Fodor's Expert Review Rochester Castle

The impressive ruins of Rochester Castle comprise a superb example of Norman military architecture. The keep, built in the 1100s using the old Roman city wall as a foundation, is the tallest in England. In 1215, during King John's struggle against the barons who wanted him to sign the Magna Carta, Rochester was subject to one of the most brutal sieges in English history. Thanks to the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) it's known that the ruins of Rochester Castle were already a popular tourist attraction in the 17th century. Today the structure has been shored up but left without floors, so that from the bottom you can see to the open roof and study the complex structure. At the shop you can pick up well-researched guides to the building.