Chatham Dockyard

Former Royal Navy Dockyard in Kent

HM Dockyard, Chatham

Chatham, Kent

Chatham Dockyard in 1790 (by Nicholas Pocock)

Site information
Operator| Royal Navy
Controlled by| The Navy Board (until 1832); the Admiralty (1832–1964).
Open to
the public| as Chatham Historic Dockyard
Other site
facilities| Military barracks and fortifications
Website| Chatham Historic Dockyard
Location

Chatham Dockyard (Kent)

Coordinates| 51°23′50″N 00°31′40″E﻿ / ﻿51.39722°N 0.52778°E﻿ / 51.39722; 0.52778
Site history
In use| 1567–1984
Fate| Preserved as a maritime heritage visitor attraction
Events| Raid 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 Reformation, relations with 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

[edit]

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:

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

[edit]

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]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Chatham's establishment as a naval dockyard was precipitated by the use of the Medway as a safe anchorage by the ships of what became (under King Henry VIII) England's permanent Royal Navy. In 1550, a decree was issued to the 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 storehouse nearby[6] and from 1547 this becomes a fixed item in the Treasurer's annual accounts. (At around the same time a victualling store was also established, in nearby Rochester, to provide the ships and their crews with food.) The storehouse would have furnished ships with such necessary consumables as rope, pulleys, sailcloth and timber. Careening took place on the river, according to a Privy Council instruction of 1550;[7] for more specialised repairs and maintenance, however, ships would have had to travel to one of the purpose-built royal dockyards (the nearest being those on the Thames: Deptford and Woolwich).[8]

### The early dockyard

[edit]

1567 is generally seen as the date of Chatham's establishment as a Royal Naval Dockyard.[9] In the years that followed the ground was prepared, accommodation was secured and in 1570 a mast pond was installed. The following year a forge was built for anchor-making. At around the same time a large house was leased (the Hill House) for administrative purposes including meetings of the 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 Mathew Baker was appointed to Chatham in 1572 (though he was primarily based at Deptford). Under his supervision the site was developed to include sawpits, workshops, storehouses and a wharf with a treadmill crane (completed in 1580). Most significantly, Chatham's first dry dock was opened in 1581 (for repairing naval 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

[edit]

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.[15] (The old site was in due course transferred to the Ordnance Board, who established the gun wharf there.) By 1619, the new dockyard consisted of a new dry dock and wharf with storehouses, all enclosed within a brick perimeter wall. The growing importance of the dockyard was illustrated with the addition soon afterwards of a mast pond, and the granting of additional land on which a second (double) dry dock was constructed, along with a sail loft, a ropery and residences for the dockyard officers: all of which were completed by 1624.[16]

Peter Pett, of the 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

[edit]

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 The Nore). Therefore, rather than risk being constrained by wind, tide and 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 Navy Board explored options for developing a shore facility with direct access from the open water of the Thames Estuary. The escalating Anglo-Dutch wars forced their hand, however: several temporary buildings were hastily erected in Sheerness, at the mouth of the Medway, to enable ships to re-arm, re-victual and (if necessary) be repaired as quickly as possible. In 1665, the Navy Board approved Sheerness as a site for a new dockyard, and building work began; but in 1667 the still-incomplete Sheerness Dockyard was captured by 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

[edit]

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.[20] The docks varied from 160 ft (49 m) to 186 ft (57 m) in length. The officers and men employed in the yard had also increased, and by 1798 they numbered 1,664, including 49 officers and clerks and 624 shipwrights. Additionally required were the blockmakers, caulkers, pitch-heaters, blacksmiths, joiners and carpenters, sail makers, riggers, and 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

[edit]

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 Robert Seppings as Master Shipwright in 1804, iron began to be introduced into the structure of ships being built at Chatham; the following year work began on a new, much larger 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, Marc Brunel recommended the installation of steam-powered sawmills in the royal dockyards, to replace the manual labour of the saw pits. Money was only made available for one such installation, however, and Chatham (as the principal building yard at this time) was chosen as its location. Land was purchased to the northeast for its construction, and the new saw mill began operation in 1814.[20] The following year, John Rennie was engaged to build an entirely new dry dock (following his own recommendations) which was the first in the dockyard to be built entirely of stone; it was built on the site of the old smithery. Unlike the earlier timber docks, which were drained using gravity, this new dock (No.3 Dock) was pumped dry using a Boulton & Watt steam engine. After completion of the new dock in 1821, reconstruction of the other docks in stone followed (with the exception of the northernmost, which was converted into a slipway); they were likewise emptied using steam power, provided by the same engine and pumps (which were also linked to a network of pipes installed across the whole dockyard site for firefighting purposes).[20] Another novel application of steam power was embarked on in 1817, with the building of a 'Lead and Paint Mill', in which a single beam engine powered a rolling mill and a series of devices for grinding pigment and mixing paint; the plant was operational from 1819. It was not until 1837, however, that steam power was first introduced into the ropery, and the smithery received its first engine (for blowing the forges and powering 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 Phoenix, one of four paddle steamers built concurrently across the royal dockyards in the early 1830s, each designed by a different leading shipwright. HMS Bee, launched at Chatham in 1842, was an experimental vessel fitted with both paddles and a propeller, each of which could be driven independently from the same engine for comparison. Following the success of such early trials with screw propulsion, several older sailing ships were taken into dry dock and retro-fitted with propellers, beginning with HMS Horatio.[26] Another hint of changes to come was seen in the launch of 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 rolling machinery and furnaces for reprocessing iron.[20] Holl's smithery was itself enlarged with the addition of a foundry in the 1850s, and its courtyard was roofed over for a steam hammer shop in 1865.[24] By 1861, No.1 Dock had been filled in and a machine shop constructed in its place for heating, bending and planing armour plate for HMS Achilles which was being built alongside.[25] For the time being, however, marine steam engines were not manufactured on site but were ordered from 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

[edit]

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 fitting out had always taken place on the river. When Achilles, for example, had been completed and floated out of dry dock, she spent almost a year moored in Gillingham Reach, where not only her engines, boilers, funnels and a 2.5-long-ton (2.54 t) propeller were fitted, but also masts, sails, rigging, guns, coal, food, ammunition and furnishings were either loaded or installed.[27] It was partly to address this problem that the Admiralty undertook a huge building programme at Chatham. Between 1862 and 1865, the size of the yard quadrupled and provided specialist facilities for steam-powered ships with metal hulls. Three basins were constructed along St. Mary's creek, from west to east: No.1 Basin (of 28 acres (110,000 m2)), No.2 Basin (20 acres (81,000 m2)) and No.3 Basin (21 acres (85,000 m2)). Along the southern edge of No.1 Basin four new dry docks were built (Nos.5–8), each 420 ft (130 m) long. Initially a purpose-built 'steam factory' was planned, but following the closure of Woolwich Dockyard in 1869 a number of slip covers were removed from that site and re-erected at the head of the new dry docks to serve as factories for building and fitting engines and for 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.[30] Work on the other docks and basins followed, with No.3 Basin finally being completed in 1883. Two years later the project was largely complete, with facilities provided alongside for gun mounting and mast rigging, as well as a victualling depot and a coaling area.[20] Much of the excavation and building work had been done by convict labour (a convict prison having been built to the north of the dockyard, with the expansion project in mind, in 1853).[31] In 1897 a naval barracks was built on the site of the prison to provide crew accommodation for ships anchored in 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 HMS Prince of Wales (launched in 1902), and a new (uncovered) slipway was built a little to the north (No.8 Slip, completed in 1900); at 616 ft (188 m) this was one of the longest slips in the world and was designed for building battleships.[32] (The older slipways, by contrast, were proving much too small and they were mostly filled in around this time, their covered areas being put to alternative uses.) The first battleship to be built on the new No.8 Slip was HMS Africa, launched in 1905; however it also proved to be the last, as it was announced (controversially) that Chatham Dockyard would be unable to accommodate 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 English Partnerships). Under its remit, the westernmost (No.1) Basin was turned into a marina, part of the former factory area to the south was transformed into an entertainment and retail complex ('Chatham Maritime') and the former Barracks (HMS Pembroke) became Universities at Medway.[47] 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

[edit]

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: Les Misérables,[49] Call the Midwife,[50] Mr Selfridge,[51] Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,[52] Oliver Twist,[53] The World Is Not Enough [54] and Grantchester.[55]

## Detailed descriptions

[edit]

Police Section House, one of the Dockyard's many listed buildings

### Significant buildings within the Georgian Dockyard

[edit]

#### Wood and canvas

[edit]

* The Mast Ponds. 1697, 1702. Fir logs were seasoned by immersing them in salt water while the sap died back.
* South Mast Pond, 1697. Now a car park.[18]
* North Mast Pond, 1702. The ponds were connected by canal.[18]
* Clocktower building 1723. The oldest surviving naval storehouse in any Royal Dockyard. The building functioned as a "present use store" except for the upper floor, which was a mould loft, and six bays at the northern end of the ground floor, which were open and contained saw pits. The upper floors had timber cladding until 1802 when it was replaced by brick. In the 20th century the building was used for offices; it was adapted in 1996–1997 to become the University of Kent's Bridge Warden's College.[56][57]
* Sail and Colour Loft 1723. Constructed from timber recycled from warships probably from the Dutch Wars. Lower floors were for storage, and the upper floor is a large open space for sail construction. In 1758 there were 45 sailmakers. They sewed 2 ft (0.61 m) strips of canvas into the sails using 170–190 stitches per yard (5 stitches per inch), remembering that there would be two rows of stitching to each seam. Flags denoting nationality and for signals were made here. The flags used by Nelson in his "England expects..." message would have been made here.[58] Flag-making continued here, even after the closure of the dockyard, until 2001.[59]
* House Carpenter's Workshop c. 1740 House carpenters and joiners were responsible for the fittings and furnishings of warships, and also for building and maintaining various structures within the dockyard itself.[60] The small courtyard to the west contained workshops.[61]
* Masthouses and Mouldloft 1753–1755. Grade I listed since August 1999.[62] These were used to make and store masts. Here there are seven interlinking masthouses; they were originally connected to the adjacent South Mast Pond by a wide slipway. Above them is the mould loft where the lines of HMS Victory were laid down: the lines of each frame of a ship would be taken from the plan and scribed, full size, into the floor by shipwrights; from this, patterns or moulds would be built using softwoods, and from these the actual frames would be built and shaped. This building houses the "Wooden Walls Exhibition".[63]
* Timber Seasoning Sheds 1774. These were built to a standard design with bays 45 by 20 feet (13.7 by 6.1 m). These are the first standardised industrial buildings. There were 75 bays erected at Chatham Dockyard, to hold three years worth of timber.[64]
* Wheelwrights' shop circa 1780. This three bay building was originally built as a mast house using timber "reclaimed" from dismantled ships. The east bay was used by the wheelwrights, who constructed and repaired the wheels on the dockyard carts, and may have made ships' wheels. The middle bay was used by the pump makers and the coak and treenail makers. Pumps were simple affairs, made of wood with iron and leather fittings. Coaks were the bearings in pulley blocks, and treenails were the long oak pins, made on a lathe (or 'moot'), that were used to pin the planking to the frames. The west bay was used by the capstan makers, capstans were used to raise the anchor.[65] Since 2017 this building has been linked to the Masthouses and Mouldloft (qv) by a new entrance building for Chatham Historic Dockyard.
* Joiners' Shop c. 1790 originally to make treenails, but later used by the yards joiners. The Resolute Desk (the Oval Office desk) was constructed here by Dockyard Joiners from the timbers of HMS Resolute.[65]
* Brunel Saw Mill 1814. Until 1814 timber was cut by pairs of men, one above and one below the log. In 1758, there were 43 pairs of sawyers working in the yard. In 1812, the sawmill was designed by Marc Brunel, father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The mill was driven by steam. The mill was linked to the mast ponds by a mechanical timber transport system, and underground canals. Later the basement was converted into a steam laundry.[64]
* Lower Boat House circa 1820 built as a storehouse for squared timber, and later to store ship's boats.[18]

* The Clocktower Building

* Sail and Colour Loft

* Masthouses and Mould Loft

* Timber Seasoning sheds

* Wheelwrights' shop

* Joiners' Shop

* Brunel Sawmill

* Lower Boat House and North Mast Pond

#### Dry docks and covered slips

[edit]

* The covered slips 1838–1855. It was on slipways that ships were built. The slipways were covered, to prevent ships rotting before they had been launched. The earliest covered slips no longer exist (Nos 1 and 2 Slips, which stood either side of the Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster's Office, were given wooden covers in 1817). By 1838 the use of cast and wrought iron in buildings had become feasible. Of those that survive, the oldest slip has a wooden roof, three have cast iron roofing and the latest uses wrought iron; together, they are of unique importance in showing the development of wide span structures such as were later used by the railways.
* No 3 Slip 1838. This had a linked timber roof truss structure and was originally covered in tarred paper, which was quickly replaced with a zinc roof. The slip was backfilled around 1900 and a steel mezzanine floor was added. It became a store house for ship's boats.[66]
* No 4, 5 and 6 Slips 1848. These were designed by Captain Thomas Mould, Royal Engineers, and erected by Bakers and Sons of Lambeth. Similar structures were erected at Portsmouth but these are no longer extant. They predate the London train sheds of Paddington and King's Cross which were often cited as the country's first wide span metal structures.[66]
* No 7 Slip is one of the earliest examples of a modern metal trussed roof. It was designed in 1852 by Colonel Godfrey T. Green, Royal Engineers. It was used for shipbuilding until 1966; HMS Ocelot was launched from there on 5 May 1962.[67]
* Dry Dock. The docks are filled by sluice gates set into the caissons, and emptied by a series of underground culverts connected to the pumping station. No 1 Dry Dock 1824 (built on the site of "The Old Double Dock") no longer exists; it was filled in and converted into a covered workshop (No 1 Machine Shop) prior to the pioneering construction of HMS Achilles in the adjacent No 2 Dock.
* No 2 Dry Dock 1856 was built on the site of "The Old Single Dock" where HMS Victory was constructed. In 1863, this dock constructed HMS Achilles, the first iron battleship to be built in a Royal Dockyard. It now houses HMS Cavalier.[56]
* No 3 Dry Dock 1820, the first to be constructed of stone, was designed by John Rennie. It now houses HMS Ocelot.[56]
* No 4 Dry Dock 1840 was built on the site of one of a parallel pair of docks built in 1686 (the second of which was converted into the adjacent slipway, No. 3 Slip). It now houses HMS Gannet.[56]
* South Dock Pumping Station 1822, designed by John Rennie. It originally housed a beam engine, which was replaced by an electric pump in 1920. The building is still in use.[56]

* No 3 Covered Slip

* No 3 Covered Slip (interior)

* Nos 4-6 Covered Slips

* No 6 Covered Slip (interior)

* No 7 Covered Slip

* No 7 Covered Slip (interior)

* Slip covers viewed from the river

* No 2 Dry Dock

* No 3 Dry Dock

* No 4 Dry Dock

* South Dock pumping station

#### Offices and residential

[edit]

* Commissioner's House 1704. This is the oldest surviving naval building in England. It is Grade I listed.[68] It was built for the Resident Commissioner, his family and servants. The previous building was built in 1640 for Phineas Pett. In 1703, Captain George St Lo took up the post and petitioned the Admiralty for a more suitable residence. Internally the principal feature is the main staircase with its painted wooden ceiling attributed to Thomas Highmore (Serjeant Painter), to sketches by Sir James Thornhill.[16]
* Commissioner's Garden dating from 1640. The lower terraces are one of the first Italianate Water Gardens in England. There is a 400-year-old mulberry tree, from where Oliver Cromwell reputedly watched the Roundhead Army take Rochester from the Royalists. There is an 18th-century icehouse and an Edwardian conservatory with its great vine.[69]
* Officers' Terrace 1722–23. Twelve houses built for senior officers in the Dockyard. The ground floor were built as offices, the first floor contained reception rooms with bedrooms above. Each has an 18th-century walled garden, which again are now very rare. They are now privately owned.[70]
* House Carpenters' Shop c. 1740. Built to harmonise with the officers' terrace. House Carpenters worked solely on maintaining the dockyard buildings.[70]
* Stables. For officers' horses.[58]
* Main gatehouse 1722, designed by the master shipwright in the style of John Vanbrugh. It bears the arms of George III. Inside the gateway stands the muster bell on a wrought iron mast dating from the late 18th or early 19th century; it is Grade II* listed.[71][72]
* Guard House 1764. Built when Marines were introduced into the Dockyard to improve security. It continued in use till 1984.[58]
* Cashiers' Office 18th century. The Pay Office was moved here in 1750 from Hill House,[10] and remained here until the yard closed. John Dickens, father of Charles Dickens, worked here from 1817 to 1822. It is still used as offices.[70]
* Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster's Office c. 1770, Grade II* listed.[73] This office was supplied to the person who has been appointed to superintend the Dockyard Port. In 1865, the whole of the tidal Medway from Allington Lock to Sheerness was designated as a dockyard port and the Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster was responsible for all moorings and movements. Alongside this office is a set of stone steps leading into the river Medway, with a wrought iron arch and lantern holder. Also Grade II listed.[74] This was called the "Queen Stairs"[75] and was the formal entry into the dockyard, during the "Age of Sail".[69]
* Dockyard Church 1806. Designed by Edward Holl, it has a gallery supported on cast iron columns, one of the first uses of cast iron in the dockyard. Last used in 1981.[58]
* Admiral's Offices 1808. Designed by Edward Holl as offices for the master shipwright. The roofline was low so it would not obstruct the view from the officers' terrace. Later it became Port Admiral's office and was extended. The northern extension became the dockyard's communication centre.[16]
* Thunderbolt Pier, a pier named after HMS Thunderbolt, built 1856, which was used as a floating pier from 1873 until 1948, when she was rammed and sunk.[76]
* Captain of the Dockyard's House 19th century. Now a private residence. Also Grade II* listed.[77][78]

* Commissioner's House

* The Commissioner's House (garden view)

* The entrance to the Ice House

* The Edwardian conservatory

* Officers' Terrace

* The Officers' Stables

* The Main Gate from outside

* The Main Gate from inside

* The bell mast

* The Guardhouse

* The Cashier's Office

* Assistant Queen's Harbourmaster's Office

* Dockyard Church

* Dockyard Church (interior)

* The Admiral's Office

* The Captain of the Dockyard's House and flagstaff

#### Anchor Wharf and the Ropery

[edit]

* Anchor Wharf Store Houses 1778–1805 (at nearly 700 feet [210 m] long) are the largest storehouses ever built for the navy.[79]
* The southern building, Store House No 3, completed in 1785, is subdivided with timber lattice partitions as a "lay apart store", a store for equipment from vessels under repair. It has been Grade I listed since August 1999.[79]
* The northern building was used as a fitted rigging house, and a general store for equipment to fit out newly built ships. It also has been Grade I listed since August 1999.[80] The Fitted Rigging House is now used as the Library and houses the Steam Steel and Submarines 1832–1984 gallery.[81]
* The Ropery consists of Hemp Houses (1728, extended 1812), Yarn Houses and a double Rope House with attached Hatchelling House. Hatchelling is combing the hemp fibres to straighten them out before spinning. This was the first stage of the ropemaking process. The Ropery is still in use, being operated by Master Ropemakers Ltd.[82]
* The Double Rope House has spinning on the upper floors and ropemaking (a ropewalk) on the ground floor.[83] It is 346 m (1,135 ft) long, and when constructed was the longest brick-built building in Europe capable of laying a 1,000 ft (300 m) rope. Over 200 men were required before 1836, to make and lay a 20in (circumference) cable. All was done by hand. Steam power in the form of a beam engine was introduced in 1836, and then electricity in the early 1900s.
* The White Yarn House to store the yarn before it was tarred to prevent rot.
* The Tarring House with its "Tar Kettle" and horse drawn winch.
* The Black Yarn House to store the tarred yarn. The tarring process declined as manila replaced hemp, and sisal replaced manila. These fibres were chemically protected at the hatchelling stage and tarring stopped in the 1940s.

* Anchor Wharf Store Houses

* Hemp Houses and Hatchelling House

* Hemp Houses and Double Ropewalk

* Double Ropewalk and Black Yarn House to right

* Laying the Rope

* Looking at the Traveller

* Tops

* The Traveller

#### Metalwork

[edit]

* No 1 Smithery 1808\. Originally consisting of three ranges around an open courtyard, it was designed by Edward Holl and fitted out by John Rennie with 40 forges for production of Anchors and Chain. Anchors could weigh 72 hundredweight (3,658 kg), and were forged by hand. "Anchorsmiths" were given an allowance of 8 imperial pints (4.5 L) of strong beer a day, because of the difficult working conditions.[64] In 1841 a beam engine was installed (in an extension to the north-east) to replace the manual bellows; another was added the following year.[24] The courtyard was roofed over for a steam hammer shop in 1865.[24]
* Lead and Paint Mill 1818. Designed by Edward Holl to be fireproof. There were a lead furnace, casting area and steam powered double rolling mill, paint mills for grinding pigment, canvas stretching frames, and vats for storing and boiling linseed oil. A warship was painted every 4 months.[72]
* Iron Foundry 1855–61. Built immediately to the north of the Smithery (the intervening space was later infilled with the Smithery extension of 1867). Extended in connection with preparations for HMS Achilles (see below).[24]
* No 1 Machine Shop 1861. This building retains it original structure and roof glazing. It was used to house the machine tools needed to produce HMS Achilles, the first iron battleship built in a Royal Dockyard. This building has now become home to the railway workshop.[56]
* The Galvanising Shop c. 1890. Galvanising is a process of dipping steel in molten zinc to prevent it from rusting. There were baths of acid and molten zinc, the fumes vented through louvres in the roof.[64]
* Chain Cable Shed c. 1900, built to protect newly manufactured anchor chain. The roof is supported by a row of 28 captured French and Spanish guns.[72]

* No 1 Smithery

* Lead and Paint Mill

* Iron Foundry (left)

* No 1 Machine Shop

* Galvanising Shop

* Chain Cable Shed

### Surviving structures within the Victorian Steam Yard

[edit]

The Victorian Steam Yard was built around three large Basins (wet docks), constructed between 1865 and 1885 along the line of St Mary's Creek (separating St Mary's Island from the mainland). It was envisaged that Basin No 1 would serve as a "repair basin", No 2 as the "factory basin" and No 3 as the "fitting-out" basin; a newly launched ship could therefore enter via the west lock, have any defects remedied in the first basin, have her 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

* 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

* Dock pumping station (its 80 ft chimney, formerly on the plinth to the right, has been removed)

* Bell Mast on Leviathan Way

* Combined Ship Trade Office

* Former No 1 Boiler Shop (with clock)

* Former No 1 Boiler Shop (interior)

* Former central offices

## Administration of the dockyard

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

* 1631–1647 Phineas Pett[91]
* 1648–1668 Peter Pett[92]
* 1669–1672 John Cox[93]
* 1672–1686 Thomas Middleton[94]
* 1686–1689 Phineas Pett[95]
* 1689–1703 Sir Edward Gregory[95]
* 1703–1714 George St Lo[95]
* 1714–1722 Rear-Admiral James Lyttleton[95]
* 1722–1736 Captain Thomas Kempthorne[95]
* 1736–1742 Captain Thomas Mathews[95]
* 1742–1754 Captain Charles Brown[95]
* 1754–1755 Captain Arthur Scott[95]
* 1755–1763 Captain Thomas Cooper[95]
* 1763–1771 Captain Thomas Hanway[95]
* 1771–1799 Charles Proby[95]
* 1799–1801 John Hartwell[96]
* 1801–1808 Captain Charles Hope[97]
* 1808–1823 Captain Robert Barlow[98]
* 1823–1829 Captain Charles Cunningham
* 1829–1830, Captain John Mason [99]
* 1830–1832, Captain Charles Bullen[100]

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

[edit]

Note incomplete list included.[101]

* Captain Sir James A. Gordon, July 1832 – 10 January 1837 [102]
* Captain Sir Thomas Bourchier, 20 September 1846 – 5 May 1849 [103]
* Captain Peter Richards, 5 May 1849 – 14 June 1854 [104]
* Captain Christopher Wyvill, 14 June 1854 – 1 April 1861 [105][106]
* Captain Edward G. Fanshawe, 1 April 1861 – 9 November 1863,[107]
* Captain William Houston Stewart, 19 November 1863 to 30 November 1868 [108]
* Captain William Charles Chamberlain, 30 November 1868 – 19 January 1874
* Captain Charles Fellowes, 19 January 1874 – 1876
* Rear-Admiral Thomas Brandreth, 1 February 1879 – 1 December 1881
* Rear-Admiral George W. Watson, 1 December 1881 – April 1886
* Rear-Admiral William Codrington, April 1886 – 1 November 1887
* Rear-Admiral Edward Kelly, 1 November 1887 – December 1890
* Vice-Admiral George D. Morant, 25 January 1892
* Rear-Admiral Hilary G. Andoe, 2 September 1895
* Rear-Admiral Swinton Colthurst Holland, 2 September 1899 – 2 September 1902
* Vice-Admiral Robert William Craigie, 2 September 1902 – 2 September 1905[109]
* Rear-Admiral Alvin C. Corry, 2 September 1905
* Vice-Admiral George A. Giffard, 5 February 1907 – 9 August 1909
* Rear-Admiral Robert N. Ommanney, 9 August 1909 – 9 August 1912
* Rear-Admiral Charles E. Anson, 9 August 1912 – 9 August 1915
* Captain Harry Jones, 16 August 1913 – 15 September 1913
* Vice-Admiral Arthur D. Ricardo, 9 August 1915 – 1 May 1919
* Rear-Admiral Sir William E. Goodenough, 1 May 1919 – 26 May 1920
* Rear-Admiral Lewis Clinton-Baker, 26 May 1920
* Rear-Admiral Edward B. Kiddle, 28 September 1921 – 1 December 1923
* Rear-Admiral Percy M. R. Royds, 1 December 1923
* Rear-Admiral Charles P. Beaty-Pownall, 7 December 1925 – 7 December 1927
* Rear-Admiral Anselan J. B. Stirling, 7 December 1927
* Vice-Admiral Charles W. Round-Turner, October 1931 – October 1935
* Vice-Admiral Sir Clinton F. S. Danby, 1 October 1935 – 15 October 1942
* Vice-Admiral John G. Crace, 15 October 1942 – July 1946
* Sir Gervase Boswell Middleton, July 1946 – September 1950[110]
* Rear-Admiral A.L. Poland, 5 September 1950 – May 1951 [111]
* Rear-Admiral George V.M. Dolphin: October 1954 – October 1958
* Rear-Admiral John Y. Thompson: October 1958 – February 1961

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.[112]

### Flag Officer, Medway and Admiral Superintendent

[edit]

Included:[113]

* Rear-Admiral I.William T. Beloe: February 1961 – December 1963
* Rear-Admiral Ian L.T.Hogg: December 1963 – July 1966
* Vice-Admiral Sir W. John Parker: July 1966 – September 1969 [114]
* Rear-Admiral Frederick C.W. Lawson: September 1969 – November 1971 [115]

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,[116] their oversight of the work of the dockyard was transferred to new civilian Dockyard General Managers, who had management responsibility across all Departments.[117]

### Flag Officer, Medway and Port Admiral

[edit]

* Rear-Admiral Colin C.H. Dunlop: November 1971 – January 1974 [118]
* Rear-Admiral Stephen F. Berthon: January 1974 – July 1976
* Rear-Admiral Christopher M. Bevan: July 1976 – August 1978[119]
* Rear-Admiral Charles B. Williams: August 1978 – August 1980
* Rear-Admiral George M.K. Brewer: August 1980 – August 1982
* Rear-Admiral William A. Higgins: August 1982 – 1983 [120]

## The Gun Wharf

[edit]

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

An Ordnance Yard was established in the 17th century immediately upriver of the Dockyard (on the site of the original 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.)[121]

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.[122]

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).[123] Most of the 18th-century buildings were demolished, with the exception of the Storekeeper's House of 1719, which survives as the Command House public house.[124] 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,[125] 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

[edit]

### Upnor Castle

[edit]

Main article: Upnor Castle

Dockyards have always required shore defences. Among the earliest for Chatham was Upnor Castle, built in 1567, on the opposite side of the River Medway. It was somewhat unfortunate that, on the one occasion when it was required for action—the Raid on the Medway, 1667—the Dutch fleet were able to sail right past it to attack the English fleet and carry off the pride of the fleet, HMS Royal Charles, back to the Netherlands.[126]

### Chain defence

[edit]

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.[127]

### The Lines

[edit]

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:[128]

* 1669 Fort Gillingham and Cockham Wood Fort built.
* 1756 Chatham Lines built, to designs by Captain John Desmaretz (who also designed the Portsmouth fortifications).[128] 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.[128]
* 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).[128]
* 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 Bridgewood, Luton, Borstal, Horsted and Darland. These became known as the "Great Lines". Forts Darnet and Hoo built on islands in the River Medway.

* The defences in 1770.

* 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.

## Associated barracks

[edit]

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.[121]

### Infantry Barracks (Kitchener Barracks)

[edit]

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 barracks in England.[129] Built on sloping ground east of the Dockyard, the rectangular site (enclosed within its own perimeter wall) consisted of a 'Lower Barracks' with accommodation for the soldiers and 'Upper Barracks' (later known as 'The Terrace') which housed the officers; between the two was a large parade ground.[130] The three-storey barrack blocks were aligned north–south.[129] Externally, all the blocks were similar in appearance. Those for the officers were placed in a single row on elevated ground to the east, accessed from the parade ground by way of a double ramp; they provided housing for two field officers, twelve captains and thirty-seven 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.[130]

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'.[131] 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).[132] 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).[133]

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.[129] The Infantry Barracks went on to serve as a home depot for numerous regiments.[134]

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)[135] 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'.[136] 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'[137] (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.[136]

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.[129]

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.[138] The new development has retained the name Kitchener Barracks.[139]

### Marine Barracks

[edit]

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.[140]

### Artillery/Engineer Barracks (Brompton Barracks)

[edit]

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.[141]

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

### St Mary's Barracks

[edit]

St Mary's Casemated Barracks were built during the Peninsular War and initially held French 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.[142] 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.[143]

### Naval Barracks (HMS Pembroke)

[edit]

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).[144]

The barracks were set to close in 1961 when the majority of naval personnel were withdrawn from Chatham;[145] 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.[146]

## See also

[edit]

* British narrow gauge railways
* Chatham Historic Dockyard
* Fort Darnet

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Chatham Dockyard". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
2. ^ Brayley and Britton, p. 667.
3. ^ "Kanye video to become a museum exhibit". The Guardian. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
4. ^ Dickens, Charles (1861). ""Chatham Dockyard," chapter twenty-four in The Uncommercial Traveller".
5. ^ Longmate, Norman (1989). Defending The Island: From Caesar to the Armada. Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0091709105.
6. ^ "20th-Century Naval Dockyards...Characterisation Report, Part 1". Historic England. Naval Dockyards Society. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
7. ^ Loades, David (1992). The Tudor Navy: An Administrative, Political and Military History. Routledge. ISBN 978-0859679220.
8. ^ Saint & Guillery, The Survey of London vol. 48: Woolwich, Yale, 2012.
9. ^ "Research guide: Royal Dockyard names and locations". National Archives. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
10. ^ a b c d Cull, Frederick (1962). "Chatham – The Hill House (1567–1805)" (PDF). Archaeologia Cantiana. 77: 95–109. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
11. ^ Zell, Michael (2000). Early Modern Kent, 1540–1640. Boydell Press. p. 130\. ISBN 978-0851155852.
12. ^ "Official dockyard website". Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
13. ^ "Visits to Rochester and Chatham" (PDF). Kent Archaeology. p. 55.
14. ^ Willis, Sam (2009). The Fighting Temeraire. Quercus Publishing. ISBN 978-1847249982.
15. ^ Guidebook, p. 28.
16. ^ a b c Guidebook, p. 15.
17. ^ a b Guidebook, p. 29.
18. ^ a b c d Guidebook, p. 27.
19. ^ Hughes, David T. (2002). Sheerness Naval Dockyard and Garrison. Stroud, Gloucs.: The History Press.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Coad, Jonathan (2013). Support the Fleet: Architecture and engineering of the Royal Navy's bases, 1700–1914. Swindon: English Heritage.
21. ^ "Chatham Dockyard". Battleships cruisers. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
22. ^ Eastland & Ballantyne, p. 13.
23. ^ "HMS Unicorn: Summary from the Official HMS Unicorn website". Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
24. ^ a b c d e "NUMBER 1 SMITHERY, Medway - 1378614 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
25. ^ a b "NUMBER 1 WORKBASE, Medway - 1378631 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
26. ^ "1814 voyage charted with sketches and maps in midshipman's logbook". The Daily Telegraph. 16 October 2009. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
27. ^ a b "Passage Realised". Victoria Web. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
28. ^ "Marine Steam Engine". History.net. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
29. ^ "British Police History - Royal Marine Police".
30. ^ "Timeline" (PDF). Drill Hall Library. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
31. ^ "Mutiny in Chatham's prison hulks". Medway Memories. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
32. ^ Holden, Clive (2014). Chatham Naval Dockyard & Barracks Through Time. Amberley. ISBN 978-1445618999.
33. ^ "Accommodation for 'monster ships'". Royal Museums Greenwich. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
34. ^ "HMS Arethusa". Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
35. ^ a b c Boniface, Patrick (April 2021), "A Century of Submarines at Chatham Dockyard", Ships Monthly: 48–52
36. ^ "Submarines World War 2". Harwich and Dovercourt. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
37. ^ "Changes in Royal Navy Establishments". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 18 February 1958. Retrieved 3 April 2020. HL Deb, 18 February 1958 vol 207 cc775-81
38. ^ "Chatham Dockyard: Lasting impact three decades on". BBC. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
39. ^ "Defence Programme". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 June 1981. Retrieved 3 April 2020. HC Deb, 25 June 1981 vol 7 cc385–400
40. ^ "Chatham Dockyard: Lasting impact three decades on". BBC. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
41. ^ "Economic impact of the Historic Dockyard Chatham". Chatham Historic Dockyard. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
42. ^ "World heritage bid for dockyard". BBC. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
43. ^ Papersafe UK, Berth 6, Basin 3, Chatham | STORAGE. Yell. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
44. ^ "Nordic Recycling" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
45. ^ "Chatham Waters". peel.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
46. ^ "Peel L&P to close Chatham Docks in Medway in 2025". Kent Online. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
47. ^ "Drill Hall: History of Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham" (PDF). Universities at Medway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
48. ^ "St Mary's Island". Retrieved 25 March 2016.
49. ^ Kent Film Office (3 January 2013). "Kent Film Office Les Miserables Film Focus".
50. ^ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Call The Midwife Film Focus". Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
51. ^ Kent Film Office (2 January 2013). "Kent Film Office Mr Selfridge Film Focus".
52. ^ Kent Film Office (13 December 2011). "Kent Film Office Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Film Focus".
53. ^ Kent Film Office (10 December 2007). "Kent Film Office Oliver Twist Film Focus".
54. ^ Kent Film Office (10 November 1999). "Kent Film Office The World is Not EnoughFilm Focus".
55. ^ Kent Film Office (14 October 2014). "Kent Film Office Grantchester Article". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
56. ^ a b c d e f Guidebook, p. 14.
57. ^ "Bridge Wardens' College Teaching and Meeting Rooms". kent.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
58. ^ a b c d Guidebook, p. 23.
59. ^ "Flag lowered on historic tradition". KentOnline. 2 November 2001. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
60. ^ Coad, Jonathan G. (1989). The Royal Dockyards 1690–1850: Architecture and Engineering Works of the Sailing Navy. Aldershot, Hants.: Scolar Press.
61. ^ "Former House Carpenters Shop and Wall to Front Yard, Medway – 1246988 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
62. ^ "Former Mast House and Mould Loft, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
63. ^ Guidebook, p. 8.
64. ^ a b c d Guidebook, p. 26.
65. ^ a b Guidebook, p. 9.
66. ^ a b Guidebook, p. 10.
67. ^ Guidebook, p. 12.
68. ^ "Former Commissioners House and Attached Staff Accommodation, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
69. ^ a b Guidebook, p. 16.
70. ^ a b c Guidebook, p. 25.
71. ^ Historic England. "Bell Mast (1378626)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
72. ^ a b c Guidebook, p. 22.
73. ^ "Former Assistant Queens Harbourmasters Office, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
74. ^ "Queens Stairs with Overthrow Arch, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
75. ^ "Steps from Quay, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent". geograph.org.uk. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
76. ^ "Thunderbolt Pier and Kingswear Castle, Chatham". UK BeachesGuide. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
77. ^ "Former Captain of the Dockyards House and Attached Front Area Railings, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
78. ^ Guidebook, p. 24.
79. ^ a b "Former Storehouse Number 3 and Former Chain Cable Store, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
80. ^ "Former Storehouse Number 2 and Former Rigging Store, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
81. ^ Guidebook, p. 17.
82. ^ "Master Ropemakers Chatham". master-ropemakers.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
83. ^ Guidebook, p. 18.
84. ^ Guidebook, p. 30.
85. ^ "Engineering Timelines - Chatham Dockyard Machine Shops". www.engineering-timelines.com.
86. ^ Historic England. "Dock Pumping Station (1246993)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
87. ^ Historic England. "Combined Ship Trade Office (1267779)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
88. ^ "Accommodation for 'monster ships'". Royal Museums Greenwich. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
89. ^ Stuff, Good. "Bell Mast, Chatham, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
90. ^ Beaston, p. 351.
91. ^ Perrin, p. 146.
92. ^ "Peter Pett (1610–1672)". History of Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
93. ^ Sephton, p. 151.
94. ^ Beaston 1788, p. 85.
95. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Beaston 1788, p. 351.
96. ^ MacDonald, p.230.
97. ^ "Charles Hope". More than Nelson. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
98. ^ Marshall, p. 48.
99. ^ Clowes, Sir William Laird (1897–1903). The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to present (6 ed.). London, England: S. Low, Marston, Co. p. 187.
100. ^ Clowes. p.187.
101. ^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Chatham Royal Dockyard – The Dreadnought Project". dreadnoughtproject.org. Lovell and Harley, 17 July 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
102. ^ Government, H.M. (20 March 1834). "Dockyards: Officers". The Navy List. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 136.
103. ^ Government, H.M. (20 June 1848). "Dockyards: Officers". The Navy List. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 163.
104. ^ Government, H.M. (20 December 1853). "Dockyards: Officers". The Navy List. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 189.
105. ^ Government, H.M. (20 September 1854). "Dockyards: Officers of". The Navy List. John Murray. p. 191.
106. ^ Laughton, John Knox (1900). "Wyvill, Christopher (1792-1863)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 63\. pp. 280–281.
107. ^ Government, H.M. (20 June 1863). "Dockyards: Officers of". The Navy List. John Murray. p. 232.
108. ^ Government, H.M. (20 December 1867). "Dockyards: Officers of". The Navy List. John Murray. p. 259.
109. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36862\. London. 2 September 1902. p. 4.
110. ^ Research Paper no. 12: Commissioners in Residence, Admiral Superintendents and Port Admirals - Chatham Dockyard Historical Society, 3rd reprint 2010.
111. ^ Government, H.M. (May 1951). "Principal Officers in the Dockyards". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 362.
112. ^ "Pay of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 20 March 1969. Retrieved 3 April 2020. HC Deb, 7 March 1960 vol 619 cc198
113. ^ Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865". gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, pp.108–109. February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
114. ^ Vat, Dan van der (12 June 2005). "Obituary: Vice Adm Sir John Parker". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
115. ^ Obituary (30 March 2010). "Rear-Admiral Derick Lawson". Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
116. ^ "Pay of Royal Navy and Royal Marines". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 20 March 1969. Retrieved 3 April 2020. HC Deb, 20 March 1969 vol 780 cc782
117. ^ "1971 – Admiral Superintendents become Port Admirals – Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust". portsmouthdockyard.org.uk. Portsmouth Historical Dockyard Trust. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
118. ^ Obituary (29 March 2009). "Rear-Admiral Colin Dunlop". Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
119. ^ "Royal Navy Appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 16 September 2020.
120. ^ Obituary (6 February 2007). "Rear-Admiral Bill Higgins". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
121. ^ a b Heritage, English; Saunders, A. D. (1 January 1985). Upnor Castle: Kent. English Heritage. p. 5\. ISBN 978-1-85074-039-1.
122. ^ Historic England. "Command House and attached entrance railings, stable and carriage house and rear wall (1268227)". National Heritage List for England.
123. ^ "English Heritage report:AWRE Foulness" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2015.
124. ^ Stuff, Good. "Command House and Attached Entrance Railings, Stable and Carriage House and Rear Wall, Chatham, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
125. ^ Stuff, Good. "Former Ordnance Store at Chatham Gun Wharf, Chatham, Medway". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
126. ^ Saunders, p. 14.
127. ^ "Records of the hospital of Sir John Hawkins Kt in Chatham (1500) 1594–1987". National Archives. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
128. ^ a b c d "Brompton Lines Conservation Area Appraisal (Adopted Version)" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. May 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
129. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1410725)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
130. ^ a b Douet, James (1998). British Barracks 1600-1914. London: The Stationery Office. pp. 47–53.
131. ^ Jackson, Robert (1819). A Sketch (Analytical) of the History and Cure of Contagious Fever. London: Burgess and Hill. p. 93.
132. ^ Roper, Michael (1998). The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964. Kew, Surrey: Public Record Office.
133. ^ Glover, Richard (1963). Peninsular Preparation: the Reform of the British Army 1795-1809. Cambridge University Press. p. 218.
134. ^ The Quarterly Army List. R. C. Lepage & Co. 5 July 1859. p. 32.
135. ^ "General report of the Commission appointed for improving the sanitary condition of barracks and hospitals". Wellcome Collection. HMSO. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
136. ^ a b "Married Soldiers". Colburn's United Service Magazine: 186. October 1856.
137. ^ "Army Medical Department: Sanitary Report for 1865". Parliamentary Papers. 43: 284–285\. 1867.
138. ^ "Kitchener Barracks to be converted for housing". Kent on line. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
139. ^ "Heritage". Kitchener Barracks. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
140. ^ "Chatham Royal Naval Division Barracks". Roll of Honour. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
141. ^ "Brompton Barracks". Brompton History. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
142. ^ "Illustrated London News, March 8, 1856". Kent History Forum. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
143. ^ "Fort Amherst Guidebook". Retrieved 25 March 2016.
144. ^ "History of the Drill Hall". Universities at Medway. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
145. ^ "Copy of government briefing paper" (PDF). Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
146. ^ Coad, Jonathan (2013). Support for the Fleet. Swindon: English Heritage.

## Sources

[edit]

* The Annual Biography and Obituary for the Year. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1835.
* Guidebook. Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. 2010.
* Beaston, Robert (1788). A Political Index to the Histories of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. I. G.G.J. and J. Robinson.
* Beaston, Robert (1806). A Political Index to the Histories of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. I. Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme.
* Brayley, Edward Wedlake; Britton, John (1808). The Beauties of England and Wales, Or, Delineations, Topographical, Historical and Descriptive of each County. Vernor, Mood and Sharpe.
* Eastland, Jonathan; Ballantyne, Iain (2011). HMS Victory – First Rate 1765. Barnsley: Vernor, Mood and Sharpe. ISBN 978-1-84832-094-9.
* [1] Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
* MacDonald, Janet (2010). The British Navy's Victualling Board, 1793–1815: Management Competence and Incompetence. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1843835530.
* Marshall, John (1824). Royal Naval Biography; Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-officers. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green. p. 48. ISBN 978-0665375859. "Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard." `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
* Perrin, William Gordon (1918). The autobiography of Phineas Pett. Naval Records Society.
* Saunders, A. D. (1985). Upnor Castle: Kent. English Heritage. ISBN 978-1-85074-039-1.
* Sephton, James (2011). Sovereign of the Seas: The Seventeenth Century Warship. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445601687.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chatham Dockyard.

* The Historic Dockyard Trust Archived 8 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
* A Geometrical Plan, & North West Elevation of His Majesty’s Dock-Yard, at Chatham, with ye Village of Brompton Adjacent, dated 1755 (Pierre-Charles Canot after Thomas Milton and John Cleveley the Elder)

* v
* t
* e

Royal Navy shore establishments

Current|

| Naval bases|

* HMNB Clyde
* HMNB Devonport
* HMNB Portsmouth
* HMS Jufair

|

Stone frigates|

* BRNC Dartmouth
* CTCRM Lympstone
* HMS Collingwood
* HMS Drake
* HMS Excellent
* HMS Nelson
* HMS Raleigh
* HMS Sultan
* HMS Temeraire
* Institute of Naval Medicine
* Defence Diving School

Royal Marines bases|

* RM Bickleigh
* RM Chivenor
* RM Condor
* RM Norton Manor
* RM Poole
* RM Stonehouse
* RM Tamar
* RM Instow

Air stations|

* RNAS Culdrose
* Predannack Airfield
* RNAS Merryfield
* RNAS Yeovilton
* HMS Gannet

Royal Naval Reserves|

* HMS Calliope
* HMS Cambria
* HMS Ceres
* HMS Dalriada
* HMS Eaglet
* HMS Ferret
* HMS Flying Fox
* HMS Forward
* HMS Hibernia
* HMS King Alfred
* HMS President
* HMS Scotia
* HMS Sherwood
* HMS Vivid
* HMS Wildfire

Other|

* Navy Command Headquarters
* RNAD Coulport
* British Defence Singapore Support Unit
* UK Joint Logistics Support Base

Former|

| Home|

* HMS Abastor
* HMS Aggressive
* HMS Badger
* HMS Daedalus II
* HM Dockyard Chatham
* HM Dockyard Deptford
* HM Dockyard Erith
* HM Dockyard Harwich
* HM Dockyard Pembroke
* HM Dockyard Portland
* HM Dockyard Rosyth
* HMS Cambridge
* HMS Dryad
* HMS Ferret
* HMS Forest Moor
* HM Fort Roughs
* HMS Forward (1939)
* HMS Flycatcher
* HMS Ganges
* HMS Harrier
* HM Holmrook Hall
* HMS Imperieuse
* HMS Lochinvar
* HMS Mercury
* HMS King Alfred (1939)
* Scapa Flow
* HMS Newt
* HMS Royal Arthur
* HMS Standard
* HMS St Christopher
* HMS St Vincent
* HMS Vernon
* Port HHZ
* RM Turnchapel
* RNAD Broughton Moor
* DM Crombie
* RNAD Dean Hill
* DM Gosport
* RNAS Prestwick
* RNAY Wroughton
* HM Victualling Yard Royal Clarence
* HM Victualling Yard Royal Victoria
* HM Victualling Yard Royal William
* HM Dockyard Woolwich
* List of air stations of the Royal Navy

|

Overseas|

* Grand River Naval Depot
* HM Naval Yard Penetanguishene
* HM Naval Shipyards York
* HMRND Amherstburg
* HM Dockyard Bermuda
* HM Dockyard Bombay
* HM Dockyard Gibraltar
* HM Dockyard Haulbowline
* HM Dockyard Jamaica
* HM Dockyard Kinsale
* HM Dockyard Madras
* HM Dockyard Port Mahon
* HM Dockyard Port Royal
* HM Dockyard Trincomalee
* HM Naval Base Aden
* HM Naval Base Colombo
* HM Naval Base Cochin
* HM Naval Base Singapore
* HM Naval Base Simon's Town
* HM Naval Base Weihaiwei
* HM Naval Yard Garden Island
* HMRND Esquimalt
* HMRNB Georgetown
* HMRND Kingston
* HM Dockyard Malta
* Auckland
* HMRNB Halifax
* HMS Tamar
* HM Dockyard Antigua
* Navy Hall

* v
* t
* e

Navy Board

Principal officers|

* Lieutenant of the Admiralty, (1546-1564)
* Treasurer of Marine Causes, (1546-1564)
* Comptroller of the Navy, (1546-1660)
* Surveyor of the Navy, (1546-1832)
* Clerk of the Navy, (1546-1660)
* Master of Naval Ordnance, (1546-1589)
* Keeper of the Storehouses, (1546-1560)
* Surveyor of Marine Victuals, (1550-1679)
* Treasurer of the Navy and Senior Commissioner, (1564-1660)
* Comptroller of the Navy and Chairman of the Board, (1660-1832)
* Treasurer of the Navy, (1660-1832)
* Clerk of the Acts, (1660-1796)
* Controller of Treasurer Accounts, (1667-1796)
* Controller of Victualling Accounts, (1667-1796)
* Controller of Storekeepers Accounts, (1671-1796)
* Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services, (1800-1832)
* Commissioners for Current Business, (1686-1688)
* Commissioners for Old Accounts, 1686-1688)
* Commissioners for Examining Accounts (Incurred), (1688-1689)
* Deputy Comptroller of the Navy, (1793-1813), (1829-1832)
* Pay Commissioner, (1796-1814)
* Civil Architect and Engineer of the Navy, (1808-1812)
* Surveyor of Buildings, (1813-1832)
* Surveyor of Dockyards, (1813-1832)
* Accountant-General of the Navy, (1829-32)
* Superintendent of Transport, (1829-1831)
* Storekeeper-General of the Navy, (1829-32)

Subsidiary boards|

* Sick and Hurt Board
* Transport Board
* Victualling Board

Resident Commissioners
of the navy
home yards|

* Resident Commissioner, Chatham Dockyard, (1631-1829)
* Resident Commissioner, Portsmouth Dockyard, (1649-1829)
* Resident Commissioner, Woolwich Dockyard,(1688-1828)
* Resident Commissioner, Plymouth Dockyard, (1691-1822)
* Resident Commissioner, Deptford Dockyard, (1714-1823)
* Resident Commissioner, Sheerness Dockyard, (1793-1822)
* Resident Commissioner, Devonport Dockyard, (1823-1832)

Resident Commissioners
of the navy
overseas yards|

* Resident Commissioner, Jamaica Yard, (1675-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Cadiz Yard, (1694)
* Resident Commissioner, Bombay Yard
* Resident Commissioner, Kinsale Yard, (1694-1713)
* Resident Commissioner, Gibraltar Yard, (1704-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Antigua Yard, (1707-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Ascension Yard, (1728-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Port Mahon Yard, (1742-1763)
* Resident Commissioner, Halifax Yard, (1759-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Barbados Yard, (1779-1783, 1810)
* Resident Commissioner, Kingston Yard, (1783-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Ajaccio Yard, (1794-1799)
* Resident Commissioner, Bermuda Dockyard, (1795-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Amherstburg Yard, (1796-1813)
* Resident Commissioner, Quebec Yard, (1804-1826)
* Resident Commissioner, Malta Dockyard, (1805-1832)
* Resident Commissioner, Madras Yard, (1808-1817)
* Resident Commissioner, Cape of Good Hope Yard, (1808-1822)
* Resident Commissioner, Bombay Dockyard, (1808-1816)
* Resident Commissioner, Trincomalee Dockyard, (1810-1832)

Offices
under the
principal officers|

* Navy Office
* Navy Pay Office
* Sick and Hurt Office
* Transport Office
* Victualling Office

* v
* t
* e

Department of Admiralty

Direction and control
of Admiralty and Naval affairs|

* Office of First Lord of the Admiralty and President of the Board of Admiralty
* Lord High Admirals Council
* Admiralty buildings

Boards and offices under
the First Lord|

* Board of Admiralty
* Navy Board
* Navy Office
* Navy Pay Office
* Office of the Naval Secretary
* Office of the First Naval Lord
* Office of the First Sea Lord
* Office of the Senior Naval Lord
* Office of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty
* Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty
* Office of the Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty

Direction of
Admirals
Naval/Sea Lords
War and Naval Staff|

* Office of the Senior Naval Lord
* Office of the First Naval Lord
* Office of the First Sea Lord

Secretariat and staff under
the First Sea Lord|

* Office of the Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord
* Office of the Additional Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord
* Office of the Hydrographer of the Navy
* Offices of the Sea Lords
* Admiralty Navy War Council
* Admiralty War Staff
* Admiralty Naval Staff

Operational planning, policy
strategy, tactical doctrine
requirements|

* Admiralty Navy War Council
* Admiralty War Staff
* Admiralty Naval Staff

Divisions and sections
under the War and
Naval Staff|

* Administrative Planning Department
* Administrative Planning Division
* Air Division
* Anti-Submarine Division
* Anti-Submarine and Warfare Division
* Anti-U-boat Division
* Air Warfare Division
* Air Warfare and Fly Training Division
* Air Warfare and Training Division
* Combined Operations Division
* Communications Division
* Convoy Section
* Directorate of Defence Plans (Navy)
* Economic Warfare Division
* Gunnery and Anti-Aircraft Warfare Division
* Gunnery Division
* Gunnery and Torpedo Division
* Historical Section
* Local Defence Division Division
* Mercantile Movements Division
* Naval Air Division
* Naval Air Organisation and Training Division
* Naval Artillery and Torpedoes Division
* Navigation and Direction Division
* Navigation Division
* Minesweeping Division
* Mobilisation Division
* Naval Intelligence Division
* Operations Division
* Operations Division (Home)
* Operations Division (Foreign)
* Operations Division (Mining)
* Plans Division
* Plans Division (Q)
* Press Division
* Signal Division
* Signal Section
* Standardisation Division
* Tactical Division
* Tactical and Weapons Policy Division
* Torpedo Division
* Torpedo, Anti-Submarine and Minewarfare Division
* Trade Division
* Trade and Operations Division
* Training and Staff Duties Division
* Tactical and Staff Duties Division
* Undersurface Warfare Division

Offices of the Sea Lords|

* Office of the Second Sea Lord
* Office of the Third Sea Lord
* Office of the Fourth Sea Lord
* Office of the Fifth Sea Lord

Admiralty civil departments
and organisations
under the Sea Lords|

* Admiralty Area Cash Offices
* Admiralty Central Dockyard Laboratory
* Admiralty Central Metallurgical Laboratory
* Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service
* Admiralty Compass Observatory
* Admiralty Constabulary
* Admiralty Constabulary Headquarters
* Admiralty Engineering Laboratory
* Admiralty Experimental Station
* Admiralty Experiment Works
* Admiralty Gunnery Establishment
* Admiralty Interview Board
* Admiralty Labour Department
* Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment
* Admiralty Materials Laboratory
* Admiralty Mine Design Department
* Admiralty Mining Establishment
* Admiralty Naval Aircraft Materials Laboratory
* Admiralty Record Office
* Admiralty Regional Offices
* Admiralty Research Laboratory
* Admiralty Signal Establishment
* Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment
* Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment
* Admiralty Surveying Service
* Admiralty Torpedo Experimental Establishment
* Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment
* Admiralty Underwater Weapons Launching Establishment
* Architectural and Engineering Works Department
* Air Equipment and Naval Photography Department
* Air Department
* Air Materiel Department
* Air Personnel Department
* Amphibious Warfare Headquarters
* Armament Supply Department
* Board of Invention and Research
* Board of Longitude
* Boom Defence Department
* Boom Defence and Marine Salvage Department
* Britannia Royal Naval College
* Chemical Board
* Chemical Department
* Civil Catering Department
* Civil Engineer in Chiefs Department
* Coastguard and Reserves Branch
* Combined Operations Headquarters
* Commissioner for Property and Income-tax for the Naval Department
* Compass Department
* Contract and Purchase Department
* Council of Naval Education
* Dental Examining Board
* Department of Radio Equipment
* Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy
* Department of Aeronautical and Engineering Research
* Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development
* Department of Naval Assistant (Foreign) to Second Sea Lord
* Department of Naval Education
* Operational Research
* Department of Personal Services and Officer Appointments
* Department of Physical Research
* Department of Physical Training & Sports
* Department of Radio Equipment
* Department of Research Programmes and Planning
* Department of Superintendent of de-magnetisation
* Department of the Admiral of the Training Service
* Department of the Chief Inspector of Naval Ordnance
* Department of the Chief of Naval Information
* Department of the Chief Scientist
* Department of the Civil Engineer-in-Chief
* Department of the Comptroller of Steam Machinery
* Department of the Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services
* Department of the Controller of the Navy
* Department of the Controller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding
* Department of the Controller for Navy Pay
* Department of the Deputy Controller for Auxiliary Shipbuilding
* Department of the Deputy Controller for Dockyards and Shipbuilding
* Department of the Director Contract-Built Ships
* Department of the Director-General Aircraft
* Department of the Director-General of Manpower
* Department of the Director-General, Supply and Secretariat Branch
* Department of the Director of Aircraft Maintenance and Repair
* Department of the Director of Contract Labour
* Department of the Director of Dockyards
* Department of the Director of Electrical Engineering
* Department of the Director of Manning
* Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding
* Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs
* Department of the Director of Merchant Ship Repairs
* Department of the Director of Naval Construction
* Department of the Director of Naval Equipment
* Department of the Director of Naval Recruiting
* Department of the Director of Naval Weather Service
* Department of the Director of Personal Services
* Department of the Director of Physical Training and Sports
* Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining
* Department of the Director of Transports
* Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons
* Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons Materials
* Department of the Director of Unexploded Bombs
* Department of the Director of Warship Production
* Department of the Director of Welfare and Service Conditions
* Department of the Director of Wreck Dispersal
* Department of the Flag Officer Sea Training
* Department of the Engineer in Chief
* Department of the Paymaster Director-General
* Department of the Inspector of Anti-Aircraft Weapons
* Department of the Inspector of Dockyard Expense Accounts
* Department of the Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets
* Department of the Medical Director-General of the Navy
* Department of the Physician of the Navy
* Department of the Physician General of the Navy
* Department of the Storekeeper-General of the Navy
* Department of the Surveyor of Buildings
* Department of the Surveyor of Dockyards
* Directorate-General, (Naval Manpower and Training)
* Directorate General Training
* Dockyards and Fleet Maintenance Department
* Dockyards Branch
* Dockyard Expense Accounts Department
* Dockyard Schools
* Electrical Engineering Department
* Engineer Branch
* Engineering Department
* Experimental Department
* Fire Control Group
* Greenwich Hospital Department
* Inspector of Telegraphs
* Inspector of Repairs
* Joint Warfare Establishment
* Medical Consultative Board
* Medical Examining Board
* Historical Section
* Hydrographic Department
* Marine Department
* Marine Pay Department
* Materials and Priority Department
* Medical Consultative Board
* Medical Department
* Medical Examining Board
* Movements Department
* Nautical Almanac Office
* Naval Artillery and Torpedo Department
* Naval Engineering College
* Naval Equipment Department
* Naval Historical Branch
* Naval Construction Department
* Naval Intelligence Department
* Naval Medical Service
* Naval Law Division
* Naval Manpower Department
* Naval Mobilisation Department
* Naval Ordnance Department
* Naval Ordnance Inspection Department
* Naval Ordnance Stores Department
* Naval Personnel Services and Officer Appointments Department
* Naval Publicity Department
* Naval Regional Offices
* Naval Reserve Department
* Naval Security Department
* Naval Stores Department
* Naval Training Department
* Naval Works Department
* Navy, Army and Air Force Institute
* Navy and Army Canteen Board
* Navy Works Department
* Navigation Department
* Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope
* Office of the Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves
* Office of the Admiral Commanding, Reserves
* Office of the Admiralty Chemist
* Office of the Adviser on the Naval Construction to the Board of Admiralty
* Office of the Assistant Controller
* Office of the Assistant Controller Research and Development
* Office of the Clerk of the Journals
* Office of the Chief Polaris Executive
* Office of the Deputy Controller of Navy
* Office of the Deputy Controller Production
* Office of Extra Naval Assistant to Second Sea Lord
* Office of the Inspector Gun Mountings
* Office of the Keeper of Records
* Office of the Senior Psychologist (Naval)
* Office of the Senior Psychologist of the Navy
* Office of the Translator of French and Spanish Languages
* Office of the Vice Controller Air
* Office of the Vice Controller of the Navy
* Organisation and Methods Department
* Packet Service
* Regional Organisation for Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs
* Royal Corps of Naval Constructors
* Royal Flying Corps
* Royal Marine Police
* Royal Marines Office
* Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet
* Royal Naval Academy
* Royal Naval Aircraft Workshops
* Royal Naval Air Service
* Royal Naval Air Stations
* Royal Naval Armaments Depot
* Royal Naval Auxiliary Service
* Royal Naval Cordite Factories
* Royal Naval Propellant Factory
* Royal Naval College
* Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture
* Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
* Royal Naval College, Greenwich
* Royal Naval College, Keyham
* Royal Naval College, Osborne
* Royal Naval Engineering College
* Royal Naval Film Corporation
* Royal Naval Hospital
* Royal Naval Medical Depot
* Royal Naval Minewatching Service
* Royal Naval Mine Depot
* Royal Naval Patrol Service
* Royal Naval Scientific Service
* Royal Naval Sick Quarters
* Royal Naval Torpedo Depot
* Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
* Royal Naval War College
* Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth
* Royal Navy Dockyard
* Royal Navy Medical Service
* Royal Navy Shore Signal Service
* Royal Observatory, Greenwich
* Royal School of Naval Architecture
* Salvage Department
* School of Mathematics and Naval Construction
* Scientific Research and Experiment Department
* Sea Transport Branch
* Sea Transport Department
* Sea Transport Division
* Ship Department
* Ship Design Department
* Signal Department
* Signal School
* Sixpenny Office
* Statistics Department
* Steam Department
* Superintendent of De-magnetisation
* Torpedo Experimental Establishment
* Transport Department
* Undersurface Warfare Department
* Victualling Department
* Volunteer Boys and Cadet Corps
* Weapons Department
* Weapons Department (Naval)
* Women's Royal Naval Service
* Wireless Telegraphy Board

Direction/Command of the Fleet|

* Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty
* Office of the First Naval Lord
* Office of the First Sea Lord
* Admiralty Naval Staff

Naval formations after 1707|

* 1st Fleet
* 2nd Fleet
* 3rd Fleet
* Commander-in-Chief, Africa
* Atlantic Fleet
* Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf
* Australia Station
* Cape of Good Hope Station
* Cape and West Africa Station
* Battle Cruiser Fleet
* Battle Cruiser Force
* Caspian Flotilla
* Channel Fleet
* Channel Squadron
* Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland
* Cork Station
* Coast of Scotland
* Commander-in-Chief, China
* Commander-in-Chief, Dover
* Flag Officer, East Africa
* East Indies Station
* East Indies and China Station
* Eastern Fleet
* Far East Fleet
* English Channel
* Grand Fleet
* Flag Officer Gibraltar
* Harwich Force
* Home Fleet
* Jamaica Station
* Leith Station
* Commander-in-Chief, Levant
* Levant and East Mediterranean
* Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands
* Mediterranean Fleet
* Medway
* Newfoundland Station
* New Zealand Division
* New Zealand Naval Forces
* Nore
* North America and West Indies Station
* Commander-in-Chief, North Sea
* Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands
* Pacific Fleet
* Pacific Station
* Admiral of Patrols
* Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
* Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
* Queenstown Station
* Royal East African Navy
* Royal Indian Navy
* Flag Officer Submarines
* Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth
* Reserve Fleet
* Scotland and Northern Ireland
* Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic
* South East Coast of America Station
* Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway
* West Africa Squadron
* Flag Officer, West Africa
* Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches

Naval formations before 1707|

* Lisbon Station
* West Indies Station
* Western Squadron
* Thames, Medway and Nore
* Commander-in-Chief, Thames
* Narrow Seas
* Downs Station

Direction of Naval Finance|

* Department of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty

Departments under the
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary|

* Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty
* Accountant-General's Department
* Comptroller of the Navy
* Department of the Surveyor of the Navy

Direction of Naval Administration
and the Admiralty Secretariat|

* Department of the Permanent Secretary

Branches and offices under the
Permanent Secretary|

* Admiralty Central Copying Branch
* Admiralty Central Registry Branch
* Admiralty Record Office
* Admiralty Library
* Admiralty Secretariat
* Air Branch
* Civil Branch
* Legal Branch
* Military Branch
* Naval Branch
* Ship Branch

Civil Administration|

* Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Department of the Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty

Departments under the
Civil Lords|

* Accountant-General's Department
* Contract and Purchase Department
* Department of the Director of Contract Labour
* Department of the Surveyor of Buildings
* Department of the Director of Works
* Greenwich Hospital Department
* Works Loan Department

Legal|

* Admiralty Judicial Department
* Admiralty court
* High Court of Admiralty
* Office of the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty
* High Court of Justice
* Office of the Judge Advocate of the Fleet
* Office of the Marshall High Court of the Admiralty
* Office of the Admiralty Advocate
* Office of the Admiralty Proctor
* Office of the Chief Naval Judge Advocate
* Office of the Counsel for the Affairs of the Admiralty and Navy
* Office of the Counsel to the Admiralty
* Office of the Deputy Judge Advocate of the Fleet
* Office of the Receiver of Droits High Court of Admiralty
* Office of the Registrar High Court of the Admiralty
* Office of the Solicitor for the Affairs of the Admiralty
* Office of the Solicitor to the Admiralty and Navy
* Office of the Solicitor to the Admiralty
* Office of the Counsel to the Admiralty
* Court of Admiralty for the Cinque Ports
* King's Bench Division (Admiralty)
* Queens's Bench Division (Admiralty)
* Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division
* Vice Admiralty courts
* Colonial Courts of Admiralty

Media related to Chatham Dockyard at Wikimedia Commons

1. ^ Crawshaw, James D. (1999). The history of Chatham Dockyard. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Isabel Garford. ISBN 0-9534888-0-2.

*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template