The claim
A weatherboarded and plastered house tucked behind Rochester's cathedral, with a jettied upper floor, two small bars and a garden at the back. Cask beer is the point here, and the walls carry the pub's account of monks, dissolution and a licence in 1543. The Medway riverside and the castle are a short walk downhill.
What the records show
The Coopers Arms tells its own story carefully: built in the reign of Richard I, left derelict after the dissolution of the monasteries, and opened as an inn in 1543. Historic England is less generous, listing a timber-framed house of C17 or earlier with later alterations, and no 12th-century fabric is described. Nothing was found to document either 1189 or 1543. The pub stands beside the cathedral precinct, and the tradition that monks built and used it is what gives the 12th-century date its long life.
What to look for inside
- Stands beside the cathedral precinct in old Rochester
- The pub's own history gives 1543 for its opening as an inn
- Jettied timber-framed front under plaster and weatherboard
Visiting
The Coopers Arms is in Rochester, England, at 10 St Margaret's Street, Rochester ME1 1TL. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1145838
- camra.org.uk/pubs/coopers-arms-rochester-167803
- www.thecoopersarms.co.uk/
- www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol4/pp153-182
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/609866
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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