Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1590 to 1899 Museum, former Town house constructed in 1590-1 by Sir Peter Buck. Extended during the 17th century. A 19th century timber framed swiss style chalet is within the grounds and is also listed grade I.

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1590 AD to 1901 AD)
• MUSEUM (MUSEUM, Modern - 1901 AD? to 2050 AD)
• PLAQUE (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

Description from record TQ 76 NW 86 :
(TQ 74486834) Museum (NAT) (1) HIGH STREET North East Side I Eastgate House (Museum) Late C16 3 storeyed house with main front at right angles to the road and comprising a brick facade with 2 bay windows rising through 3 floors to gables, a stair turret and a 2-storeyed porch. The street front is a 2 gabled framed structure with overhanging floors. Extensions on the street front are in brick-work of conforming character. Diamond-pane windows, some with original stained glass. Spiral staircase. Beautiful moulded plasters ceiling and carved mantel pieces. (2) Additional bibliography. (3) ROCHESTER HIGH STREET (Eastgate) Eastgate House Formerly a large private town house, now a museum. Substantially of 1590-1, built by Sir Peter Buck, Clerk of the Acts of the Navy Board, extended and refurbished in the C17. [Full architectural description] LISTED GRADE I ROCHESTER HIGH STREET (Eastgate) Dickens Chalet to rear of Eastgate House. Wooden chalet. C19. timber framed, of swiss type. [Full architectural description] LISTED GRADE I. (4)

In 2012 geotechnical test pits were dug around the outside of the building prior to the construction of a lift. These confirmed that the north-east end of the building was a relatively modern (19th century?) addition or rebuild. An archway to a blocked cellar was also located. (5)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
ROCHESTER HIGH STREET TQ 7468 SW (Eastgate) 9/140 Eastgate House 24.10.50 GV I Formerly a large private town house, now a museum. Substantially of 1590-1, built by Sir Peter Buck, Clerk of the Acts in the Navy Board, extended and refurbished in the C17; it is possible that the house incorporates some earlier work. Main range of brick; side elevation and rear wings brick and timber framed; some rubble ragstone. Kent tile roofs. Plan: the removal of internal partitions in the C19 and the likely demolition of a range to the E makes reconstruction of the original plan uncertain. Ground floor hall entered by a porch (S) probably into a through passage (opposing entries in situ, screen removed); one room to the left (W) with high status chambers above served by an S stair turret (which forms an important element in the main front) although both turret and W rooms appear to belong to a slightly different building programme to the main range (see change in plinth details). These rooms are largely timber-framed and the side elevation (W) with much jettying forms a secondary show front towards the street. To the right of the hall is another room. A long set of windows in the rear wall, along with a rubble plinth, extend beyond the line of the present end (E) wall into what is now a low lean-to, and this must indicate that the house originally extended to the E. Until the addition of the C17 stairs (situated to the rear of the former through-passage and contained within one of 3 separately gabled wings all of the same date), it is difficult to see how the upper floors of the E and of the house were adequately served and it is probable that the now demolished E part of the house contained a second S stair turret balancing that mentioned above and thereby forming a roughly symmetrical S front. Exterior: S front: 3 storeys and attic. Asymmetrical. 2 storeyed porch is flanked by a gabled bay. The porch has a hipped roof, 1st floor windows to S and E (2 lights with double-ovolo moulded brick surround, mullion and transom); pediment over doorway with pilasters on panelled plinths; stone 4-centred arch has shields in spandrels and large bar stops set high. Each bay has a tripartite window arrangement; 2-light windows to each floor connect with a central 3-storeyed projecting bay, polygonal to left, canted to right, giving continuous glazing across the wings. All windows with timber mullions, transoms and surrounds; most of the woodwork is renewed. To the left the polygonal stair turret with single- light windows under cambered arches, all-brick moulded, moulded string-courses between floors, and projecting gabled roof. To the left again, the plain end wall of the street front, plain brick, but containing a plaque with the herladic device of the Bucj family and 2-light window under hood mould to ground. High Street elevation: 3 storeys and attic, all jettied, with 2 gables. Brick end well corbelled and moulded with a decorative zig-zag vertical strip to 1st floor. Uninterrupted 14 light ground floor window with king mullion, set high under jetty. Similar to 1st and 2nd floors but here broken by - at 1st floor - a 7-light oriel on console brackets and - on 2nd floor - 2 3- light oriels. These long ranks of windows set very high to each floor are presumably intended to light the fine plaster ceilings: see interior. 2-light gable wall windows, decorated bargeboarding and apex and pendants. To the left the side wall of the W rear wing considerably later (see masonry joint and absence of plinth); brick, 2 storeys, with 4-light windows to each floor (that to the 1st floor slightly projecting). Diamond leading. String course. rear: 3 gabled wings, half-hipped upper storeys and attic; 2, 3 and 4-light windows to 1st floor (that to E wing with large mullions, lighting stairs), 2-light windows to gable walls. Interior: although considerable amounts of woodwork, including the porch inner door, are brought from elsewhere, there is some fine plasterwork, and the stone fireplaces appear to be in situ. Hall: wall panelling, fire- surround with pilasters, panelled overmantel with caryatids (not in situ) and inserted ceiling beams. Doorways with cyma moulded surrounds and bar stops set high. Right-hand room with ovllo- moulded ceiling beams; wall panelling, fireplace with stone surround with pulvinated frieze, and Jacobean overmantel not in situr. Open well stairs, C17, turned balusters, square-section newels with finials. 1st floor. Right-hand room with dentil cornice, some panelling and simple fire surround with fluted pilasters. Chamber above hall with fine fire surround (not in situ) with fluted term pilasters and elaborate panelled overmantel. Wall panelling. Between these two rooms is a pierced wooden panel designed to distribute borrowed light: evidence for others exist elsewhere. The most significant interiors are in the W rooms where good plaster ceilings survive to all floors. These are single-ribbed with a variety of geometric patterns (quatrefoils, diamonds, squares etc) with stylised foliage, and heraldic devices. The heraldry (and a rebus to 2nd floor) indicate that they date from Buck's time (ie the 1590s) and as such are a remarkable set of early plasterwork ceilings. Stone fireplaces with 4-centred arches, dated 1590 and 1591. In the attic is some simple line-drawn patternwork on plaster (much remains to be exposed). Side purlin roof; the High Street range is separately roofed.
Note: The single storeyed 3-window range to the rear of Eastgate House and the 2 storeyed 3-window range with which it connects (Charles Dickens Centre) are included in this listing for group value only.
Listing NGR: TQ7447368342 (6)

Archive material (7)

<1> OS 1:2500 1970 (OS Card Reference). SKE48212.

<2> DOE(HHR)Dist of City of Rochester Kent July 1969 25 (OS Card Reference). SKE41300.

<3> Bldgs of Eng West Kent and the Weald 1980 496 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38088.

<4> DOE(HHR)City of Rochester upon Medway Kent, 2nd Dec 1991 78-80 (OS Card Reference). SKE41276.

<5> Keevill Heritage Consultancy, 2012, Eastgate House, Rochester, Medway, Kent: Summary Report of an Archaeological Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SKE17804.

<6> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<7> Historic England, Archive material associated with Eastgate House, Rochester, Listed Building (Archive). SKE54046.

Sources and further reading