The new Bishop of Rochester said he is looking forward to engaging with people and communities in his diocese.

The Rt Rev James Langstaff was installed as the 107th Bishop of Rochester on Saturday.

The inaugural service at Rochester Cathedral was attended by 1,200 guests.

In keeping with tradition, the Rt Rev Langstaff had to knock on the doors of the cathedral to gain admission before the service began.

He was anointed by the Bishop of Tonbridge, Dr Brian Castle, together with the former Bishop of Doncaster, Michael Gear, and the Bishop of the Armed Forces, Stephen Venner.

Bishop James was presented with the Coverdale Bible, a prized possession of the Cathedral, and a crucifix, carried by pupils from King's School, Rochester and the Bishop of Rochester Academy. He swore allegiance to The Queen and obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury, before giving his first sermon which urged people to be generous and reflect the generosity of God.

Hymns included one especially written for the service and another sung by the Bishop of Rochester choir.

Every guest was given a packed lunch and once the service had concluded, they were invited to stay to eat and meet Bishop James for the first time.

Bishop James, who moves to Rochester from Norfolk, said he has been overwhelmed by the welcome he has received.

He added: "It's been tremendous."

"Over the next few months my emphasis is going to be on getting out and about and meeting the people on the ground, getting to know them and getting to be known by them.

"Engaging with the community has been a pattern of my life since I first became a vicar in inner city Birmingham. I look forward to finding out what the best ways are to express that here."

Bishop James comes to Rochester after serving as the Bishop of Lynn in Norwich since June 2004. For the previous eighteen years, he was a parish vicar in the diocese of Birmingham.

Bishop James has had a busy first week. He paid visits to parishes within the diocese on Sunday, on Wednesday he will officially open the Bishop of Rochester Academy in Chatham, and on Thursday he will be at a carol service at Rochester Young Offender's Institute.