Chatham Dockyard

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

HM Dockyard, Chatham
Chatham, Kent
Admiralty (1832–1964).
Open to
the public		as Chatham Historic Dockyard
Other site
facilities		Military barracks and fortifications
WebsiteChatham Historic Dockyard
Site history
In use1567–1984
FatePreserved as a maritime heritage visitor attraction
EventsRaid on the Medway, 1667

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).

It came into existence at the time when, following the

Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional defences. 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. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled artisans and covered 400 acres (1.6 km2). 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.

Overview

Joseph Farington (1747–1821) was commissioned by the Navy Board to paint a panoramic view of Chatham Dockyard (as part of a project to create a visual record of all six home yards) in 1785.[1] The painting, now in the National Maritime Museum, provides a detailed illustration of the yard as it was in the Age of Sail; many of the buildings and structures illustrated survive:


Painting of the Dockyard
Looking from right to left (i.e. south to north) along the river bank can be seen: the two Anchor Wharf Storehouses (with the Rope House and associated buildings behind); two shipbuilding slips (between which can be seen the Commissioner's House with its large garden, beyond which is the Sail and Colour Loft); two dry docks (with Clock Tower Storehouse behind them, and the Officers' Terrace beyond); the old Smithery (later demolished); two more dry docks (beyond which can be seen the Masthouses and Mouldloft); further building slips (with the two Mast Ponds beyond them); and some Boat Houses (later demolished). In the distance (far left) St Mary's Island can be seen, and ships at anchor on Gillingham Reach. In the centre of the painting, beyond the walls of the Dockyard, is the town of Brompton and, to the right, Chatham Barracks.

Descriptions of the working dockyard

William Camden (1551–1623) described Chatham dockyard as

...stored for the finest fleet the sun ever beheld, and ready at a minute’s warning, built lately by our most gracious sovereign Elizabeth at great expense for the security of her subjects and the terror of her enemies, with a fort on the shore for its defence.[2]

Late 18th-century illustration of the dockyard
The Dockyard as depicted by Robert Dodd in 1789

Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – 1731), visiting the yard in 1705, also spoke of its achievements with an almost incredulous enthusiasm:

So great is the order and application there, that a first-rate vessel of war of 106 guns, ordered to be commissioned by Sir Cloudesley Shovell, was ready in three days. At the time the order was given the vessel was entirely unrigged; yet the masts were raised, sails bent, anchors and cables on board, in that time.[3]

Charles Dickens (1812–1870), who had grown up in Chatham, returned in later life and described in 1861 the novel sight (and sounds) of a ship being built for the first time of iron (rather than wood):

Twelve hundred men are working at her now; twelve hundred men working on stages over her sides, over her bows, over her sterns, under her keel, between her decks, down in her hold, within her and without, crawling and creeping into the finest curves of her lines wherever it is possible for men to twist. Twelve hundred hammerers, measurers, caulkers, armourers, forgers, smiths, shipwrights; twelve hundred dingers, clashers, dongers, rattlers, clinkers, bangers, bangers, bangers![4]

History

Engraving of "Chatham Dockyard from Fort Pitt" from Ireland's History of Kent, Vol. 4, 1831. Facing p. 349. Drawn by G. Sheppard, engraved by R. Roffe.

Gillingham Water

Chatham's establishment as a naval dockyard was precipitated by the use of the Medway as a safe

Lord High Admiral
that:

all the Kinges shippes should be harborowed in

Jillyngham Water – saving only those that be at Portsmouth[5]

Even prior to this, there is evidence of certain shore facilities being established in the vicinity for the benefit of the King's ships at anchor: there are isolated references from as early as 1509 to the hiring of a

Thames: Deptford and Woolwich).[8]

The early dockyard

1567 is generally seen as the date of Chatham's establishment as a Royal Naval Dockyard.

Council of Marine Causes. (Hill House would serve as the dockyard's Pay Office for the next 180 years; the Royal Marine Barracks were later built on its site).[10]

The renowned Tudor shipwright

galleys).[11] The first ship to be built at the dockyard, a 10-gun pinnace named HMS Merlin (or Merlyon), was launched in 1579.[12]

The dockyard received its first royal visit, from

Elizabeth I, in 1573; later, in 1606, James I used Chatham dockyard for a meeting with Christian IV of Denmark.[13]

Relocation

17th-century painting of naval vessels moored on the River Medway, viewed from Chatham with Rochester Bridge in the background.

In the early 17th century the government resolved to invest in a new specialised facility for refitting and repairing warships. By 1611 Chatham had been chosen as its location (in preference to Deptford, which at the time was the nation's principal naval shipbuilding yard; this led to speculation that Deptford was going to be sold off). The decision established Chatham as the country's premier naval industrial complex; nevertheless, concerns were already being raised over its river being prone to silting.[14]

The decision required the dockyard to move from its original location, which was too constricted, to a new (adjacent) site to the north.

ropery and residences for the dockyard officers: all of which were completed by 1624.[16]

family of shipwrights whose history is closely connected to the Chatham dockyard, became commissioner in 1649.[17] In 1686 two new dry docks were built, in addition to the old single and double dry docks; all four were rebuilt and expanded at various points in subsequent centuries (the double dock having been converted into a single dock in 1703). Although the yard focused mainly on refitting and repairs, some shipbuilding continued to take place. It made do with a single shipbuilding slip for much of the 17th century (a second slip, dating from the same period, had fallen out of use; it was replaced in the 1730s). Also in 1686 a 'Great Long Store-house' was built, alongside the ropery on what is now Anchor Wharf;[10] and two new mast ponds were constructed, in what was then the northernmost part of the yard, in 1697 and 1702.[18]

Sheerness

Dutch Attack on the Medway, June 1667 by Pieter Cornelisz van Soest, painted c. 1667. The captured ship Royal Charles is right of centre.

One of the disadvantages of Chatham (and also of the Thames-side yards) was their relative inaccessibility for ships at sea (including those anchored in

draught on a journey upriver, ships would seek as often as possible to do running repairs and maintenance while at anchor, and would only travel to the dockyard when necessary. Thus deliveries of victuals, ordnance and other supplies were made by small boats, sailing regularly between Chatham and The Nore.[19]

Seeking to alleviate this less-than-satisfactory situation, the

Dutch Navy and used as the base for an attack on the English fleet at anchor in the Medway itself. Sheerness remained operational as a royal dockyard until 1959, but it was never considered a major shore establishment and in several respects it operated as a subsidiary yard to Chatham.[20]

Consolidation

By the late 17th century a number of prestigious new buildings were erected (including the officers' residences, the clocktower storehouse and the main gatehouse), several of which are still in place. At the same time, the nearby village of Brompton began to be developed to provide housing for the dockyard's growing workforce.[10]

From the very start of the 18th century, however, Chatham began to be superseded in both size and importance, first by Portsmouth, then Plymouth, when the main naval enemy became France, and the Western approaches the chief theatre of operations. In addition, the Medway had begun to silt up, making navigation more difficult (especially as the Navy's ships were getting larger). As a result, it was acknowledged by 1771 that Chatham had no future as a front-line fleet base;[20] nevertheless, following a visit by the Admiralty Board in 1773, the decision was taken to invest further in Chatham, and to develop it as a building yard rather than a refitting base.[17]


A detailed plan of the Dockyard, published in 1774.


By this time the establishment, including the gun wharf, stretched one mile (1.6 km) in length, and included an area of in excess of 95 acres (380,000 m2). Alongside the four dry docks it now had a total of six shipbuilding slips (equalling Deptford and outnumbering the other yards in this regard), albeit three of the six were under 150 ft (46 m) in length and suitable only for building smaller warships.

ropemakers (274), as well as bricklayers, labourers and others.[21] Building works at Chatham did not compare with the substantial expansions underway at Portsmouth and Plymouth at this time; but the southern part of the yard was significantly redeveloped, with construction of two new storehouses on Anchor Wharf and a major reconfiguration of the ropery.[20]

Among the vessels built in this Dockyard which still exist are HMS Victory (launched in 1765 and now preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard)[22] and HMS Unicorn (a Leda-class frigate), launched in 1824 and now preserved afloat at Dundee).[23]

Mechanisation

1884 map, showing the 'Royal Dock Yard' (centre) with the river to the west, new extension to the north, barracks and fortifications to the east.

Following the appointment of

smithery, commissioned by Samuel Bentham, designed by Edward Holl and fitted out by John Rennie.[24] Among other things, the use of iron in ship construction enabled larger vessels to be built, and between 1836 and 1851 Chatham gained five new covered slipways, much larger in scale than the ones they replaced. (The covering of Chatham's slipways and dry docks, to protect the woodwork of ships as they were built or repaired, had begun with No.2 Slip and No.1 Dock in 1817).[25]

In 1811,

tilt hammers) in 1841.[20]

Armour plating being fitted to HMS Royal Oak at Chatham, c. 1862.

At the same time, moves were being made towards the application of steam power to ship propulsion. The first steam-powered ship to be laid down at Chatham was

HMS Aetna, the first armour-plated vessel to be built at Chatham, in 1856. All these developments were to come together with the construction of HMS Achilles, in a newly expanded No.2 Dock, between 1860 and 1864: the first true iron-hulled battleship to be launched in a royal dockyard.[27]

To meet the new demands of building in iron, metal mills were built alongside the smithery in 1845, containing

Thames-based private contractors (along with other associated equipment).[28] In 1860 the dockyard's policing was also transferred to the new No.4 Division of the Metropolitan Police, which remained in that role until 1932.[29]

Expansion

HMS Empress of India in No 8 Dock, with No 1 Boiler Shop in the background, c. 1897.

A significant disadvantage for Chatham was that

boilermaking.[20]

Plate-bending roller, installed in No 5 Machine Shop in 1913 and now preserved at the Historic Dockyard.

No.1 Basin was officially opened in 1871, with HMS Invincible being brought into No.5 Dock for repairs, with great ceremony.

The Nore; for the next sixty years it served as the headquarters of Nore Command, whose Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in the adjacent Admiralty House.[20]

The Dockyard extension viewed from Upnor, c.1910.

In 1897 a new, even longer dry dock was opened on the north side of No.1 Basin: at its opening, this (No.9 Dock) was the largest in the world at 650 ft (200 m) long by 84 ft (26 m) wide. At around the same time, in the older part of the dockyard, No.7 Slip was extended to accommodate the building of

Dreadnoughts. Proposals were made for a fourth Basin of 57 acres (230,000 m2), together with additional large docks of up to 800 ft (240 m), to cover the remaining land on St Mary's Island; but these were soon superseded by plans to build an entirely new dockyard at Rosyth.[33]

Nevertheless,

Light cruisers and other smaller vessels continued to be built at Chatham during the first half of the 20th century.[34] Also with the 20th century came the submarine. The first submarine to be built at a royal dockyard was HMS C17, launched from the covered No.7 Slip in 1908 and then fitted out in No.2 Dock; five more of the same class followed, C18, C19, C20, C33 and C34.[35] During World War I, twelve submarines were built here, but when hostilities ceased, uncompleted boats were scrapped and five years passed before a further ship was launched. In the interwar years, eight S-class submarines as well as X1 were built at Chatham but this was a period of decline.[36]
Production ramped up during World War II with HMS's Umpire, Una, Splendid, Sportsman, Shalimar, Tradewind, Trenchant, Turpin, Thermopylae and Acheron being constructed.[35]

Last years

Navy Day at HMNB Chatham, c.1977

In February 1958 it was announced in Parliament that Sheerness Dockyard would close in 1960, with

Nore Command (and its Chatham-based Commander-in-Chief) to be abolished the following year. At the same time, it was made clear that at Chatham "the dockyard will be retained; but the barracks and other naval establishments will be closed".[37]
(In the event, the barracks were reprieved and repurposed rather than being closed at this stage.)

Rennie's No 3 Dock of 1816–21; today it contains HMS Ocelot, the last Royal Navy vessel built at Chatham.

The final boats constructed in Chatham were Oberon-class submarines – Ocelot was the last vessel built for the Royal Navy, and the final vessel was Okanagan built for the Royal Canadian Navy and launched on 17 September 1966.[35] In 1968, a nuclear submarine refitting complex was built between Nos 6 and 7 dry docks, complete with refuelling cranes and health physics building. In spite of this in June 1981, it was announced to Parliament that the dockyard would be run down and closed in 1984.[38]

Closure

The closure of Chatham Dockyard (along with the adjacent Naval Barracks) was announced in Parliament in June 1981 and scheduled to take place in 1984.[39] Redundancy notices were served, but then abruptly withdrawn following the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands; the dockyard was heavily involved in preparing ships for the South Atlantic, and in repairing damaged vessels on their return. Nonetheless, the dockyard closed, as planned, on 31 March 1984.[40]

Regeneration

At the time of its closure the dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km2). Thereafter this was divided into three sections:

HMS Gannet at Chatham Historic Dockyard

80 acres (0.32 km2), the 18th century core of the site, was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.[41] The Georgian site is now a visitor attraction under the care of the Trust: Chatham Historic Dockyard. The Trust is preparing an application for the dockyard and its defences to become a World Heritage Site.[42]

The topsail schooner Julia visiting the middle basin in 2006; behind her is the St Mary's Island housing estate

The easternmost basin (Basin No.3) was handed over to the Medway Ports authority and is now a commercial port (Chatham Docks). It includes Papersafe UK[43] and Nordic Recycling Ltd.[44] In 2013 Peel Ports, which owns and runs Chatham Docks, announced that it was set to convert a 26-acre (0.11 km2) portion of the commercial port into a mixed-use development (incorporating offices, an education facility, apartments, town houses and a food store (Asda), as well as landscaped public areas). The development is called "Chatham Waters".[45] In 2019 Peel announced that Chatham Docks would close in 2025 with the loss of 800 jobs.[46]

The remaining 350 acres (1.4 km2) were transferred to the government's urban regeneration agency (later

St Mary's Island, a 150-acre (0.61 km2), largely undeveloped area to the north of the three basins, was transformed into a residential community for some 1,500 homes. It has several themed areas with traditional maritime buildings, a fishing (though in looks only) village with its multi-coloured houses and a modern energy-efficient concept. Many homes have views of the River Medway. A primary school (St. Mary's C of E) and a medical centre provide facilities for the residents and there are attractive walks around the Island.[48]

Filming

Chatham Dockyard has become a popular location for filming, due to its varied and interesting areas such as the cobbled streets, church and over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. Productions that have chosen to film at Chatham Dockyard include:

Oliver Twist,[53] The World Is Not Enough [54] and Grantchester.[55]

Detailed descriptions

listed buildings

Significant buildings within the Georgian Dockyard

Wood and canvas
  • The Clocktower Building
    The Clocktower Building
  • Sail and Colour Loft
    Sail and Colour Loft
  • Masthouses and Mould Loft
    Masthouses and Mould Loft
  • Timber Seasoning sheds
    Timber Seasoning sheds
  • Wheelwrights' shop
    Wheelwrights' shop
  • Joiners' Shop
    Joiners' Shop
  • Brunel Sawmill
    Brunel Sawmill
  • Lower Boat House and North Mast Pond
    Lower Boat House and North Mast Pond

Dry docks and covered slips

  • No 3 Covered Slip
    No 3 Covered Slip
  • No 3 Covered Slip (interior)
    No 3 Covered Slip (interior)
  • Nos 4-6 Covered Slips
    Nos 4-6 Covered Slips
  • No 6 Covered Slip (interior)
    No 6 Covered Slip (interior)
  • No 7 Covered Slip
    No 7 Covered Slip
  • No 7 Covered Slip (interior)
    No 7 Covered Slip (interior)
  • Slip covers viewed from the river
    Slip covers viewed from the river
  • No 2 Dry Dock
    No 2 Dry Dock
  • No 3 Dry Dock
    No 3 Dry Dock
  • No 4 Dry Dock
    No 4 Dry Dock
  • South Dock pumping station
    South Dock pumping station

Offices and residential

  • Commissioner's House
    Commissioner's House
  • The Commissioner's House (garden view)
    The Commissioner's House (garden view)
  • The entrance to the Ice House
    The entrance to the Ice House
  • The Edwardian conservatory
    The Edwardian conservatory
  • Officers' Terrace
    Officers' Terrace
  • The Officers' Stables
    The Officers' Stables
  • The Main Gate from outside
    The Main Gate from outside
  • The Main Gate from inside
    The Main Gate from inside
  • The bell mast
    The bell mast
  • The Guardhouse
    The Guardhouse
  • The Cashier's Office
    The Cashier's Office
  • Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster's Office
    Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster's Office
  • Dockyard Church
    Dockyard Church
  • Dockyard Church (interior)
    Dockyard Church (interior)
  • The Admiral's Office
    The Admiral's Office
  • The Captain of the Dockyard's House and flagstaff
    The Captain of the Dockyard's House and flagstaff

Anchor Wharf and the Ropery

  • Anchor Wharf Store Houses
    Anchor Wharf Store Houses
  • Hemp Houses and Hatchelling House
    Hemp Houses and Hatchelling House
  • Hemp Houses and Double Ropewalk
    Hemp Houses and Double Ropewalk
  • Double Ropewalk and Black Yarn House to right
    Double Ropewalk and Black Yarn House to right
  • Laying the Rope
    Laying the Rope
  • Looking at the Traveller
    Looking at the Traveller
  • Tops
    Tops
  • The Traveller
    The Traveller

Metalwork

  • No 1 Smithery
    No 1 Smithery
  • Lead and Paint Mill
    Lead and Paint Mill
  • Iron Foundry (left)
    Iron Foundry (left)
  • No 1 Machine Shop
    No 1 Machine Shop
  • Galvanising Shop
    Galvanising Shop
  • Chain Cable Shed
    Chain Cable Shed

Surviving structures within the Victorian Steam Yard

The Victorian Steam Yard was built around three large

steam engines and heavy machinery installed in the second, and then be finished, and loaded with coal and provisions, in the third before leaving via the east locks.[20]

  • Four
    drydocks (Nos 5–8) were constructed at the same time on the south side of No 1 Basin; all four were in use by 1873. The yard's Steam Factory complex was built at around the same time; most of its buildings were sited around these docks (rather than by Basin No 2 as had originally been planned).[84]
  • No 1 Boiler Shop and No 8 Machine Shop were originally built as slip covers at Woolwich Dockyard in the 1840s. When that Dockyard closed in 1869 they were dismantled and rebuilt at Chatham alongside the new dry docks. Only the framework survives of the Machine Shop, but the Boiler Shop was renovated in 2003 to house the Dockyard Outlet shopping centre. A third such structure from Woolwich, similar in design to the boiler shop, stood nearby and served as a fitting shop; it was demolished in 1990.[85]
  • Dock Pumping Station 1874: as well as serving to empty dry docks 5–8 when required, its
    accumulator tower provided hydraulic power for the adjacent cranes, capstans and caissons.[86] Two other pumping stations served a similar purpose (one for dock 9 and one for the two east locks) but they have not survived.[20]
  • Combined Ship Trade Office 1880: now the "Ship & Trades" public house.[87]
  • A fifth dry dock (No 9) was added in 1895 on the north side of No 1 Basin, opposite the other four, to accommodate the new, larger battleships which were then under construction. It was completed in 1903.[88]
  • The 100 ft bell mast was erected in 1903 alongside the Dockyard's Pembroke Gate, where it was used to signal the start of each working day. (A similar but older mast fulfilled the same function alongside the main gate in the Georgian part of the Yard.) The 1903 mast had originally served as foremast to HMS Undaunted. In 1992 it had been dismantled, but was re-erected, a short distance from its original location, in 2001. Apart from the two Chatham examples, only one other is believed to have survived: in Devonport's Morice Ordnance Yard.[89]
  • Expanse of water in No 2 Basin
    Expanse of water in No 2 Basin
  • View down the length of the former No 7 Dock towards No 1 Basin (now Chatham Marina)
    View down the length of the former No 7 Dock towards No 1 Basin (now Chatham Marina)
  • Remains of No 8 Machine Shop with No 1 Boiler Shop behind it
    Remains of No 8 Machine Shop with No 1 Boiler Shop behind it
  • Dock pumping station (its 80 ft chimney, formerly on the plinth to the right, has been removed)
    Dock pumping station (its 80 ft chimney, formerly on the plinth to the right, has been removed)
  • Bell Mast on Leviathan Way
    Bell Mast on Leviathan Way
  • Combined Ship Trade Office
    Combined Ship Trade Office
  • Former No 1 Boiler Shop (with clock)
    Former No 1 Boiler Shop (with clock)
  • Former No 1 Boiler Shop (interior)
    Former No 1 Boiler Shop (interior)
  • Former central offices
    Former central offices

Administration of the dockyard

The Commissioner's House (1704), was built for Captain George St Lo, who found the previous house unsuitable. It remains the oldest surviving naval building in England.

Resident Commissioners of the Navy Board

The Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard held a seat and a vote on the Navy Board in London. The Commissioners were:[90]

In 1832 the post of commissioner was replaced by the post of superintendent, who was invested with the same power and authority as the former commissioners, "except in matters requiring an Act of Parliament to be submitted by the Commissioner of the Navy".

Admiral/Captain superintendents

Note incomplete list included.[101]

After the abolition of the post of Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, Chatham's Admiral Superintendent took on the additional role of local Flag Officer (with local command responsibilities) and the title Flag Officer, Medway.[111]

Flag Officer, Medway and Admiral Superintendent

Included:[112]

On 5 September 1971 all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were redesignated as

Port Admirals. While they retained command over the naval personnel on site, and responsibility for the base as a whole,[115] their oversight of the work of the dockyard was transferred to new civilian Dockyard General Managers, who had management responsibility across all Departments.[116]

Flag Officer, Medway and Port Admiral

The Gun Wharf

The Ordnance Storekeeper's house at the heart of the former Gun Wharf

An

Tudor yard, vacated in 1622). The yard would have received, stored and issued cannons and gun-carriages (along with projectiles, accoutrements and also all manner of small arms) for ships based in the Medway, as well as for local artillery emplacements and for army use. (Gunpowder, on the other hand, was received, stored and issued across the river at Upnor Castle.)[120]

The Gun Wharf, c. 1890: the 1717 Grand Store can be seen left of centre (with the Dockyard's Anchor Wharf storehouse in the distance beyond). The surviving carpenters' shop and machine shop are on the right.

A plan of 1704 shows (from north to south) a long Storehouse parallel to the river, the Storekeeper's house (the Storekeeper was the senior officer of the Yard) and a pair of Carriage Stores. In 1717 the original Storehouse was replaced with the Grand Store (a much larger three-storey building, contemporary with and of a similar style to, the Main Gatehouse in the Dockyard). Not long afterwards a large new single-storey Carriage Store, with a long frontage parallel to the river, was constructed, adjoining the Storekeeper's House to the south.[121]

The Library (former machine shop)

After the demise of the Board of Ordnance (1855), Ordnance Yards passed under the control of the War Office, and were eventually (in 1891) apportioned to either the Army or the Navy. Chatham's yard was split in two, the area south of the Storekeeper's House becoming an Army Ordnance Store, and the rest a Navy Ordnance Store. It remained thus until 1958 when the yards were closed (the Army depot having served latterly as an atomic weapons research laboratory).

public house.[123] A few later buildings have survived: a long brick shed of 1805, southwest of the Command House, which once housed carpenters, wheelwrights and other workers as well as stores of various kinds,[124] the adjacent building (machine shop, late-19th century) which now serves as a public library, and the building known as the White House (built as the Clerk of the Cheque's residence in 1816).[20]

Defence of the dockyard

Upnor Castle

Main article: Upnor Castle

Dockyards have always required shore defences. Among the earliest for Chatham was

Royal Charles, back to the Netherlands.[125]

Chain defence

During the wars with Spain it was usual for ships to anchor at Chatham in reserve; consequently John Hawkins threw a massive chain across the River Medway for extra defence in 1585. Hawkins' chain was later replaced with a boom of masts, iron, cordage, and the hulls of two old ships, besides a couple of ruined pinnacles.[126]

The Lines

See also: Great Lines Heritage Park

With the failure of Upnor Castle, it was seen necessary to increase the defences. In the event, those defences were built in distinct phases, as the government saw the increasing threat of invasion:[127]

  • 1669 Fort Gillingham and Cockham Wood Fort built.
  • 1756 Chatham Lines built, to designs by Captain John Desmaretz (who also designed the Portsmouth fortifications).[127] This fortification, and its subsequent upgrading, were to concentrate on an overland attack and so were built to face south. They included redoubts at Amherst and Townsend. The Lines enclosed the entire dockyard on its eastern side.
  • 1778–1783 Further improvements were carried out, to the designs of Captain Hugh Debbeig at the bequest of General Amherst. In 1782, an
    Act of Parliament increased the land needed for the Field of Fire.[127]
  • 1805–1812 Amherst redoubt, now Fort Amherst; new forts, named Pitt and Clarence. The Lines were also extended to the east of Saint Mary's Creek (on St Mary's Island).[127]
  • 1860s Grain Fort, and other smaller batteries in that area.
  • 1870–1892 A number of forts built at a greater distance from the dockyard: Forts
    Hoo
    built on islands in the River Medway.
  • The defences in 1770.
    The defences in 1770.
  • The defences in 1812.
    The defences in 1812.
  • How the military presence developed after 1820, showing how the need for housing gave birth to New Brompton, and showing roads and railways.
    How the military presence developed after 1820, showing how the need for housing gave birth to New Brompton, and showing roads and railways.

Associated barracks

Surviving 1757 block from the original Infantry Barracks

The Dockyard led to large numbers of military personnel being garrisoned in Chatham and the surrounding area. A good many were engaged in manning the defences, but some had other duties; others were accommodated there for convenience prior to embarking on ships for duties overseas, or following their disembarkation. Initially, soldiers were housed under canvas or else billetted in houses and inns, but from the 18th century barracks began to be constructed. The oldest surviving barracks in the Chatham area is in Upnor; dating from 1718, it housed the detachment of 64 men responsible for guarding the gunpowder store in Upnor Castle.[120]

Infantry Barracks (Kitchener Barracks)

Kitchener Barracks (1950s extension, demolished in 2017).

Chatham Infantry Barracks was opened in 1757 to house troops manning the fortifications which had recently been built to defend the Dockyard. Accommodating some 1,800 men, Chatham was one of the first large-scale Army

subalterns. The subalterns were given one room each, the captains two, and field officers four. The officers all had servants, who were provided with their own accommodation in the garret. The barracks for other ranks were arranged in three rows, west of the parade ground, with soldiers sleeping sixteen to a room in eight double beds, as was standard practice at that time. Similar but smaller blocks to the north and south housed ancillary services, such as the pay office, infirmary and Quartermaster's stores.[129]

Within the space of 20 years, Chatham Barracks had taken on an additional role as the Army Depôt of Recruits and Invalids: accommodating 'a mixed mass of people, viz. recruits destined for regiments which were abroad, prisoners confined on account of desertion and other military offences, added to which was a proportion of invalids, sent home from foreign stations on account of old age, or bodily infirmity'.[130] The establishment of the Depôt was linked to the appointment in 1778 of an 'Inspector General and Superintendent of the Recruiting of all the Forces employed on foreign service', based in Chatham, who provided a degree of centralised oversight of recruitment (responsibility for which had previously been left entirely to the regiments).[131] During this time, Chatham Depôt provided basic training for new recruits. This role ceased in 1801, however, when the entire Depôt establishment moved to Parkhurst Barracks on the Isle of Wight (where the recruits were less prone to find ways of deserting).[132]

During the Napoleonic Wars large numbers of troops were concentrated at Chatham Lines to counter the threat of a French invasion. In the years of peace after 1815 Chatham continued to serve as a major embarkation port for troops serving overseas.[128] The Infantry Barracks went on to serve as a home depot for numerous regiments.[133]

A Royal Commission of 1861 (set up in the wake of the Crimean War to improve the sanitary condition of Britain's Army barracks and Hospitals)[134] was scathing in its judgement of facilities at Chatham; in the years that followed several alterations were made to Chatham Barracks (which had changed little over the preceding century): an additional storey was added to several of the barrack blocks to help alleviate overcrowding, and new buildings were inserted among the old, containing improved facilities for cooking, washing and recreation. At around the same time the officers' blocks on the terrace were given over to provide accommodation for sergeants and married NCOs, the officers being provided with new quarters 'near the fortifications at Prince Henry's Bastion'.[135] In 1865, following the opening of new and enlarged hospital facilities in Fort Pitt, the old Garrison Hospital was closed; its buildings (on what is now Maxwell Road) were converted into barracks and named 'Upper Chatham Barracks'[136] (later 'Upper Kitchener Barracks'). New married quarters were also opened in March that same year, into which soldiers' families were moved, mostly from lodgings in the town.[135]

In 1928 Chatham Barracks was taken over by the Royal Engineers and renamed Kitchener Barracks. One barrack block remains from 1757; the rest was largely demolished and rebuilt to a more modern design in the 1930s–50s. The barracks remained in military use until 2014.[128]

In 2014 the site was sold to a property developer, with permission given the following year for the building of 295 homes. The main 1930s barracks building is being retained, along with the remaining earlier structures.[137] The new development has retained the name Kitchener Barracks.[138]

Marine Barracks

The Royal Marine Barracks in the Second World War.

The Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham were established in 1779, on a site nestled between the Gun Wharf to the west, the Dockyard to the north, and Infantry Barracks to the east. The site was expanded and rebuilt in the 1860s; in 1905 the Royal Marines took over Melville Barracks, which stood between Dock Road and Brompton Hill (it had formerly served as Chatham's Royal Naval Hospital). The Marines were withdrawn from Chatham in 1950, and the buildings were later demolished. Medway Council offices and car park now stand on the site.[139]

Artillery/Engineer Barracks (Brompton Barracks)

Royal School of Military Engineering (1872) and Boer War Memorial Arch (1902) at Brompton Barracks.

A barracks was built in Brompton from 1804 to 1806 for the Royal Artillery gunners serving on the defensive Lines (previously they had been accommodated in the Infantry Barracks). There was space for some 500 horses and 1,000 men. In 1812 the Royal Engineers Establishment was founded within the barracks to provide instruction in military engineering. The Establishment grew, and by 1856 the Artillery had moved out; Brompton Barracks remains in service as headquarters of the Royal Engineers.[140]

The Garrison Church of St Barbara in Maxwell Road continues to serve Brompton Barracks.

St Mary's Barracks

St Mary's

prisoners of war. After the war's end, they went on to serve as a gunpowder store for a time, and were used by the Royal Engineers (based nearby in Brompton Barracks). From 1844 St Mary's was used as an 'Invalid Barracks', accommodating soldiers having to return from service in different parts of the British Empire because of illness, injury or age.[141] Built within the defensive earthworks to the north of Chatham, St Mary's Barracks was demolished in the 1960s and the land used for housing.[142]

Naval Barracks (HMS Pembroke)

Main article: Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham
See also: Drill Hall Library
HMS Pembroke: former officers' quarters

The Naval Barracks (later HMS Pembroke) opened in 1902; prior to this, most Naval (as opposed to Dockyard) personnel were accommodated on board their ships or on hulks moored nearby. Built on the site of what had been the convict prison, the barracks complex could accommodate 4,742 officers and seamen in a series of large blocks built along the length of a terrace. Below the terrace lay the parade ground and its adjacent drill hall and other amenities. A further 3,000 troops could be accommodated in times of "total emergency" (900 were sleeping in the Drill Hall when it suffered a direct hit from two bombs in September 1917, which killed over 130 men).[143]

The barracks were set to close in 1961 when the majority of naval personnel were withdrawn from Chatham;[144] however, it went on to serve instead as the RN Supply and Secretariat School in succession to HMS Ceres, before finally being closed along with the Dockyard in 1984. The majority of its buildings are still standing, several of them occupied by the Universities at Medway.[145]

See also

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Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chatham Dockyard.

Media related to Chatham Dockyard at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ISBN 0-9534888-0-2
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