Satis House

Satis House is a former private house that now serves as an administrative and library block for the King's School. The building dates from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century, featuring an early stuccoed brick facade facing north towards the castle, a rear elevation from around 1800, and a mid-18th century northwest wing made of unrendered brick. It has Kent tile roofs throughout and consists of two storeys with a basement.

The entrance front, which faces north, has five bays and includes four area windows, four ground floor windows, and five first floor hornless sash windows, all set in reveals and featuring glazing bars. A projecting Greek Doric porch with antae sits on a plinth and is accessed by steps. The porch has four antae, an entablature, and a pediment that features a bust of Richard Watts. The entrance has panelled double doors, and the facade is topped with a parapet that has stone coping and a moulded cornice band.

The rear elevation consists of two sections, with the circa 1800 part featuring an off-centre two-storey curved wing that has an area. The upper floors have sash windows with glazing bars set in reveals and under rubbed brick flat arches. To the right of the wing, there is a large round-headed sash window on the ground floor. The principal door is accompanied by railings and granite steps. The two-storey wing to the left has two slightly recessed bays and a three-sided canted bay to the northwest with mid-18th century sash windows under segmental arches.

Inside, there is an off-axis dog-leg stair with stick balusters and a mahogany rail. A pair of on-axis double doors features six raised and fielded panels. The doors throughout the building date from around 1800. A room at the extreme northwest has mid-18th century raised and fielded panelling, a modillion cornice, and a guilloche dado rail, along with a swag frieze above the chimneypiece.

Historically, earlier buildings on this site, which can be seen in an early 18th century topographical map of Rochester, were part of a large house that included the Old Hall and was the residence of Richard Watts. His entertainment of Queen Elizabeth in 1573 here earned her reluctant approval, leading to the name "Satis House."