Gadshill Place

Gadshill Place, built in 1779 by Thomas Stevens, a former Mayor of Rochester, is a notable historic building. Charles Dickens owned and lived in the house from 1857 until his death in 1870, during which he wrote several of his novels, including the opening scenes of "Great Expectations," which are set in the area.

The building features red brick walls with a string course below the parapet and a slated Mansard roof topped with a central octagonal bell turret, which has an ogee-shaped lead roof, a ball finial, and a weathervane. The sash windows do not have glazing bars. A projecting porch with columns and pilasters leads to a round-headed entrance door with a fanlight. On either side of the entrance, there are two-storey, three-sided bays with cornices on each storey. The central first-floor window has three lights and an elliptical arch over the centre light.

To the south-east, Dickens extended the dining room and added a large conservatory. The rear of the building has been significantly altered, but it retains an original doorcase with pilasters, a pediment, a semi-circular fanlight, stone steps, and a wrought iron handrail. Inside, Dickens' study remains preserved as he left it, complete with comical invented book titles in a sham bookcase on the door and original bookcases lining the walls. The staircase features alternate balusters that have been removed and fretwork panels inserted. In 1857, Hans Christian Andersen stayed at the house. Dickens also constructed a tunnel beneath the main road to provide access to an additional garden, where he built a Swiss chalet that is now housed in the Rochester museum.