Rochester Cathedral and Castle

Frederick Nash, 1782–1856

ca. 1825

Oil on artist's board

Yale Center for British Art

A wide river flows through a town with a prominent castle and cathedral on the left bank. Several sailing vessels are on the water, and a bridge spans the river in the distance. The foreground shows a rocky shore with some figures and vegetation. This cityscape is full of motion: the river Medway glistens, smoke curls, and ships crowd around the docks. Rochester Castle anchors the scene with its twelfth-century tower, the tallest castle tower in all of Europe. Frederick Nash, who trained as an architect but primarily painted landscapes, carefully positions three vertical points of interest (the cathedral, the castle, and the ships) to denote three pillars of nineteenth-century British society—church, state, and commerce. Nash draws upon the historical prominence of Rochester Castle to highlight its endurance, a fortification that will stand for centuries more while modern in