The Wardens and Assistants

The Wardens and Assistants in the Past

For centuries the people of Kent have maintained a bridge across the River Medway at Rochester. The earliest surviving written evidence of Rochester Bridge in the twelfth-century register of the Bishop of Rochester assigned to 54 parishes, manors, and estates surrounding Rochester the responsibility by ancient custom for repairing and maintaining the bridge. By letters patent of Richard II these contributory parishes were constituted a commonalty in 1399 and were charged to elect two wardens to oversee the maintenance and repair of the bridge. The Rochester Bridge Act 1576 reformed the Wardens and Commonalty of Rochester Bridge, requiring householders from the commonalty to assemble each year at Rochester Castle to elect two wardens, twelve assistants, and four auditors. This system continued to work for over three centuries, until the Rochester Bridge Act 1908 abolished the annual election and provided for the nomination of the wardens and assistants by local authorities.

The Wardens and Assistants Today

Nominated by Medway Council:

Until his retirement Rodney Chambers worked as a self-employed engineer.

He has been a magistrate since 1981 and a member of Kent County Council from 1973 to 1981, Gillingham Borough Council from 1987 to 1995, and Medway Council from 1998. In 2000 he was elected Leader of Medway Council.

He was nominated by Medway Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1999 and has served as Junior Warden from 2005 to 2007 and as Senior Warden from 2007 to 2009. Currently, he is a member of the Grants Committee.

Tony Goulden was the original guitarist for the rock group Vanity Fare, who recorded two Top Ten singles-"Early in the Morning" and "Hitchin' A Ride"-before Tony left the band in 1970. He then worked as an avionics technician at BAE Systems, where he served as a trade union official with UNITE (and its predecessors EETPU, AEEU, and AMICUS) until retirement in 2005.

He was elected to Rochester upon Medway Council in 1996 and has been a member of Medway Council since its beginning in 1998, serving as Mayor of Medway in 2001.

He was nominated by Medway Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 2005. Currently, he is a member of the Property Committee.

Alan Jarrett was elected to Medway Council in 1997 and currently holds the Finance Portfolio in the Cabinet and serves as Deputy Leader.

He was nominated by Medway Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 2005. Currently, he is a member of the Grants Committee.

Nominated by Kent County Council:

From 1950 to 1963 Frank Gibson was a District Commissioner in Uganda, where he claims to have played rugby with Idi Amin. Returning to England, he worked until his retirement as Secretary to the Portman Estate Trustees and as Director of their estate management companies in Westminster and the home counties.

He was a founding member of Gravesham Borough Council from 1973 to 1995, where he served as leader from 1976 to 1984, and a member of Kent County Council from 1985 to 2005, where he was appointed chairman in 2003. He was mayor of Gravesham Borough Council in 1985 and again in 1990. He was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London in 1986 and the Freedom of the Borough of Gravesham in 1995. In 1993 he was appointed OBE.

He was nominated by Kent County Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1997, and he currently serves on the Property Committee.

Until his retirement Mike Snelling was a corporate banker with NatWest Bank.

Since 1987 he has been a Councillor for Meopham in Gravesham Borough Council and is currently the Council Leader.

He was nominated by Kent County Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 2005 and currently serves on the Resources Committee.

Nominated by Maidstone Borough Council:

Paul Oldham was a member of Maidstone Borough Council from 1980 to 2008 and was elected Mayor of Maidstone in 1993.

He was nominated by Maidstone Borough Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1995. He served as Junior Warden from 1997 to 1999 and as Senior Warden from 1999 to 2001. He is currently a member of the Resources Committee.

Appointed by the Trust from the Community:

Russell Cooper is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has been running his own practice since 1988. His areas of expertise are construction costs, contracts, and construction dispute resolution.

In 2007 The Rochester Bridge Trust appointed him a trustee from the community, and he currently serves on the Bridge Committee and the Resources Committee

Paul Harriott, retired professional and technology officer with the MoD (N), was a member of Gillingham Borough Council from 1962 to 1998 and has been a member of Medway Council since its beginning in 1998. In 1974 he was mayor of Gillingham.

He was nominated by Gillingham Borough Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1980 and in 1999 became one of the first appointed trustees from the community. He served as Junior Warden from 1988 to 1989 and as Senior Warden from 1989 to 1990. He is currently a member of the Bridge Committee and the Grants Committee.

Dr. Anne Logan has lived in the Maidstone area since 1985 and is a lecturer in Social History in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the University of Kent, where she researches the history of criminal justice.

She was nominated by Kent County Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1997 and in 1999 became one of the first appointed trustees from the community. She served as Junior Warden from 2007 to 2009 and was elected Senior Warden in June 2009. She is currently a member of the Bridge Committee, Grants Committee, Property Committee, Resources Committee, and Wardens' Committee.

Until his retirement Russel Race was a stockbroker with Hoare Govett. He is Chairman of Chatham Maritime Trust, a trustee of the Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School, and a Court Chairman of North Kent Magistrates.

In 2004, The Rochester Bridge Trust appointed him a trustee from the community. He was elected Junior Warden in June 2009, and he is currently a member of the Bridge Committee, Grants Committee, Property Committee, Resources Committee, and Wardens' Committee.

John Spence, prior to retirement, was a mechanical engineer and also spent some thirty years in local government between 1961 and 1993. During this time he chaired major committees including the Kent Policy Authority and the Association of County Councils Local Government Finance Committee. He is an Honorary DCL (Kent University), an Honorary Fellow (South Bank University), OBE (2003 services to heritage), and DL (2001 Kent).

He was nominated by Kent County Council to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1987 and in 1999 became one of the first appointed trustees from the community. He has served two terms as Junior Warden from 1991 to 1992 and 2001 to 2003 and as Senior Warden from 1992 to 1994 and 2003 to 2005. He is currently a member of the Property Committee.

Richard Thornby is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has been the Estate Manager for Medway Ports (now Peel Ports Medway) since 1994, having spent the previous 20 years working for Kent County Council and Essex County Council.

He was nominated by Medway Ports to The Rochester Bridge Trust in 1997 and in 1999 became one of the first appointed trustees from the community. He served as Junior Warden from 2003 to 2005 and as Senior Warden from 2005 to 2007. He is currently a member of the Property Committee.