A medieval chapel will be opened to the public three days a week for the first time since the pandemic after extensive refurbishment.

The Rochester Bridge Chapel is one of the few surviving chapels of its kind in the country.

It was built at the end of Rochester Bridge in 1393 and had three priests who would bless travellers on their journeys.

People crossing the bridge would stop there and pray for safe passage.

It stopped being used as a chapel in 1548 and was then leased out for various purposes including as storage, a house, an alehouse and a sweetshop.

It had become a ruin by the 1800s and was restored in 1879 when the Victorian Bridge Chamber was built beside it, which has been used by the Rochester Bridge Trust for many of its meetings.

Now, after the pandemic and a period of refurbishment to allow for step-free access across all levels, the historic building is set to welcome visitors once more.

It was originally expected to open in a series of free-entry Heritage Open Days, run by The Rochester Bridge Trust, beginning on September 10.

This was delayed out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen, and the chapel is now set to open its doors for the first time since the pandemic on Saturday, October 8.

It will be free to enter and does not require booking.

The public will be able to visit the chapel, the chamber and an exhibition called Uncovering the Past: Archaeological Findings at Rochester Bridge.

Alison Cable, archives and records manager at the Rochester Bridge Trust, said: "We're in a very historical part of Medway here. We're very close to the castle, to the cathedral, and it's a significant building in that a lot of people travelling into Rochester will have passed this building and possibly come into it.

"It tells us a lot about architecture and the history of the area. How the bridge was important to Rochester, how the castle was important for monitoring the bridge. All of these buildings are inter-related.

"The chapel and chamber have always been remarkable buildings to visit, and we are really looking forward to opening them up in their newly refurbished state."

Tim Cathcart of the Rochester Bridge Trust said: "We have a collection of artefacts, of furniture and of paintings and it all tells the story of the Trust. We're very keen that people come and visit us and learn a bit about the Trust."

The event will begin on Saturday, October 8, from 11am to 4pm and will then run on almost every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, until the end of November 2022.

The exceptions are the first week of November, and Thursday, November 17.

The exhibition will then reopen in 2023 on Wednesday, February 1, and will run until Thursday, March 30.

Rochester Bridge Trust was founded in 1399, and owns and maintains the road and bridges over the River Medway at Rochester. It has also contributed to the cost of other Medway crossings, and supports charity and educational projects in Kent.