Restoration House
Restoration House from The Vines
TypeHouse
EtymologyVisit of King Charles II on the eve of his restoration
LocationRochester, Kent
Coordinates51°23′10″N 0°30′16″E / 51.386176°N 0.504451°E / 51.386176; 0.504451
OS grid referenceTQ 74363 68213
Earliest phase1454
Restored byRod Hull and subsequent owners
Current useHome
Websitehttps://www.restorationhouse.co.uk/
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRestoration House including wall and gate piers attached to front
Designated24 October 1950
Reference no.1185341
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameRemains of summer house in garden 25 metres east of Restoration House
Designated2 December 1991
Reference no.1086519
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFlint and diapered brick wall at rear of Nos 1 and 3, East Row
Designated23 January 2008
Reference no.1392369
Restoration House is located in Kent
Restoration House
Location of Restoration House in Kent

Restoration House in Rochester, Kent in England, is a fine example of an Elizabethan mansion. It is so named after the visit of King Charles II on the eve of his restoration.

Charles had landed in Dover on 25 May 1660 and by the evening of the 28th arrived in Rochester. He was received by the Mayor and eventually retired for the night to the home of Colonel Gibbon. The following day Charles continued to London and was proclaimed King on 29 May, his 30th birthday. Although the home of Colonel Gibbon, the property was actually owned by Sir Francis Clerke (he was knighted during the visit), a fact which has led to confusion in the past.[1]

Although it is a private home, the house and garden are open to the public during the summer.[2] The house is protected as a Grade I listed building.[3]

History

Restoration House was originally two medieval buildings (1454 and 1502–22) with a space between.[1] They were joined in 1640–1660 (tree ring data from roof) by inserting a third building between the two, to create a larger house.[1][4] The first owner of the completed house was Henry Clerke, a lawyer and Rochester MP.[1] Clerke caused further works in 1670, the refacing of the entrance facade, the Great Staircase and other internal works.[1] The house was then bought by William Bockenham.[5] It was owned by Stephen T. Aveling in the late 19th century,[6] and he wrote a history of the house which was published in Vol. 15 of "Archaeologia Cantiana".[7]

The house was purchased for £270,000[8] by the English entertainer Rod Hull, in 1986, to save it from being turned into a car park;[9] and he then spent another £500,000 restoring it.[10] It was taken by the Receiver in 1994 to cover an unpaid tax bill.[9]

The current owners over the past decade have uncovered decoration schemes from the mid 17th century, which reveal the fashionable taste of the period, much influenced by the fashions on the continent.[4]

Charles Dickens

According to the biographer John Forster, the novelist Charles Dickens, who lived nearby, used Restoration House as a model for Miss Havisham's Satis House in Great Expectations.[11] The name "Satis House" belongs to the house where Rochester MP, Sir Richard Watts, entertained Queen Elizabeth I; it is now the administrative office of King's School, Rochester.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Restoration House Rochester, An Illustrated History and Guidebook (booklet). (privately published). May 2001.
  2. ↑ "Restoration House". Garden Visit. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Restoration House Including Wall And Gatepiers Attached To Front (1185341)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Restoration House – Rochester – England – The House". www.restorationhouse.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Hayton, David (2002). The House of Commons, 1690–1715 – Google Books. ISBN 9780521772211. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  6. ↑ Page, Norman (1999). Charles Dickens: family history – Google Books. ISBN 9780415222334. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  7. ↑ Aveling, Stephen T. (1883). "History of Restoration House, Rochester". Archaeologia Cantiana. 15: 117–126. Retrieved 6 December 2009. Open access icon
  8. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  9. 1 2 Perrone, Pierre (19 March 1999). "Obituary: Rod Hull – Arts & Entertainment – The Independent". London: www.independent.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Obituary: The man behind Emu". BBC News. 18 March 1999. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  11. ↑ "John Forster, "The Life of Charles Dickens" (8)". www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  12. ↑ "King's School Rochester". www.kings-school-rochester.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
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