Francis Iles, Rochester, Kent
Posted on Nov 29, 2007 under Shop Review | No Comment
Rochester is a strange mix of a town, part tourist trap (mainly playing on the Charles Dickens connection), part community. The High Street reflects this mix, but lies heavily on the tourist side, with a plethora of gift shops, a tourist information centre, pubs, cafes and restaurants.
There are three Francis Iles shops in Rochester: an Arts Materials shop, a Gift Shop and the CraftWorks shop. The craft shop is located at:
73 High Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1LX
Francis Iles craft shop is just south of the entrance to the castle.
I didn’t find the web site to be very user-friendly. The shop itself is quite mixed up, selling a wide range of crafts. Most of the well known cutting systems are available here. They also sell parchment craft products, beads, embroidery and cross-stitch kits.
Like many craft shops currently, they also stock a large range of Do-Crafts products and have a wide selection of crafting magazines and books. Craft demonstrations are available most Saturdays.
If you’re near Rochester, then I’d recommend a visit. The High Road is usually restricted for traffic at the weekends, but there are many car parks available within a short distance.
I enjoy going to Francis Iles, as no matter what I’m looking for, I can almost always find it here.