St. Margaret's Church, Rochester

Externally the main body of the church is an undistinguished 19th century building. The plan is nearly a plain rectangle with rendered brick walls and a low pitched slate roof.[2] The side windows are typical iron frames of the period, with separate gallery and ground floor openings. The East end features the 1872 Neo-gothic window with three lights.

St. Margaret's, Rochester – geograph.org.uk – 1346237

The West end is dominated by the medieval stone tower. The stone is random laid ragstone with flint dressings in parts. The tower is crenellated with three stages. The lowest stage is divided externally by a string course between the door and the window. Above it is the old ringing chamber and above that the bell chamber. In the Northeast corner of the tower, adjacent to the nave wall is a small stair turret with an external door. This gives access to the old ringing chamber, the bell chamber and the roof. There are three step diagonal buttresses on the Western corners, the East of the tower is effectively buttressed by the nave. A perpendicular style three light window above the West door illuminates the ground floor.

A lych gate to the south of the church leads into the southern section of the graveyard which has generally been levelled. Some of the stones form a path from the lych gate to the nave door and beyond to the west door. Others have been placed against the boundary wall. The resulting area is pleasant open grass with superb views across the Medway valley. Conversely, the tower dominates the skyline when viewed from Strood. The northern section of the graveyard (which has its own access from the street) has more of the grave markers still in situ. The east end of the church has additional doors leading to the vestries and the stairs to the gallery.

In 2008 the tower had a major restoration with some replacement of stones. The roofs (tower and turret) were replaced and work to the bell chamber louvres was carried out.[5]

The interior of the church is based on the 1824 preaching chapel design. The rectangular interior is reduced in width at the East end by vestries and stairs. The galleries down both sides contribute to an impression only of a cruciform shape. The supporting wooden columns are in Doric style below and are carried up to the ceiling as Ionic style.[2] The base of the tower is a few steps lower than the nave and is the current ringing chamber.

The present choir stalls were installed in 1898.

The 21st century has seen two adaptions at the West end. A kitchen has been built in the Northwest corner and a WC in the Southwest. New heating has been installed.[5]

The current organ is based on the 1877 instrument by Forster and Andrews of Hull. It was modified and extended by F. H. Browne of Canterbury in 1902. There is a single pedal stop, a 16-foot bourdon. The great has 8-foot open diapason, stopped diapason treble, stopped diapason bass, dulciana and gamba; 4-foot principal and flute; ​2 ²⁄₃-foot twelfth and 2-foot fifteenth. The swell has 8-foot open diapason, gedact, slicional, oboe and horn as well as 4-foot gemshorn.[8]

There is a ring of eight bells, with the tenor weighing 9 long cwt 2 qr 8 lb (1,072 lb or 486 kg) tuned to G flat hung in the English style for full circle ringing.[9]

Five bells were recorded in 1552, but the earliest extant bell is from 1621. This is currently number 6 but was then the third of five. Three years later the number 7 bell (then the fourth) was recast. In 1761 the 4 and 8 (then treble and tenor) were recast. In 1790 number 5 (then the second) was recast and a new treble added to make a six-bell ring. However, Hasted records five bells in 1798, which was the position before the 1790 recasting and augmentation.[4] In 1884 the 4 and 8 (then two and six) were again recast. Finally in 1896 two new trebles were added to make the existing ring of eight.

For the latter quarter of the 20th century, the bells were unringable, but a major project in 2005–2006 saw the bells removed, retuned (at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry) and rehung in a new frame. They are now rung from the ground floor instead of the 1960 ringing chamber.