Rochester Castle in Kent is perhaps the most impressive 12th-century keep
(a stronghold in the shape of a square tower) in England. Standing 34.5m
(113ft) tall, even today it dominates the town of Rochester. When it was
built, it was the tallest castle in the kingdom.
Although it is the third castle to stand on the site, the great tower at
Rochester is one of the oldest in England. Building started in 1127, when
custody of the castle was granted by Henry
I to William de Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury. William proceeded
to build a truly mighty tower. As well as being exceedingly tall, the keep
was 21m (70ft) square, and at its base the walls were 3.5m (12ft) thick.
Archbishop's palace
Like all true castles, however, Rochester was not just a defensive building,
but a palatial residence fit for the most powerful churchman in England.
Inside, there is plenty of evidence that this was once one of the grandest
buildings in existence. Beautifully decorated Norman arches are visible
everywhere, and the castle has a spectacular great hall and top-floor
apartments. It was a very comfortable place to live. Every floor is served
by an internal well-shaft, and has grand fireplaces and garderobes (toilets).
Such luxuries meant that, for most of the time, life at Rochester was
very pleasant. But, in 1215, a large number of English barons, tired of
King
John's financial oppressions, resorted to arms and forced the reluctant
king to promise to behave himself in the future. The king's promises are
set out in what became one of the most famous documents in English history
– Magna
Carta.
Bad King John
When John ignored Magna Carta (he wrote to the Pope to get it torn up),
he triggered a full-scale civil war. Both the king and the rebel barons
were waiting for troops to arrive from France, and so control of the rivers
and roads in Kent became essential. Thinking quickly, a group of barons
rushed to Rochester and seized control of the castle. Two days later, John
was outside, determined to take the castle by force. The result was one
of the biggest and most spectacular sieges in English history.
The king used every means at his disposal to try and break into the keep,
including a ceaseless barrage of missiles from his five great trebuchets
(catapults). The mighty tower, however, held out, even though hunger had
reduced the men inside to eating their own horses.
Eventually, John ended the siege by digging a mine shaft under the keep
and collapsing it by burning the pit-props (which held the tunnel up) using
the fat from 40 pigs. The collapse of the tunnel caused a quarter of the
keep to come crashing down, and the siege was soon ended.
Peace at last
A few months later John dropped dead from over-eating, and the peace of
the kingdom was restored. The keep at Rochester was repaired, but when
the collapsed tower was rebuilt it was made round rather than square.
This is a good indication that by the 13th century, ideas about castle
design were beginning to change, partly as a result of sieges such as
the one at Rochester.
The castle today
Today Rochester Castle is in the care of English Heritage and is managed
by Medway Council.
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