Rochester Cathedral has secured £259,000 to develop plans to save its medieval Chapter House and Cloisters and make the ruins more accessible to visitors.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has given initial support to the Sacred Stones: Shared Stories project, enabling the cathedral to prepare an application for a full grant of £2,312,000. That funding has not yet been awarded.
The project aims to conserve the 12th-century remains, which contain some of the country’s most significant historic stone carvings. The cathedral says the ruins are in a perilous condition and could be lost without intervention.
Proposed repairs include careful, stone-by-stone conservation, using lasers to remove pollution crusts without damaging historic surfaces. Joints would be repointed with breathable lime mortar to prevent moisture retention, while stones that cannot be conserved would be replaced.
A shallow protective roof, known as a pentice, would shelter the façades of the Chapter House and Cloisters to help prevent further masonry loss.
The plans also include new interpretation to explain the ruins’ significance and the life of the medieval monastery, where monks worked, slept and ate.
Events, learning activities and training would give volunteers, local groups and schools opportunities to explore the site’s heritage and develop skills to help preserve it.
The Dean of Rochester, the Very Reverend Dr Philip Hesketh, said:
“We are delighted to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This funding will enable us to develop our plans to preserve and protect the ancient monastic cloisters whilst making them more accessible. This will greatly enhance the visitor experience.”
Stuart McLeod, the Heritage Fund’s director of England – London & South, said:
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted to give our initial support to Rochester Cathedral. The Cathedral’s Chapter House and Cloisters are hugely important and a much-loved part of Medway’s heritage, and this project will help safeguard these for future generations.
“As one of our Heritage Places, we see enormous potential for heritage to inspire and connect communities across Medway, and this project is a great example of this. We look forward to working with the team as they progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.”
Founded in AD 604, Rochester is England’s second-oldest cathedral. The present building dates from 1080, and the cathedral attracted 323,000 visitors in 2025.
