 Diarist Samuel Pepys commented on the condition of Rochester Castle , and as early as the 17th century the castle may have acted as a tourist attraction . By this time many castles were in a state of ruin , and Rochester was amongst those in need of repair , although still in use . In 1610 James I granted Sir Anthony Weldon control of the castle . During the English Civil War , Weldon declared for the Parliamentarian cause . The castle did not see fighting during the war , even though the city was captured by Royalists in 1648 ; this may indicate that the castle was not a serviceable fortification by this point . Weldon 's support for the Parliamentarians may have spared the castle from slighting ( demolition ) in the aftermath , a fate shared by many other castles . Walker Weldon inherited the castle and carried out the destruction of part of the outer wall in the 18th century to sell off the building material ; he had originally intended to dismantle more of the castle , but the plans were abandoned . A drawing from around this time suggests that the cross wall had been removed by this point . While other parts of the castle were dismantled , the two towers in the south @-@ east wall were still being used for accommodation . In 1743 prisoners were held at the castle , probably in huts . Rochester Castle descended through the Weldon family until it was bequeathed to Thomas Blechynden in the 18th century . By 1774 Robert Child was in possession of the castle , and it remained in the possession of his family until 1884 . There were unsuccessful plans in 1780 to reuse Rochester Castle as an army barracks , after the commander of the Royal Engineers for Chatham , Colonel Hugh Debbieg , asked the Child family for permission . The castle ruins inspired a painting by artist J. M. W. Turner in the late 18th century , one of his first oil paintings . Turner was renowned for his love of nature and was at the forefront of the picturesque movement , during which such ruins became fashionable . 
