[1] The corn exchange was commissioned by Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, who was the Member of Parliament for the City of Rochester in the early 18th century.

The central bay featured a doorway with a fanlight, flanked by Doric order pilasters supporting a moulded arch with carvings in the spandrels, a frieze and a swan-necked pediment.

At roof level, there was a modillioned pediment, containing an oculus in the tympanum, a cupola containing a bell, and a weather vane.

Internally, the principal room was the main hall on the first floor: it featured Corinthian order columns, ornate plasterwork and elaborate chandeliers.

[6] The use of the complex as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.