Historic England has recognised a high street's heritage in its newest listing.

A cottage, brewery buildings and a Jewish burial ground are among those receiving a Grade II listing in the high street between Rochester and Chatham.

Listed buildings are sites of special architectural or historic interest, in the National Heritage List for England, which is held and managed by Historic England on behalf of the government and the secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The area where Rochester High Street meets Chatham High Street is being researched by Historic England as part of the ongoing High Street Heritage Action Zones (HSHAZ) project, a £95 million government funded programme working to help breathe new life into historic high streets.

The programme involves research into the 'Intra' area, which covers the land between Star Hill, Rochester, and Sun Pier in Chatham.

Historic England senior listing adviser Posy Metz said: "Medway has an incredibly rich heritage, some of the sites people will be really familiar with such as the Historic Dockyard and places like the castle and cathedral in Rochester.

"But Medway has a military heritage, not just with the Dockyard but all the fortifications that went on around it, and there's a huge number of industrial residential buildings.

"The older a building or site is the more likely it is to be of special interest because its value will be rarer, but we are also looking at much more recent sites as well, which reflect an important aspect of our history or our heritage."

Among those listed are the Hulkes Lane Brewery Buildings, owned by Featherstones Ltd.

The brewery is tucked behind Chatham House. It started as a small timber-framed structure that was built in the 18th century and has been extended several times.

Posy said the brewery building "reflects the history and development" of the area, because brewing was a major activity there when it was built.

She added: "The building is actually the only one to survive as a brewery in that area. It illustrates approximately 200 years of brewing history on that site and reflects the change as the brewery developed."

The Cottage in Cooks Wharf is also Grade II listed. It was originally a pair of semi-detached cottages built on land that was once part of the St Bartholomew's Hospital estate. It is now one single building, which has been part of the Featherstones estate for more than 100 years.

"These important projects are breathing new life into the area and unlocking its potential..."

Posy continued: "There are also lots of little houses that sprung up, often really tightly packed, with tiny little front yards, many of which were small and timber-framed.

"They have all been lost, so the cottage is pretty much the only fragment of that type of building surviving in that area, and that's rare nationally. This is the rare survivor.

"We don't quite know but it is probably late 18th century to early 19th century, and it reflects the urban dwelling in that particular time."

Sheila Featherstone, director of Featherstones Ltd, said: “It is right that the brewery buildings should be upgraded to full listing in their own right.

"This recognises their own important role within this unique group of buildings."

Chatham Memorial Synagogue's Jewish Burial Ground is now a Grade II registered landscape.

The burial ground is one of only 30 Georgian Jewish burial grounds in the country, and is one of the earliest.

Today, Chatham Memorial Synagogue is Britain's only synagogue to have an attached cemetery.

Posy said: "The synagogue is a building we listed previously but we hadn't taken a look at the burial ground, which pre-dates it.

"The Jewish community in Chatham is one of the earliest provincial Jewish communities in the country, so this burial site is quite an important urban example."

Inside the Jewish Burial Ground, the Tomb of Lazarus Magnus is also Grade II listed.

Captain Lazarus Magnus was the son of the synagogue's benefactor, Simon Magnus, and was also the three-time mayor of Queensborough.

There is a condition in the synagogue's deed of trust that the tomb must always be visible from the street.

Dr Dalia Halpern-Matthews, Chatham Memorial Synagogue trustee, said: "Our Synagogue is unique in this country, and we are pleased that this has been recognised by Historic England."

She said the listing will help raise essential funds to restore the synagogue, memorial and grounds.

Posy said there are two important reasons for buildings and sites to be listed - to celebrate sites and inform people of their heritage, but also to impact the future management of the site.

She said listing sites flags them as important, so when decisions are made about changing or developing the site, its heritage value is considered.

Medway Council and Historic England are working together to create a framework to ensure "new and old can live happily together".

She added: "There are always new sites to be discovered which for whatever reason have gone under the radar, and these are identified as new research is carried out."

Emily Gee, Historic England regional director, said: “There is a remarkable breadth of history found along, and behind, the High Street Intra. I am delighted heritage protection has been granted to these sites.”

Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Alan Jarrett, said: “We are extremely proud of Medway’s rich heritage and the new research showcases the unique character of our Creative Heritage Quarter.

"We are looking forward to continuing to build on our work with Historic England and our local partners to continue to help restore more shop fronts in the area, through the HSHAZ programme.

"These important projects, including the fantastic community events and festivals which have been held, are breathing new life into the area and unlocking its potential.”