Uncovering Rochester’s Hidden Past
The discovery of traces of painted decoration during the removal of a later partition wall at Eastgate House in Rochester was always going to be exciting, but it was to take more than six years before work was finally to start on the uncovering and conservation.
Built during the third quarter of the 16th century for Sir Peter Buck, Clerk of the Cheque at the royal dockyard at Chatham. An alderman and mayor, Sir Peter added to the original building sometime around 1590, the newly exposed wall painting fragments being characteristic of examples of late 16th/early 17th century date. The painstaking work will progress slowly over the next few months...
