Have you ever thought about visiting some castles in the UK, when you look at them at the pictures in your English books? I would like you to invite to visit the most famous сastle Rochester, sitting near your computer and reading my article.

Castle Rochester is situated in the city of the same name in the county Kent. It is one of the first stone сastles in England and the highest.

Rochester protects the way from the south to London. William the Conqueror presented lands of Eilesford to Odo in Kent. He was the bishop of Bayonne. In 1086 the ownership of the bishop is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

In 1087 Odo rose against William Ruffus and William laid siege to Rochester. After taking Rochester and proscription of the bishop, from 1087 till 1090, a famous builder Gundulf, began the stone castle`s erection in the city. The walls were built in the city wall`s corner, kept from Roman times.

In 1127 the castle was given to William de Corbeille, archbishop of Canterbury by Edict of Henry I English with the order “to make the reinforcement or the Tower, which will keep the city for centuries”. William reinforced the castle`s donjon seriously and built four corner towers to it.

Castle Rochester`s donjon is a square 21x21 meters with a side building at the bottom and 34 meters tall. The corner towers are rising on 4 meters more. The wall`s thickness at the bottom is 4 meters and 3, 3 meters at the top.

The room inside is divided by the crosscut wall, which is going from the west to the east.

The donjon`s entrance is on the second floor-level, in a special penthouse. The stairs to the penthouse begins on the donjon`s west side, bends round its north-west tower and goes to the tower`s entrance. The access of the first floor is by winding stairs from the second floor. The first floor of the castle was used as a storehouse.

The Main Hall is on the third floor and the crosscut wall has a view of three arches. The Main Hall occupies two floors of the building and there is a gallery on the fourth floor-level.

The third floor of the penthouse is Chapel. There are private archbishop’s restrooms and private chapel.

In the 18th century the castle was planned to destroy, but in order to one accident, it wasn`t happened.

Now, the castle is clear, partly restored and opened for visiting.