A very pleasant afternoon visiting Rochester with Julie, Lisa and Ben to mark Father’s Day. We first stopped off for a splendid lunch at The Cheese Room, before strolling around the historic Cathedral. The hugely impressive organ was being played at full volume when we arrived, presumably ahead of Evensong at 3.15pm. Certainly an incredible sound.
We then walked the full length of the attractive high street and dropped into a number of shops, including the excellent Baggins Books towards the river end. We then drove into Strood and noted the likely site of the Fountain Inn in the High Street, where my great grandparents Sarah and Thomas were the licensed victuallers in the Victorian era. Sadly the pub burnt down in 1877 (my ancestors had left the tavern around 1881) hence our estimating its former location.
I intend to return to the area soon to continue my research into the family’s lives.
