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Historic Dockyard, Chatham, by Historic by David Dixon, commons

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about the Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Historic Chatham Dockyard is located on the River Medway in Kent. It was established in the mid-16th century in Chatham. It was a Royal Navy Dockyard, later on, the dockyard was expanded into neighboring  Gilling ham in the early 20th century.

over 400 years Chatham Royal Dockyard provides more than 500 ships for the Royal Navy. It also spearheaded the building of ships and industrial and architectural technology.  It was one of the main facilities of the Royal navy until was closed in 1984. 

It is a maritime museum on the part of the site of the former royal naval dockyard. After the closure of the dockyard, it was divided into three sections whereby the easternmost basin was handed over to the Medway Port and now serves as a commercial port, the other section was converted into a mixed commercial, residential, and leisure development, and the 80 acres was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. The dockyard is now managed as the Chatham Historic Dockyard visitor attraction by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.

1. Provide educational tours

Chatham Dockyard Covered slip, By Photograph by Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, commons

The Historic Dockyard Chatham offers an ideal wide range of educational tours. It provides a rich, authentic, and varied learning environment. The dockyard is packed with big, historic buildings that instigate the imagination, the site has ships to explore and galleries full of fascinating artifacts and stories to discover.

3. Historic Dockyard Chatham hosts and organizes events

The Historic Dockyard Chatham organizes and hosts events such as a wedding. Did you know that at the Historic Dockyard Chatham you can say your vows? Well, the Historic Dockyard Chatham makes a unique venue for a wedding.

If you are looking for a venue, the commissioner’s House, Britain’s oldest naval building makes an elegant Georgian-style house. It has stylish rooms which suit all party themes and sizes, while the surroundings provide the best place for receptions and photographs.

3.60^th anniversary of the launch of HMS OCELOT

On 7^th May 2022, there will be a commemorative event that will bring together former submariners and dockyard workers who participated in the construction of the HMS OCELOT.

The event will be celebrating the launch of HMS OCELOT. It was the last warship built for the Royal Navy at the Royal Dockyard Chatham

4. RNLI historic lifeboat collection

It is the UK’S largest collection of historic boats. The boats saved hundreds of lives off the coasts of the UK.  At the Historic Dockyard Chatham not only will you see the historic lifeboat collects of RNLI but also you will learn about the many dangerous missions that the lifeboats encountered

5. It is a tourist attraction

Historic Dockyard, Chatham Car park, and visitor entrance, by Elliott Simpson, commons

After the closure of the Historic Dockyard Chatham, the site was transferred to charity and called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. The site is now a visitor attraction under the care of the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Some of the visitors’ attractions include the ropery, command of oceans, three historic warships, and the RNLI historic lifeboat collection

6. At the forefront of shipbuilding, industrial and architectural technology

The Historic Dockyard Chatham spearheaded the building of ships and industrial and architectural technology. For about 414 years, it made sure about 500 ships were available for the Royal Navy. It employed almost 10,000 skilled artisans.

The closure of the Dockyard led to more than 7000 skilled workers losing their jobs, ending the more than 400years of shipbuilding, repairing, and supplying of the ships to the Royal Navy.

7. It is an award-winning gallery command of the oceans.

The entrance to ‘Command of the Oceans’, which was entered into the 2017 Stirling Prize, By ClemRutter –

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is an award-winning gallery of command of the Oceans for telling thrilling stories of the dockyard of the age of sail with fascinating archeology and long-hidden object at the time.

The command of the ocean is the Chatham Historic Dockyard project, which combines the conservation and re-use of the important historic building with a bold and contemporary new building.

8. Chatham dockyard is a museum

Now the unique 80-acre site of the Historic Dockyard Chatham comprises historic buildings, museum galleries, and warships. The tourists are expected to discover the stories behind those who served on the site’s three historic warships, explore the 400-year history of the dockyard through the museum galleries, and also learn how to make rope from costumed guides. Some of the collections that the tourist is going to find are the maritime galleries, cold war vessels, and restored Victorian Ropery.

9. Chatham Dockyard is a Royal dockyard

The dockyard was declared a royal dockyard by Queen Elizabeth in 1567 due to its strategic location. The dockyard is situated close to London and at a gateway to the continent. It was the first Royal Dockyard to build submarines. The Dockyard built about 50 submarines on sites, over a period that spanned two world wars that is from 1908 to 1945.

10. It’s an ideal location for filming

Chatham Dockyard, By Photograph by Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent,

The Historic Dockyard Chatham has over 100 historic buildings and structures dating from the Georgian Victorian period to the present day. It, therefore, provides an ideal location for the next shoot, film, TV series, game show, or pop promo. Not only does it provide an ideal location for the film but also the space required for making the film.

It has been featured in various films such as the Blockbuster film, Call the midwife, Kanye West All-day Quacks, Sherlock Holmes (2009), Mr. Selfridge, Bridgeton, and Children of Men (2006), The Mummy (1999), and Man from U.N.C.L.E.