Housing Development | Christopher Tipping

In December 2019, I began research and concept development of Phase 3 Public Art proposals for Rochester Riverside. Commissioned by FrancisKnight Art Consultants for client Countryside Properties and The Hyde Group.

This plan of the concept development masterplanning stage for the Phase 3 development at Blue Boar Wharf, Rochester Riverside shows opportunities for possible Public Art intervention within the site. Image: Christopher Tipping

The 1898 OS Map overlaid with the new concept development proposals for Phase 3 on the Blue Boar Wharf Site. Image of 1898 Map by permission MALSC

I have had access to some amazing aerial images from Britain From Above. The following black and white images are so evocative and detailed, they tell a fascinating story of our site’s industrial and social history, nothing much of which survives today, except the large crane.

Rochester Riverside 1965 Aerial Image: By Permission – Britain From Above.

Limehouse Reach, River Medway, looking towards Chatham. Rochester Riverside 1965 Aerial Image: With Permission – Britain From Above.

The above image from 1965 shows the Gasworks, Limehouse Wharf, Acorn Wharf (Shipbuildng) Acorn House, RMC Aggregates and Ready Made Concrete, Cory’s Wharf (Coal), Chatham Goods Yard (Railways), Blue Boar Wharf, Furrell’s Wharf – almost all the way to Chatham Intra. So much to be inspired by…

I am collaborating with LUC and BPTW who are leading on the architecture, masterplanning and landscape design.

I am continuing to develop the work I created for Phases 1 & 2 as the site has endless riches to be inspired by. My problem is knowing where to stop the research. Each stone unturned has golden threads to follow. Contextually, we are now on the site of Blue Boar Wharf, in its heyday a major Barge Building site, with two Yards, Upper and Lower occupied by two businesses – William Higham, ran the Upper Yard, where he built 100 Barges between 1876 and 1901 & George Weedon the proprietor of the Lower Yard.

Cory’s Coal Wharf and Gyproc Products as seen looking towards Rochester Cathedral. Rochester Riverside 1936. Aerial Image: With Permission – Britain From Above.

Above: Gyproc Products (Plasterboard), started production on the Rochester Riverside site in 1933, just 3 years prior to this images from 1936 (the large white shed in the centre of the picture). Cory’s Wharf, with its ‘5 Cranes Dancing’, is in the foreground.

Cory’s Coal Wharf, Gyproc Products and the Cattle Market. Rochester Riverside 1936. Aerial Image: With Permission – Britain From Above.

Above: The coming of the railways in the 1840’s effectively separated the town from its salt marsh grazing pastures and community centred around The Common. The Cattle & Livestock Market – seen bottom left in this image from 1936 has rooftop graphics – advertising its products – probably for the benefit of train passengers, as the track was raised on an earthen bank and brick viaduct. ‘Thorley’s Food for Cattle’, & ‘Thorley’s Food for all Stock’.

Above: This Postcard must be a very early image of the site, as there appears to be no industrial development of the Riverside site.

This Google Earth Image from 1960 shows the site in its Industrial heyday.

This Google Earth Image from 2017 shows the site stripped of its industry and prepared for development as a new residential community in Rochester.

One of two 200tonne Cranes was retained on site. This is not its original position, but nonetheless, it speaks loudly of the industrial heritage of the site. Image: Crane on Rochester Riverside cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Danny P Robinson – geograph.org.uk/p/843730

There is a great short film on You Tube called the Medway Dock Crane, which show the Blue Boar Wharf site and the whole of Rochester Riverside, prior to development by Countryside as seen from a drone. Click on the above link to view.

Great to seen that our client Countryside & the Hyde Group have adopted several street names for Rochester Riverside from the original contextual research I did to underpin my public art proposals for the scheme, as directed and managed by Public Art Consultants FrancisKnight.

Detail showing a plan of Phases 1 & 2 Rochester Riverside housing development by Countryside Homes with street names. Image: By permission of Countryside Properties

Thalia, Belvedere and Telemon were 3 of 4 locomotives that worked at William Cory & Sons Ltd (Coal Wharf) on Rochester Riverside.

‘Thalia’: Built by Robert Stevenson and Hawthorn Newcastle, (works No 7816, Drewry Car Co works No. 2503 of 1945). The locomotive was supplied new to William Cory & Sons Ltd. where it was named after one of the three Graces in Greek mythology. The locomotive was painted black with Cory’s standard logo on each side & spent all its working life in Cory’s sidings, which were located adjacent to Blue Boar Wharf on the River Medway.

‘Telemon’: Built by the Vulcan Foundry 9 (works No. 295, Drewry Car Co. works No. 2568 of 1955) worked at William Cory’s Coal Wharf, Rochester, 1971

Locomotives ‘Thalia’ and ‘Telemon’ at Cory’s Wharf, Rochester, January 1971. Image: Copyright Gordon Edgar

Gordon Edgar on Flickr

‘Belvedere’: Had a streamlined casing and was built by Sentinel (Shrewsbury) in 1945 and worked at Rochester Cory’s Wharf from 1950 to 1957 & now at the Northampton Ironstone Museum.

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Christopher Tipping | Visual Artist

Tag Archives: Housing Development

‘Under the shadow of the crane’ Rochester Riverside – Phase 3 (Post1)

Thalia, Belvedere and Telemon