Dickens Swiss Chalet

In this chalet Dicken's wrote five of his novels whilst it was in the garden of his Rochester home 'Gads Hill Place'.

It is now situated in the small gardens of Eastgate House in historic Rochester High Street. Eastgate House is a 16th-17th C town house that has just undergone a huge restoration and is now open to the public. The Chalet is adjacent to the back of the old house.

There is a fundraising campaign to raise funds to restore the Chalet and relocate it to a better location in Eastgate.

A very interesting day spent in Rochester looking at the exteriors of some of the old buildings and walls surrounding the castle; cathedral and Kings School. Morning coffee in the Italian cafe next to the cathedral. They had put our their tables and chairs under the trees for al fresco dining, but it was far too cold to sit outside and rain was predicted. Lunch at our favourite Thai restaurant followed by a walk along the River Medway. Unfortunately the footpath was mostly closed due to a housing development that had not begun, and we had to retrace our steps.

Rochester is one of my favourite towns and I always find something new to investigate.