Rochester Castle

Read more about Rochester Castle on Wikileaks



Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France. Located along the River Medway and Watling Street, Rochester was a strategically important royal castle. During the late medieval period it helped protect England's south-east coast from invasion. The first castle at Rochester was founded in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. It was given to Bishop Odo, probably by his half-brother William the Conqueror. During the Rebellion of 1088 over the succession to the English throne, Odo supported Robert Curthose, the Conqueror's eldest son, against William Rufus. It was during this conflict that the castle first saw military action; the city and castle were besieged after Odo made Rochester a headquarters for the rebellion. After the garrison capitulated, this first castle was abandoned.

Between 1087 and 1089, Rufus asked Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, to build a new stone castle at Rochester. He established the current extent of the castle. Though much altered through the centuries, some parts of Gundulf's work survive. In 1127 King Henry I granted the castle to the Bishops of Canterbury in perpetuity. William de Corbeil built the massive keep that still dominates the castle today. Throughout the 12th century the castle remained in the custody of the archbishops.

During the First Barons' War (1215–1217) in King John's reign, baronial forces captured the castle from Archbishop Stephen Langton and held it against the king, who then besieged it. The Barnwell chronicler remarked "Our age has not known a siege so hard pressed nor so strongly resisted". After resisting for just over seven weeks, the garrison surrendered. Although the castle had been greatly damaged, with breaches in the outer walls and one corner of the keep collapsed, it was hunger that eventually forced the defenders' hand. The castle did not stay under John's control for long: in 1216 it was captured by the French Prince Louis, who was the new leader of the baronial faction. John died and was succeeded by his son King Henry III in 1216; the next year, the war ended and the castle was taken under direct royal control.

Travelling to Kent

Most of those travelling to Kent will pass London using the M25. What a nightmare that experience is. Unless you choose a very early morning run, you can expect holdups. Sometimes you can never understand after crawling and in stop-start traffic and sudden release why ever you were in the jam in the first place.

Traffic can build up at exits from the M25 at peak times. Accidents which seem few for the amount of cars on the road and the speed of some drivers (90 plus mph). But an accident will cause a closed motorway for hours.

The official motorway speed limit in the whole of England is 70 mph and the majority of drivers keep to that limit. There are some who believe they are above the law and treat the British motorways (including the M25) as German Autobahns.

Roadworks are usually covered by a camera average speed device. The speed limit is usually sent at 50 mph. A suggestion is if your car has a cruise control you set it at 50 and drive merrily along. You will find you will be able to pass some using only their foot and brain as they seem to average 48-49 mph. There are always ones who will want to break the limit.  Don't be encouraged by them to do the same. It is you that will pay your fine not them.

There are helpful websites to check what is happening on the M25

M25 Reports

Anticlockwise (inner circle)

Clockwise (outer circle)

Dartford Crossing

M25 Traffic Report & Roadworks

Dartford Crossing

The Dartford crossing takes traffic northerly through a tunnel under the Themes. A bridge over the Themes brings traffic into Kent.

Wikipedia - The crossing is 16 miles (26 km) east of the centre of London, but just 2 miles (3.2 km) outside the Greater London boundary. Its southern end is in Dartford, Kent; while its northern end is in Thurrock, Essex. Formerly managed jointly by Kent and Essex county councils, the crossing is now managed by Connect Plus (M25) Limited on behalf of the Highways Agency.

The bridge over the Themes brings traffic southerly into Kent

PistonHeads

Kent Online

The Telegraph

Aerial photo of the Toll Crossing

Best Beaches

Each of these pins represents a place that has a good beach. Below there is some of the many websites that display information about the beaches and why they recommend them. Take for example the site "Nearest Beaches", where it pinpoints where the beach is and gives a long and helpful list of all you need to know. Kent.co.uk from where the map below was taken displays is also very informative. Click on a pin and you get a choice of information or pictures. Let me know if you know of others.

Kent.co.uk   
BBC 
Day Out With The Kids 
Nearest Beaches

The above pictures were taken at
 Westgate-on-Sea 

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle near Maidstone in Kent, England.

 Read about Leeds Castle on Wikipedia 

Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, situated 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Maidstone. A castle has been situated on the site since 1119. In the 13th century it came into the hands of King Edward I, for whom it became a favourite residence, while in the 16th century, Henry VIII used it as a residence for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The castle seen today dates mostly from the 19th century and is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds. It has been opened to the public since 1976.

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 Watch YouTube videos about Leeds Castle

 What do visitors say? 

Hever Castle

Read about Hever Castle in Kent, England.


Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever, Kent near Edenbridge, 30 miles (48 km) south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539 it was the seat of the Boleyn, originally 'Bullen', family.[1] Anne Boleyn, the second queen consort of King Henry VIII of England, spent her early youth there, after her father, Thomas Boleyn had inherited it in 1505. He had been born there in 1477, and the castle passed to him upon the death of his father, Sir William Boleyn. It later came into the possession of King Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. In the 21st century the castle is a tourist attraction.

There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. The second period was when the castle, then in need of repair, was converted into a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, younger brother of Thomas Boleyn, Master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge. He added a Tudor dwelling within the walls. The third period of repair and renovation was in the 20th century when it was acquired by William Waldorf Astor.[2]

Geoffrey's grandson, Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle in 1505. He lived there with his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard and their children George, Mary and Anne (the future wife of Henry VIII). It is not known if Anne was born at Hever (the year of her birth is not known for certain) but she lived there until she was sent to the Netherlands in 1513 to receive an education at the court of the Archduchess Margaret.

Dover Castle

Read about Dover Castle on Wikipedia

Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history.[1][2] It is the largest castle in England.[3]

Originally the site may have been fortified with earthworks in the Iron Age or earlier, before the Romans invaded in AD43. This is suggested on the basis of the unusual pattern of the earthworks which does not seem to be a perfect fit for the medieval castle, excavations have provided evidence of Iron Age occupation within the locality of the castle, but it is not certain whether this is associated with the hillfort.[4] There have also been excavations on the mound which the church and Roman Pharos are situated on and has been discovered to be a Bronze Age mound.

The site also contained one of Dover's two 80-foot (24 m) Roman lighthouses (or Pharoses), one of which still survives, whilst the remains of the other are located on the opposing Western Heights, across the town of Dover. On the site is a classic montrol (campsite) where the Normans landed after their victorious conquest.