Cathedral Gardens

The open spaces and garden areas of Rochester Cathedral have been occupied since the 7th century. Today they cover a considerable area within the limits of the historic city and today are a ‘green lung’ in the heart of Rochester.

The south side of the Cathedral was the site of the medieval Benedictine Cathedral Priory of St Andrew. The first project sponsored by the Friends of Rochester Cathedral was the relandscaping of the area and the opening of the area as the Cloister Garth.

The gardens today are cared for by the Cathedral Gardeners and a team of Garden Volunteers, providing a stunning seasonal setting for the Cathedral and Precinct and remaining an integral part of the heritage of the site.

 

Gardens Blog

A vineyard is recorded as early as the 1340s in the area now known as King’s Orchard. This green heritage was taken up by Dean Samuel Reynolds Hole, keen horticulturalist and rose grower, in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Open all (12) →

 
Events and exhibitions archive
Infirmary herb garden
Infirmary herb garden

Head Gardener Graham Huckstepp explores the herbs of use in the Priory Infirmary.

Gardens and Green Spaces Project
Gardens and Green Spaces Project

The Cathedral Gardens Project is specially designed to enhance and improve the gardens and green spaces of the Cathedral Estate to deliver the overall mission of the Cathedral. 

Vinefields and King's Orchard
Vinefields and King's Orchard

The planting of 100 vines by the Cathedral’s Head Gardener, assisted by Simpson Wine Estate, is recreating the medieval vineyard once within the area now known as King’s Orchard.

How green are the Cathedral Gardens?
How green are the Cathedral Gardens?

In their duty to care and maintain the Gardens the Cathedral Gardeners employ a range of conservation practices to keep the gardens a key part of the biodiversity of Rochester.

Silver Eco Church Award
Silver Eco Church Award

Rochester Cathedral has been awarded a Silver Eco Award for our sustainability and conservation efforts.

The Knot Garden
The Knot Garden

The Cathedral has a new knot garden designed and created by Head Gardener Graham Huckstepp.

Dean Reynolds Hole: King of the Roses
Dean Reynolds Hole: King of the Roses

“He who would have beautiful Roses in his garden must have beautiful Roses in his heart”. So wrote Samuel Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester from 1877 until his death in 1904.

John Doubleday's Mary and the Child Christ
John Doubleday's Mary and the Child Christ

We are grateful to the Revd Melvyn Matthews, Senior Anglican Chaplain to Bristol University and the BBC World Service to quote extracts from the broadcast when he talked of a postcard the Dean sent him of the statue by John Doubleday in the Garth.

War damage repairs
War damage repairs

Cathedral Architect W. A. Forsyth reports on the repairs to the Cathedral and claims to the War Damage Commission. Featured in The Eighth Annual Report of the Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual, published May 1950.

Restoration of the Norman Cloister
Restoration of the Norman Cloister

W. A. Forsythe reports on the restoration of the Norman Cloister in advance of its opening as the Cloister Garth gardens in the 1930s, the first project sponsored by the Friends.