Rochester

#8 & #49 The Keep of Rochester Castle
Kent, England
1127 and later
This is NOT an official Lego site

There is mention of a motte castle at Rochester in the 1087-8 section of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as well as The Doomsday Book (1086), and this castle was abandoned after it was taken by William II [Rufus] during the rebellion by his older brother Robert Curthose over the English throne at that time. Immediately thereafter King William asked Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, to build a stone castle and this construction established the extent of Rochester Castle for future generations. In 1127 King Henry I gave ownership to the castle to the Archbishop of Canterbury in perpetuity, and the massive keep which dominates the castle was built at that time. During the First Barons' Rebellion (against King John) the castle was taken, and it was soon besieged by the king's forces. Seven weeks later yhe nearly starved garrison surrendered, but not until great damage had been done, including collapse of the south corner tower of the keep. Later that year the castle was retaken by French Prince Louis, now leader of the rebellion. When King John died, and his son Henry II succeeded him, the rebellion ceased and the castle was again under royal control. The collapsed tower was replaced ten years later with a solid, cylindrical turret with did not match the rest of the keep.

The outcome of a siege was different in 1264 when Henry III's men successfully defended the castle during another siege by Simon de Montfort. The castle remained in royal hands until the seventeenth century, despite briefly being captured and ransacked during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. Cusodianship of the castle was relinquished bt the Crown, the keep became roofless and for about 400 years deterioration was slow but relentless. The 125 foot tall keep was repaired to some extent in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is now under the guardianship of English Heritage and open to the public. The entrance is on the first floor with layers of protection including the three story fore-building, which also houses the chapel. There is a fine model of Rochester Castle in the Great Hall. Several of these pictures were taken during our May 2015 visit.


Plan of the Castle	Ground Floor Plan	First Floor Plan	Second Floor Plan	Third Floor Plan


Section Looking East	Section Looking West	North Section Looking North	North Section Looking South

Photos of the Lego Model Built November 1993

First Attempt in November 1986	North View	West View

South View	Southwest View with Banquet Hall	Forebuilding View with lit torch

Build Your Own Lego Castle

Ground Floor Plan	First Floor Plan	Second Floor Plan	Gallery Plan	Third Floor Plan	Roof & Turret Plan


West Elevation	North Elevation	South Elevation	Lego Section


Model of the Castle	Cutaway	Under the drawbridge