Rochester UK Meet Up 8 June 2014

Bryony (BBGirl55) suggested spending a weekend day in Rochester, a historic town located roughly 30 miles ESE of London. Caroline (Caroline_McElwee) and I (kidzdoc) boarded a Chatham Main Line train at London Cannon Street, as Victoria Station was closed this past Sunday. Claire (SakerFalcon) got on the train at an intermediate stop, and Bryony took a westbound train. We met at Rochester railway station, which unfortunately is scheduled to be relocated next year:



(This was actually the last photo of the day; Claire is to the left, and Bryony to the right, walking ahead of Caroline and me.)

From the station we set out for the nearby Rochester High Street, which was filled with dozens of very nice shops, restaurants and other establishments:



Ye Olde Curiositie Shoppe, a restaurant that dates back to the 15th century; note the crooked door at its front entrance:



A shop with an even more crooked front door:



We loved the external design of this building:



The Deaf Cat, a café named after Charles Dickens's favorite feline during the last year of his life, where we had tea in the early afternoon and cold drinks a few hours later:



One of the buildings of the Guildhall Museum:



The Six Poor Travellers' House:

As we walked along Rochester High Street we made a detour to see the Eastgate House and Gardens. Eastgate House was built in 1590-1591, and became famous after Charles Dickens used it as the setting for his novels The Pickwick Papers (Westgate House) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (the Nun's House):



A fake heron in the pond of the Gardens; a real one flew away before I could take a photo of it:



Some additional photos of the Gardens:







Caroline and Bryony (sitting) and Claire (standing) in the Gardens:



The Swiss Chalet House, where Dickens wrote five of his novels and other works from 1875 to his death in 1880, which was relocated from his nearby summer home at Gads Hill Place to the grounds of Eastgate House:



A horse powered well pump from Charles Dickens' summer home:



Some additional photos taken by Caroline and Claire:

After we walked the length of Rochester High Street we proceeded to Rochester Castle, which was built in the 11th and 12th centuries near the River Medway to protect the southeast coast of England from invasion. Bryony, Clair and I walked to the top of the stone tower, which provided spectacular views of the surrounding towns and hills, along with nearby Rochester Cathedral.

Approaching the castle tower, seen on the right; Rochester Cathedral is to the left:



A surviving portion of the king's chamber block can be seen to the right, which was built by Henry III in the 1220s:



A portion of the northwest bastion of the castle, built between 1377 and 1384:



Views of the stone tower, from different angles:







Views taken within the interior of the tower:







Claire and Bryony within the tower:



Finally, some views from the top:

After we left the castle we had tea at The Deaf Cat, then started shopping. We went to three stores that sold books, and I acquired four from Baggins Book Bazaar, "England's largest secondhand and rare bookshop":

The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin: A middle aged apparatchik lives comfortably in Moscow, having foregone his previous existence as a talented underground artist, until a shakeup in the Kremlin leads him to question his decision to betray his personal values, as his life descends into uncertainty and fear. This debut novel was written by the first Russian student to obtain a bachelor's degree in the US, at Emory University in Atlanta (where I completed my pediatric residency). I read her later novel The Line, which I enjoyed, and this book was on my wish list (I could have gotten it in Atlanta, of course, but it was impossible to pass up a like new hardback edition of it for £3).

Fima by Amos Oz: A middle aged man examines his life from his shabby Jerusalem flat, one which was filled with promise and lofty dreams but led to nothing, similar to many people in his generation.

Don't Call it Night by Amos Oz: The relationship of a childless Israeli couple in a small desert community is precipitated into crisis when a pupil of the woman dies under mysterious circumstances, as the townspeople cast suspicious eyes upon them. I hadn't seen either of these books by one of my favorite authors in the US, so I couldn't pass them up.

Our Street: East End Life in the Second World War by Gilda O'Neill: After my visit to the East End of London with Paul on Friday I was curious to read more about the lives of its inhabitants, and this book caught my eye.

We had a nice lunch at a fish and chips shop on the far end of Rochester High Street, did more shopping, and then proceeded to Rochester Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in England, home to the second oldest bishopric in the UK after Canterbury, and located on grounds where Christians have been worshipping since 604 AD. The oldest portions of the cathedral date back to 1080, and many of the newer portions were completed in 1240.

We toured the church briefly, then attended an Evensong service.

Some additional photos of the church's grounds and exterior:













The cathedral's great organ:



Another view of the organ, taken just after the conclusion of the Evensong service; we sat on one of the pews to the right of this photo:



Some additional photos within the cathedral:





Finally, the great west door of the cathedral, which was built during the early 12th century:



We all had a splendid time, thanks largely to Bryony's superb guidance, and also to the picture perfect day that we had. Rochester is just over 40 minutes by train from central London, so I would encourage any visitors to London to consider spending a day there. Thanks to Caroline and Claire for coming as well!

What magnificent photos, Darryl! Thanks for sharing them. I especially love the photos of the towers and the cathedral.

I'm so glad to know that Amos Oz has become one of your "favorite authors in the US". You probably never saw those books in the U.S. because those were older books. I started reading Oz's books back in 1972 when I lived in Israel...a while ago*. In addition. I think that Israeli novels sell better in Europe than they do in the U.S. although I don't know the reason for this. Anyway, I'm glad Oz is still writing!

It sounds as if your meet-up was a success! :)

*Funny Israel-related story...
My cousin's youngest son wrote to me that he attended the Rolling Stones concert in Tel Aviv recently. He said it was quite a gig. I replied that I also saw the Rolling Stones when I lived in Baltimore and they played at the Civic Center. He wanted to know when that was. I figured out it was when I was in nursing school...so...somewhere between 1965 and 1968. :(

>5 SqueakyChu: I'm glad that you liked those photographs, Madeline. The castle tower was particularly stunning, as it was the first Medieval English castle I'd ever visited.

Huh...why did I describe Amos Oz as "one of my favorite authors in the US"??? Oh, I get it; what I meant was that he is one of my favorite authors, but I hadn't seen either of those books in the US. :^)

The first book by Oz that I bought was his memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness, which I read probably four or five years ago. I met Paul Harris (Polaris) for the first time on Friday in London, and we talked about that book, Paul's experiences living in a kibbutz in Israel, and our mutual admiration of Oz. Hmm...I took photos of Greenwich and the East End of London and created a travelogue on my 75 Books and Club Read threads of our day out together, but I didn't think about posting it here, since it was just the two of us that met up. Should I post it here as well?

I'm also glad that Oz is still actively writing, and that there are so many of his older books that I haven't read yet. He is my leading choice to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, now that Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o has stopped writing novels, at least for the time being.

The meet up was a smashing success, for several reasons. Bryony hadn't met any LTers other than me, so that in itself made the day worthwhile, and she certainly enjoyed showing off her favorite English town. I knew that Rochester was the site of Charles Dickens' country home, but I didn't realize that the town had a medieval castle and cathedral, along with numerous other buildings of historic and architectural interest. And, the weather was near perfect, which made it that much more enjoyable to walk around on a leisurely Sunday.

>6 kidzdoc:

Oh, you got to meet Paul! That must have been great to hear about his experiences in Israel by talking to him in person. What fun! We'll probably both start pushing other favorite Israeli authors on you now. Beware!! ;)

Should I post it here as well?

Either way. I'll go check the other threads.

>7 SqueakyChu: You're right, Madeline; it was educational and entertaining to learn about the East End of London and Israel from Paul. We had a splendid day together, and we've already discussed getting together again in the near future.

Book recommendations are always welcome!

There will be another group meet up on Friday; I'll post photos and a description of it this weekend.