The Guildhall Museum in Rochester is a local history museum housed within Rochester’s 17th-century Guildhall. Originally constructed as a civic building with a principal room that has been used both as a courtroom and as a council chamber, the Guildhall was also home to a Second World War civil defence headquarters. The building’s council chamber was also referenced in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.
The museum, established within the Guildhall, has a range of exhibits that explore Rochester’s history. Visitors can see artefacts and displays that showcase the city’s maritime heritage, industrial developments and the lives of its inhabitants across different periods.
What to see at the Rochester Guildhall Museum
Visitors to the Guildhall Museum in Rochester can see exhibits chronicling the city’s evolution from prehistoric times to the present day.
The museum’s exhibits include a 200,000-year-old axe, a display about the siege of Rochester Castle, a reconstruction of an 18th-century prison hulk and The Making of Mr Dickens, a permanent gallery showing how Charles Dickens’ childhood in Rochester and Chatham influenced his work and inspired some of the most loved stories in English literature.
The museum is also home to several works of art including paintings by Hendrik Frans van Lint, Michael Dahl and Godfrey Kneller.
![The Guildhall Museum is a very good local history museum housed inside Rochester’s 17th-century Guildhall. (Photo: Chris Downer [CC BY-SA 2.0])](https://englandrover.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/rochester-guildhall-museum.jpg)
Visiting the Rochester Guildhall Museum
The Rochester Guildhall Museum is at the top end of High Street, not far from the River Medway. From here, it is only a few minutes walk from Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral and most other points of interest in central Rochester are no more than a 10-minute walk away.
The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday and admission is free of charge.
Allow 1–2 hours for your visit to the museum.
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