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For the municipality in Ontario, see Chatham-Kent.

Chatham
Chatham Riverside from SunPier
Chatham shown within Kent
Population	70,540 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	TQ765659
- London	33mi
Unitary authority	Medway
Ceremonial county	Kent
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CHATHAM
Postcode district	ME4, ME5
Dialling code	01634
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Chatham and Aylesford
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Coordinates: 51°21′40″N 0°32′10″E / 51.361, 0.5362

Chatham (pronounced "chat-um" ) is a large town that developed around an important naval dockyard on the east bank of the River Medway to the southeast of London in Kent, England. Together with Gillingham and Rochester it is today part of the Medway Towns conurbation.

Chatham was first recorded in Cetham in 880AD, its name coming from the British root ceto and the Old English ham thus meaning a forest settlement.^[1]. The origin of the word 'Chatham' may have come from the root of 'Catti' or 'Chatti', referring to the Catti Aryans that migrated into Britain.^[2]

Chatham Dockyard was established by Elizabeth I of England in 1568 and the small village of Chatham grew. At one point thousands of men were employed at the dockyard, and many hundreds of submarines and surface vessels were launched there, including HMS Victory which was built there in the 1760s. The dockyard was shut as an operational site 1984 by the Thatcher government; a large part of it became a historic site (operated by Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust) and the rest has been developed for housing, industrial sites and as a commercial marina.

Chatham is also the site of many of the fortifications built to protect the dockyard from invasion. The Great Lines (abbreviated from "Great Lines of Defence") were built across the neck of the peninsula formed by the bend in the River Medway. By 1758 this stretched for more than a mile from Fort Amherst (today a heritage site)to Gillingham Reach.^[3]

Looking from the river at Sun Pier along the Great Barrier Ditch, to the Gun Platforms at Fort Amherst

Forts were built around the town, among them Fort Clarence (1805-1811) (demolished) and Fort Pitt (1805-1819). Fort Pitt was later used as a military hospital and was visited by Queen Victoria.^[4] As a result of Florence Nightingale's private paper, Notes on matters affecting the health, efficiency and hospital administration of the British Army (1858) the first Army Medical School was established at Fort Pitt in 1860. In 1859 a Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom Royal Commission ordered a second outer ring of forts was built to strengthen the defences, such as Fort Horsted. Fort Luton (also a heritage site),Fort Bridgewood, Fort Darland, Fort Borstal.^[5] Later Fort Rivertown was established. Constructed in 1979, under the supervision of Billy Childish (Buff Medways, Medway Poets). This has recently been redeveloped to a Chatham night club - the legendary Tap 'n' Tin.

The Chatham Naval Memorial commemorates the 18,500 officers, ranks and ratings of the Royal Navy who were lost or buried at sea in the two World Wars. It stands on the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham.

Chatham Dockyard, seen from Fort Pitt, ca. 1830. From W. H. Ireland's History of Kent.

Chatham Town Centre from the Great Lines

The Darland Banks are unimproved chalk grassland, in Chatham, Kent. Bordering on Gillingham they form the northern slopes of Luton Valley and Capstone Valley. This shot was taken from the top of Ash Tree Lane by Star Mill Lane. Star Mill or Upper Chatham Hill Mill was dismantled in 1924. We are looking over Luton Village. Rows of Victorian terraced houses follow the contour lines. We can see all styles of 20th century housing. To the right are the fields of the Daisy Banks and Coney Banks with Fort Luton in the trees.

Chatham Town was also the location for several British Military Barracks, the Kitchener Barracks (c 1750-1780), the Royal Marines Barracks (c 1780). Brompton Artillery Barracks (1806), Melville Barracks, H.M.S. Collingwood and H.M.S. Pembroke. Although the postal address of Brompton Barracks (the headquarters of the Royal Engineers) indicates Chatham as its location, Brompton was an entirely separate village within Gillingham parish.^[6] H.M.S Pembroke is now the home to the University of Greenwich at Medway based within the Medway Campus, Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Chatham's parish church was St Marys which stood on Dock Road, it was rebuilt in 1788. St John's was built in 1821, but remodelled in 1869, and abolished in 1964. St Paul's New Road was built in 1854,and declarded redundant in 1974 and has been demolished. St Peter's Troy Town was built in 1860.^[7] Christchurch Luton was built in 1843, replaced in 1884. The Royal Dockyard church (1806) was declared redundant in 1981.

St Michael's is the Roman Catholic church, it was built in 1863. There is a Unitarian chapel built in 1861.^[7]

Chatham is reputed to be the home of the first Baptist chapel in north Kent, the Zion Baptist Chapel in Clover Street. The first known pastor was Edward Morecock who settled there in the 1660s. During Cromwell's time Morecock had been a sea-captain and had been injured in battle. His knowledge of the River Medway is reputed to have preserved him from persecution in the reign of King Charles II. There was a second Baptist chapel founded about 1700. The Ebenezer Chapel dates back to 1662.

Chatham Memorial Synagogue was built by Simon Magnus in 1867 on the Chatham end of Rochester High Street in Rochester.^[8]

Chatham became a market town in its own right in the 19th century, and a municipal borough in 1890. By 1831 its population had reached more than 16,000. By 1961 it had reached 48,800.^[5]

The River Medway, apart from its use by warships to travel to and from the dockyard, was an important means of communication to the interior of Kent. Stone, timber and iron from the Weald for shipbuilding and agricultural produce were among the cargoes. Sun Pier in Chatham was one of many such along the river. By 1740, barges of 40 tons could navigate as far upstream as Tonbridge.^[5]

The A2 and Luton Road- Luton Arches

Sir John Hawkins Flyover

Chatham stands on Watling Street, the 'Roman Road' from London to the Kent Coast. The length from Chatham to Canterbury was turnpiked in 1730. The Chatham to Maidstone road A230 was also turn piked before 1750. Watling Street formed the basic line for A2 main road in the 1920s.^[5] However, Chatham has always been a bottleneck. The notorious high street was bypassed by a new road leading from the top of Star Hill, Rochester to the bottom of Chatham Hill at Luton Arches and this was called New Road. Later this became inadequate for the London to Dover traffic and the Medway Towns Bypass, the M2 motorway diverts all through traffic south of the Medway Towns.

The Medway Towns still generates more traffic than its town centre can handle. In the 1980s the town centre was remodelled and an inner ringroad was constructed. This was a one way system with the construction of the Sir John Hawkins Flyover (1989) taking the south to north traffic over a pedestrianized high street, by the Pentagon Shopping Centre and the Pentagon Bus Station. On the 19 September 2006 the Ring Road in Chatham was made two way and the Sir John Hawkins Flyover was closed except for buses, taxis and cycles as part a regeneration scheme designed to relink the town centre with Sun Pier, Gun Wharf and the River Medway. It was expected that after a test period, during which the flyover remained open for buses, taxis, etc, the Sir John Hawkins Flyover would be demolished (as part of Chatham Riverside redevelopment). However the 2 way change received a very hostile reaction from local residents and businesses. After a campaign that coincided with local elections, Rochester-Upon-Medway City Council reversed this decision.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}.^[19][20] The Pentagon Bus Station ("The Pentagon") for the towns is in Chatham, within walking distance of the Chatham Railway Station.

Chatham Railway Station and Fort Pitt Tunnel

The railway came to Chatham in 1858: first when the East Kent Railway opened a line to Faversham; and later in the year the short section connecting with the North Kent Line was opened, giving a route to London. Chatham railway station is the main interchange for the Medway Towns. Chatham Station lies in a cutting between the Fort Pitt tunnel and the Chatham Tunnel, the next station down line is Gillingham , and the next station upline is Rochester. The line passes over the Rochester Bridge and divides. One line takes the former London, Chatham and Dover Chatham Main Line via Cuxton and Meopham to Bromley South and Victoria while the other takes the former South Eastern Railway (UK) North Kent Line via Dartford and Woolwich Arsenal.

There are 4 trains an hour to London, Victoria, two trains an hour to London Charing Cross, and from November 2007 there will be a service to Ebbsfleet (change for Paris and Brussels) and London St. Pancras. Two trains an hour run to Dover and Ramsgate.

Part of the railway in what is now Chatham Historic Dockyard is still in operation, run by the North Kent Industrial Locomotive Society.

Medway Council Building at Gun Wharf

Chatham is the centre of the Medway Towns and Medway Council has chosen to site its offices on Gun Wharf, in the building that was constructed for Lloyds.

The Ecclesiatical Parish of Chatham included Luton and Brompton and also Chatham Intra (Land on the river that was administered by the City of Rochester).^[21]

The borough of Chatham was created by the Great Reform Act of 1832, and contained most of Brompton and New Brompton.^[7] It became a municipal borough in 1890.^[5]

Chatham lost its independence because of the Local Government Act 1972. On 1 April 1974 it became part of Medway Borough Council that was renamed, in 1979, the Borough of Rochester-upon-Medway and then,in 1982, the City of Rochester-upon-Medway. This, in its turn, was abolished on 1st April 1998; to join Gillingham Borough Council in the Medway Council (a unitary authority).^[22]

Chatham is served by the following Primary Schools.

• All Saints CE Primary
• Balfour Junior
• Bradfields
• Glencoe Junior
• Greenvale Infant
• Horsted Infant
• Horsted Junior
• Kingfisher Primary
• Lordswood Infant
• Lordswood Junior
• Luton Infant
• Luton Junior
• Maundene
• New Road Primary School & Nursery Unit
• Oaklands Infant
• Oaklands Junior
• Ridge Meadow Primary
• Silverbank Park
• Spinnens Acre Junior
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary
• St John's CE (VC) Infant
• St Mary's Island C of E (Aided) Primary
• St Michael's Catholic Primary
• St Thomas More Catholic Primary
• Swingate Infant
• Walderslade Primary
• Wayfield Community Primary & Nursery Unit

Secondary Education, outside the Catholic Sector, is selective. Many pupils attend schools in neighbouring towns.

• Chatham Grammar School for Boys
• Chatham Grammar School for Girls
• Chatham South School
• Fort Pitt Grammar School (girls)
• Greenacre School
• Medway Community College
• St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive
• Walderslade Girls' School^[23]

Tertiary

• Mid-Kent College is a Further Education College based at Horsted, but is also in partnership with Canterbury Christchurch University at Medway

Universities

• University of Greenwich at Medway
• University of Kent at Medway
• Canterbury Christchurch University^[24]

The town's Association Football club, Chatham Town F.C., plays in the Isthmian League Division One South. Lordswood F.C. play in the Kent League. The defunct Chatham Excelsior F.C. were one of the early pioneers of football in Southern England.

It is claimed by some, that Chatham is the birthplace of "chav" subculture. The "Chav Culture" in Chatham and around the Medway Towns, included the wearing of gold jewellery, shell-suits and earrings. This was first evident from a website about "Chatham Girls" (immortalized in a song by Chris Broderick), which received a huge amount of media interest. The website was so popular it was pulled by Geocities for exceeding its bandwidth.^[25]

On a cultural level Chatham also gave birth to several movements in literature, art and music. In the period from 1978 until 1982 the Medway Delta Sound emerged. Several of these bands gained international recognition e.g. The Milkshakes, The Prisoners (see also James Taylor Quartet), The Dagger Men, The Dentists, Chris Broderick and The Singing Loins. In recent years there has been a renaissance in the Medway Sound lead by singers such as Pete Molinari. The Medway Poets were formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1982 having performed at major literary festivals and on TV and Radio. They became a major influence to writers in the area. From the core of this group the anti conceptual/pro painting movements of Stuckism and Remodernism came into being.

Recent Medway artists of note include Kid Harpoon and Underground Heroes.

Ordnance Terrace in October 2007

Charles Dickens lived in the town as a boy, both in 'The Brook, Chatham' and in Ordnance Terrace before the railway station was built just opposite. He subsequently described it as the happiest period of his childhood, and eventually returned to the area in adulthood when he bought a house in nearby Gad's Hill. Medway features in his novels.

The composer Percy Whitlock (1903-1946); the painter and killer Richard Dadd (1819-1887); and, in more modern times, the artist/poet/musician Billy Childish and poet/painter/storyteller and mythographer Bill Lewis lived in Chatham. The poet/screenwriter/film maker and writer Alan Denman, was a lecturer at the Kent Institute of Art & Design (KIAD) at Fort Pitt in Rochester. The Brit Artist Tracey Emin and designer Zandra Rhodes were KIAD students. KIAD is now part of the University College for the Creative Arts (UCCA). Emin also lived at Castle Road, Rochester and in Chatham. The author and screenwriter Stel Pavlou also attended Chatham Grammar School for Boys, and boyband-singer Lee Ryan.^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Chatham
• Chatham Dockyard

• Valenciennes, France.

• The Chatham News Index (1899-1965)
• A Vision Of Britain Through Time: 19th Century Chatham Boundary Map
• Chatham's Fortified Places
• Pentagon Shopping Centre
• Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust

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