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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 – Bridge Chapel Lectures
The life and work of Dr John Thorpe 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, 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
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.