​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.

What lovely weather we had for the summer Dickens Festival.  I was so glad it was not wet, but I did feel the heat a bit.. The Friends’ stall was in the craft fair in the castle gardens.  We had the use of a gazebo loaned by the Rochester City Centre Forum, so many thanks to them.  Being dark red it rather warmed us up sitting underneath it, so a pretty tablecloth as a back drop and a white tablecloth as a fly sheet, served to keep it a little cooler.