[b] From the time of Bishop Gundulf until the appointment of William Talvez in 1272 as Vicar, St. Margaret's was a chapel of the parish of St. Nicholas.

There was at that time no separate parish church of St. Nicholas, instead the parochial altar was housed in the nave of Rochester Cathedral.

[c][4] During the reign of King Richard I (1157–1199), bishop Gilbert de Glanville gave the church to his hospital in Strood.

[5] In 1540, during the Reformation, the church was surrendered into the King's hands and subsequently settled on the newly founded Dean and Chapter of Rochester.

During the reign of Charles II of England (de facto 1660–1685) a coronet "set round with precious stones" was dug up in the churchyard.

[5] The original parish was rural, stretching from the city walls of Rochester in the north to Borstal in the south.

Expansion of Rochester to the north and west is blocked by the River Medway and to the east by Chatham.

The new nave was complete the following year, the original chancel, tower and side chapels being retained.

The plan is nearly a plain rectangle with rendered brick walls and a low pitched slate roof.

[2] The side windows are typical iron frames of the period, with separate gallery and ground floor openings.

In the northeast corner of the tower, adjacent to the nave wall is a small stair turret with an external door.

A perpendicular style three-light window above the west door illuminates the ground floor.

A lych gate to the south of the church leads into the southern section of the graveyard which has generally been levelled.

The resulting area is pleasant open grass with superb views across the Medway valley.

The roofs (tower and turret) were replaced and work to the bell chamber louvres was carried out.

Footnotes Citations Bibliography Media related to St Margaret's Church, Rochester, Kent at Wikimedia Commons