Former Rochester resident, Michael Harris visited Eastgate House on Saturday 27 October 2018.  He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and was visiting his sister who now lives in Rainham. She attended the Medway College of Art, and later, exhibited some of her paintings at Eastgate when it was an exhibition space.

Mike said 'My earliest memories of Eastgate House date back to when I was a pupil at The King’s School in Rochester.  One of our teachers took the class to visit it, probably around 1960, as we were reading excerpts from Dickens’ ‘Pickwick Papers’ in our English class.

​The Friends of Eastgate House have a stall on the first and third weekends of the Christmas markets in Rochester Castle Gardens.  We will be selling Lilliput model houses, and Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairy Plates, both mostly with boxes and certificates.  We have a newly donated collection of animal plates with paintings by David Shepherd from his David Shepherd Wildlife Collection, produced by Spink; again with boxes and certificates (limited editions).  We will also have a selection of jewellery and our lavender bags.

​When the speaker turns up in Tudor garb with rope with knots, 6’ long guns and a rapier, you know you are in for a good time.  

​So it was for the latest FoEH talk on Sunday 4th November.

​Part of the work of the officers at Eastgate House is to respond to suggestions and queries raised by visitors. So when a number of people said ‘where’s the kitchen?’ it set in train a series of actions.

It is quite likely that the original kitchen was in an outhouse that has since been demolished.  This was common practice, greatly reducing the risk of fire to the main building.

On a lovely evening in June, a goodly number of members gathered at Eastgate House for the sixth Annual General Meeting of the Friends.  
 
Our Guest of Honour was the Deputy Mayor, Cllr, Habib Tejan, and the Deputy Mayoress, Mrs Tejan.