The Bridge Chapel - Rochester, Kent, ME1
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 23.466 E 000° 30.083
31U E 326163 N 5696280
The Coat of Arms above the gate to the Bridge Chapel, Esplanade, Rochester, Kent, ME1
Waymark Code: WMEJY2
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/06/2012
Views: 10
From the Rochester Bridge Trust
website
The Bridge Chapel at Rochester was built by Sir John de Cobham,
who lived at nearby Cooling Castle. Described as "newly constructed" in January
1393, the chapel was located on the eastern approach to the medieval stone
bridge, formerly called Chapel Lane or Bridge Lane, but today known as the
Esplanade.
Bridge chapels were once a common feature of major bridges
throughout Britain. Today, however, apart from the Rochester Bridge Chapel only
five other bridge chapels are still standing: Bradford-on-Avon,
Derby, Rotherham, St. Ives in Cambridgeshire, and Wakefield, plus the chapel
ruins at Cromford in Derbyshire. Mostly built during the 14th or 15th centuries,
these bridge chapels were Chantry chapels where prayers were said for the souls
of the founders and benefactors of the bridge and also provided a place for
travellers and pilgrims to attend mass and pray for a safe journey, just as
airport chapels provide for travellers today.