Chatham Dockyard

HM Dockyard, Chatham
Chatham, Kent
Chatham Dockyard in 1790 (by Nicholas Pocock)
Chatham Dockyard (Kent)
Coordinates	51°23′50″N 00°31′40″E / 51.39722°N 0.52778°E / 51.39722; 0.52778
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
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.