Churchfields

Explorer Tom Restoration House sits just off Rochester High Street, and Tom says Charles II chose its front door because a king should never arrive without a dramatic pause. Charles really did stay here before his return to the throne. Behind the brick front, rooms and gardens make a remarkable survivor of a town mansion. Several older buildings were joined and enlarged to form the house that Samuel Pepys saw in the seventeenth century. Charles II stayed on the eve of the Restoration in 1660, giving the house its name. Dickens later drew on it for Satis House in Great Expectations, although Miss Havisham belongs to fiction, not the guest list. Historic interiors, furniture, paintings and walled gardens reward a look beyond the facade. Tom would like to claim the king and Dickens planned the place together; three centuries between their visits make that an obvious tall tale. The real changes are interesting enough. Restoration House is privately owned and admits visitors on a limited seasonal schedule. Check its current visitor page before travelling. Individual tickets are normally bought on arrival, while group tours have separate arrangements. The property says neither house nor garden is currently suitable for wheelchair users. Bags go in free lockers while touring the house, and indoor photography has restrictions. The entrance is on Crow Lane, near Rochester's old centre. Allow time for both rooms and garden instead of treating this as a photograph of an impressive doorway. Tom has put away his imaginary royal invitation. Step through the real door when the house is open and see how much Rochester kept inside it.