Medway Epidemics
and how they helped evolve our ‘health services’ From Leper houses that ‘hid’ victims – Almshouses – Pest House – Quarantine ships – Infirmaries – to St Williams that was […]
and how they helped evolve our ‘health services’ From Leper houses that ‘hid’ victims – Almshouses – Pest House – Quarantine ships – Infirmaries – to St Williams that was […]
This is an account of the ‘local-life’ of Evelyn Dunbar – an outstanding young woman artist / illustrator who lived and partly trained in Medway, and who documented through her art the […]
News of the Armistice reaches Medway – at 11:30 am on 11 November 1918, the Bells of Rochester Cathedral rung-out to announce Peace. The Armistice with Germany had been anticipated […]
La Providence – The French Hospital The tranquillity of the picturesque French Hospital situated off Rochester High Street, belies a distant history of brutality that required French protestants to escape […]
Bigamist escapes with his life but is hounded out of the City
The brutish life of a ‘reformed’ slave trader This is an account of John Newton (24 July 1725–21 Dec 1807) – a man who was press-ganged at Chatham, who was […]
On 12 February 1554, Lady Jane Grey aged 16 or 17 was beheaded. Was her execution related to events that occurred 17 days earlier in Rochester – which could have […]
Coal-gas balloon flights from Rochester! The invention of the balloon was a technical and theatrical marvel of the 19th Century; balloons, wherever they were inflated or exhibited, drew huge crowds. […]