliver Twist, Magwitch, Pip, Miss Havisham and probably his nastiest villain Bill Sykes with faithful dog Bullseye.

All visitors are invited to embrace the spirit of the event and don Victorian attire. There are bags of competitions covering all sorts of varied categories judging the best costumes. The kids are well catered for, starting with the Victorian Costumed Baby Competition then several more for different age groups and one specifically for Dickens’s Character.

Perhaps one of the most must-see events will be the Mrs Rochester 2008 competition, when women of all ages are invited to dress up in Victorian bathing belle costumes.

Of course, a Victorian-styled extravaganza like this wouldn’t be complete without a fun fair

Whatever the weather the Festival is such a colourful event that it’s hard to dampen the spirits of all those involved and just there to revel in the spectacle of it all. Whatever the weather, the indoor events are varied and plentiful also. Of course, the Cathedral itself is playing host with a programme that lists an organ recital entitled Music of Dickens’s England and a choral evensong in memory of Dickens.

Although the great man is long gone, the Festival is very honoured to welcome a very important guest. Gerald Dickens, his great-great-grandson, is part of the entertainment performing ‘Dr Marigold’, a reading which Dickens himself performed on his tours between 1866 and 1870. You can catch him at the Dickens’s Chalet at 1.30pm to 2.30pm on all three days of the Festival.

Of course, a Victorian-styled extravaganza like this wouldn’t be complete without a fun fair. The Victorian Pleasure Gardens will be buzzing with a selection of traditional fair ground rides, while Rochester’s other great attraction, the stunning Norman castle, is also open throughout the three days.

Street entertainments and many bands of different musical genres and shows by the Pickwick Players will all be delighting the crowds from various stages and areas around the pubs, restaurants and cafes.

The town’s Auditorium will be staging Lewes Repertory Theatre’s production of Signalman’s End, the Dickens story written in 1866. This adaptation draws on the author’s familiarity with Rochester and the River Medway and his experience as a frequent railway traveler.

Having being going for 30 years the Dickens Festival still has the distinction of being one of the county’s key events of the summer. It provides a very welcome source of revenue for local business and a High Street that, like many of our towns, suffers from the cheap parking and mega stores that our-of-town shopping developments offer. So if you haven’t sampled the delights of Rochester and its Festival, then use this anniversary year as a good excuse to put that right.

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