Traffic and Politics

Identifiable remains of Rochester bridge date from the Roman occupation and the records of the bridge administration span close on 200 years of economic and social change. The fortunes of the successive crossings, culminating in the Medway Tunnel project of the 1990s, reflect developments in regional and national affairs. The remarkable surviving archive of the bridge administration provides detail on practical issues such as maintainance and financial management, as well as offering a window on the personalities involved in the history of the bridge. Each of the six studies that make up this book focuses on a distinct period setting the history of this ancient river crossing in the wider national context of economic and social -and inevitably political - history.NIGEL YATES was County Archivist of Kent 1980-90, and is currently Consultant Historian to Kent County Council and General Editor of the Kent History Project.JAMES M. GIBSONis archivist for the Rochester Bridge Trust. He previously lectured in English at Houghton College, New York.NICHOLAS P. BROOKS, R.H. BRITNELL, JAMES M. GIBSON, DAVID ORMROD,JAMES PRESTON, P.F. COOPER, GLYN C. JONES. NIGEL YATES was County Archivist of Kent 1980-90, and is currently Consultant Historian to Kent County Council and General Editor of the Kent History Project.JAMES M. GIBSONis archivist for the Rochester Bridge Trust.He previously lectured in English at Houghton College, New York.NICHOLAS P. BROOKS, R.H. BRITNELL, JAMES M. GIBSON, DAVID ORMROD,JAMES PRESTON, P.F. COOPER, GLYN C. JONES.