St Margaret's Church, Rochester

The first record of St Margaret's is in an 1108 charter of Bishop Gundulf: "the altar of St Nicholas, which is parochial in the church of the blessed Andrew with the church of St Margaret which pertains to it". From the time of Bishop Gundulf until the appointment of William Talvez in 1272 as Vicar, St. Margaret's was a chapel of the parish of St. Nicholas. There was at that time no separate parish church of St. Nicholas, instead the parochial altar was housed in the nave of Rochester Cathedral. From this dependency Wheatley has suggested that St. Margaret's was a chapel of ease to the cathedral, but the cathedral itself was never a parish church.}} During the reign of King Richard I…

The interior of the church is based on the 1824 preaching chapel design. The rectangular interior is reduced in width at the east end by vestries and stairs. The galleries down both sides contribute to an impression only of a cruciform shape. The supporting wooden columns are in Doric style below and are carried up to the ceiling as Ionic style. The base of the tower is a few steps lower than the nave and is the current ringing chamber. The present choir stalls were installed in 1898. The 21st century has seen two adaptions at the west end. A kitchen has been built in the northwest corner and a WC in the southwest. New heating has been installed.