December 3, 2024
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Historic Royal Navy warships & shipbuilding heritage in an 18th-century dockyard museum.

Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, two-thirds of the dockyard lay in Gillingham, one-third in Chatham).

Over 414 years Chatham Royal Dockyard provided more than 500 ships for the Royal Navy, and was at the forefront of shipbuilding, industrial and architectural technology.

Chatham dockyard closed in 1984, and 84 acres (34 ha) of the Georgian dockyard is now managed as the Chatham Historic Dockyard visitor attraction by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.

One of Britain’s leading maritime heritage attractions with Three Historic Warships, a working Victorian Ropery, Historic Lifeboat Collection, Dockyard Railway, Hearts of Oak digital theatre and play areas, plus magnificent collections from 2 national museums.

New interactive galleries take you on a voyage back to the ‘age of sail, where powerful stories are unearthed revealing the incredibly important historical role of Chatham Dockyard.

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, 1st Floor North, Fitted Rigging House, Anchor Wharf, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham

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