Chatham was just a small village, a mile or so from the Cathedral City of Rochester, until Henry VIII founded the Royal Dockyard.  For a period in its history, the Dockyard was the main naval base in Britain, but (perhaps due to its river location) gradually lost out to Portsmouth, and closed in 1984.

The Chatham Maritime area now houses the Historic Dockyard - the main historic part of the base - the rest is being transformed into one of the South East’s leading residential, business and leisure areas.

The town of Chatham suffered from the closure of the Naval Base, with thousands of job losses.  There are still other military facilities in the area, and the employment situation has recovered, but the town suffers from a poor reputation.  Some claim that the term ’chav’ is related to Chatham, and indeed, there is nothing ’posh’ about the place.  That said, it is a genuine settlement, with its own sense of identity.

Apart from the Historic Dockyard, there are other attractions that may appeal to those interested in military history.  Fort Amherst, one of a chain of defensive forts around the Medway area, is just a few minutes’ walk from the Dokyard.  Across the river at Upnor, there is a splendid Tudor defensive castle.