Forthcoming Events

Summer Event

Floatplane

The Rochester Bridge Trust presents free family engineering activities and the newly restored Short Scion Floatplane, inside Rochester Cathedral. Entry is free.

www.rbt.org.uk/floatplane

August 2025
Daily, for times visit the Rochester Cathedral website.

Open Days

The life and work of Dr John Thorpe

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Explore the fully-accessible medieval Bridge Chapel and Victorian Bridge Chamber while learning more about John Thorpe, an 18th century physician, antiquarian, Senior Warden of the Rochester Bridge Trust, and Fellow of the Royal Society.
Entry is free.

The first Wednesday of the month and every Saturday, from 4 June until 30 August

11am-4pm

Heritage Open Days

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
View the fully-accessible medieval Bridge Chapel and Victorian Bridge Chamber in all their glory, where you will be able to take a closer look at the paintings and furniture as they are used for formal meetings of the Court of Wardens and Assistants.
Entry is free.

12, 13, 19, 20 September

11am-4pm

Special Events

The life and work of Dr John Thorpe

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Find out more about a prominent historic member of Rochester’s community during this talk.
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked online via Eventbrite or by emailing events@rbt.org.uk

Thursday, 26 June

6.30pm

Conserving portraits

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 10 July

6.30pm

MAPSL and the Restoration of the Short Scion

Rochester Cathedral, Garth House, The Precinct, Rochester, ME1 1SX
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 7 August

6.30pm

Short Brothers - Wings Over Medway

Rochester Cathedral, Garth House, The Precinct, Rochester, ME1 1SX
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 14 August

6.30pm

The location of the Medieval Bridge

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 11 September

6.30pm

The history of watercolour painting

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 25 September

6.30pm

Medieval roads in England and Wales: A map

Bridge Chapel, 5 Esplanade, Rochester, ME1 1QE
Entry is free of charge but spaces are limited and must be booked. Tickets will be released here one month before the event.

Thursday, 7 October

6.30pm

External Events

Tripartite Trans-Atlantic Cable webinar series

Bridge Clerk Sue Threader presents a lecture on the history of pneumatic cassions. First used by Sir William Cubitt at Rochester, they were later exported to the Eads Bridge and, famously, the Brooklyn Bridge.

The lecture was presented on 22 November 2023, and can now be viewed here.

Tripartite Trans-Atlantic Cable webinar series

Richard Groome, a Liveryman in the City of London, presents the history of four London Bridges, with a particular reference to the Rennie Bridge that is now in Lake Havasu City, USA. John Rennie is a former Bridge Engineer to the Rochester Bridge Trust.

The lecture was presented on 22 May 2024, and can now be viewed here.