Charles Dickens’ Rochester writing chalet put on ‘at risk’ list

Gerald Dickens is an actor and performer, who is also the great-great-grandson of Charles.

“It was a very special place to him – it was a gift and it was an oasis, a quiet place he could just drift away to,” Gerald told Radio Kent.

Gerald said Charles was in the chalet writing letters when he had a stroke, before dying the next day.

In East Sussex, Hastings Castle has also been added to the register.

The castle stands on a strategic clifftop location, but its exposed setting and coastal erosion have shaped the ruins, with sections of wall now left vulnerable.

Hastings Borough Council has been given £288,500 from a Historic England fund for urgent conservation. It follows £200,000 investment by the council this year.

Hastings councillor Julia Hilton said the site played “a vital part in the story of our town and country”, and it was crucial to secure it for future generations to enjoy.

Elsewhere in Kent, the Old Town Warehouse in Faversham has also been added to the register.

The Grade II*-listed timber-framed building dates from 1458 and sits alongside Faversham Creek, but is in poor condition from flooding, poor drainage and timber decay.

Claudia Kenyatta, chief executive of Historic England, told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “The Heritage at Risk Register is a really important opportunity to draw attention to those historic buildings and places that are at risk of being lost as a result of decay or neglect or inappropriate development.”

Kenyatta said the government recently put up £75m to support buildings and places on the register, but funding also comes from the National Lottery, Historic England, councils and local fundraising.

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