Priory wall, c.1225-1340
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The walls of the medieval priory of Saint Andrew survive in sections around the boundary of the Cathedral Precinct, particularly well preserved in the south-east corner.
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Medieval Lady Chapel mural
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Bishop’s Chaplain Lindsay Llewellyn-MacDuff discusses the medieval Lady Chapel mural in an extract from the Bertha's Daughters: A History of the Church in Kent
Read MoreKings, Queens and Consorts
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The medieval equivalent of a datestone, dozens of regal sculpted heads adorn the Cathedral architecture, from the House of Normandy to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Read MoreDemons and Dragons
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The medieval sculpture of the Nave Crossing features a bestiary of demons, dragons, imps and grotesques. Why did the builders and patrons of the medieval Cathedral fill their place of sanctity and refuge with such nightmarish imagery?
Read MoreNorth Nave Transept haircuts and headwear
/Decorative carvings in the form of human heads became popular in church architecture around the turn of the 13th century, fossilising a record of medieval clothing, hairstyles and headwear.
Read More'Gundulf's Tower' camponile, 13th century
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The ruins of a camponile (detached bell tower), to the north of the Cathedral has been known as ‘Gundulf’s Tower’ since the 18th century. Though it actually dates from the early thirteenth century, it may be constructed from reused material from Gundulf’s Tufa Stone transept.
Read MoreArchaeology of the Priory Cloisters
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Unlike most monastic establishments where the cloister (‘enclosed'/’seperate’ - the monastic part of the medieval Cathedral Precinct) ranges are to the south of the nave the cloister at Rochester is situated to the south of the presbytery and quire.
Read MorePictorial and symbolic graffiti
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Some of the most enigmatic graffiti at the Cathedral are the hundred large decorative sketches on 12th century fabric, comprised of scenes from the gospels and their writers the Evangelists.
Read MoreCustumale Roffense, c.1235
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Dr Christopher Monk introduces the ‘Custumal of Rochester’, a thirteenth-century customs book from the Cathedral Priory of St Andrew full of vivid details not just of the lives of the monks but also offering valuable insight into the servants of the priory.
Read MoreMedieval tombs
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Rochester Cathedral features twelve intact medieval coffin-tombs spaced around the east end of the building in proximity to the high altar. They were the final resting place of bishops of priors.
Read MoreThe monastic cemetery, 1080-1540
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The monks of Saint Andrew’s Priory were buried to the east of the Cathedral, beneath the site of the Old Deanery and Cathedral car park. Excavations during works over the past 30 years have revealed many skeletal remains from the area.
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