| Summary : Chatham Dockyard's origin dates to the year 1547. In that year a building was rented for the storeage of rigging and sails belonging to the royal ships then wintering in the Medway. In 1570 the dockyard itself was born, when a mast pond was completed. During the following year land for storehouses, a forge and other dockyard buildings were acquired. This land, the site of the original dockyard, was to the south of the historic dockyard. Most of the work undertaken at Chatham in these early years was connected with the maintenance and repair of royal ships. Considerable expansion of the yard occured in the following century. The dockyard then moved to its present site, with the original yard turned over to the unloading and storage of guns. The dockyard was an obvious target during the Raid on the Medway in 1667 (1584349). By 1699 it included three single docks, a double dock and building slip, but by then Portsmouth had begun to supersede Chatham as the country's premier naval dockyard and Chatham went into decline until the 1850s. At this time considerable areas of marshland were reclaimed for dockyard expansion, and work began on three enclosed basins and four new dry docks (with a fifth added later in the century) and a great variety of workshops, factory buildings and storehouses, coinciding with the busiest period in the dockyard's history. The building of an extension in 1876 revealed the remains of an old warship, believed to be either the SANCTA MARIA (1033764) or CHARLES V (1433179). The 20th century saw 12 submarines launched at Chatham during the First World War. During the Second World War Chatham's primary role was the construction of 'S' class submarines. During the post-war years submarines continued to be built and in 1968 a nuclear submarine refit complex opened. However, in June 1981 it was announced that the yard would close with a three-year rundown programme put into effect. The original historic dockyard has now been turned into a museum. |
More information : The first recorded use of shore facilities in the Medway by the Royal Navy was in 1547 when a store for equipment was rented on the South bank of Gillingham Water. Sheltered, rock-free anchorage and good strategic location near to London and on the East coast favoured the development of a base for the fleet. In June 1550 the Privy Council ordered that paid off ships should be harboured in the Medway and ships were transferred from Portsmouth for repairs. By 1563 the base was the most expensive of the four bases maintained for the fleet. The site is first referred to as Chatham in 1567, at which date the first land was acquired. Additional facilities were constructed in the 1570's - 1590's. The first ship to be built at the yard was launched in 1586. A further 80 acres were leased in 1618, 6 acres being put to immediate use for the construction of a new range of two storey buildings for stores, workshops and officers accomodation. These were arranged around three sides of a square, facing the river, enclosing a new double dock and yard [Auth.(1) plate 2]. None of the buildings of this early yard [centred at c. TQ 75806910, and scheduled] survive. The dockyard continued to expand along the river frontage throughout the 17th century [Auth. (1) plate 2] During the Civil War the docks were held by Parliament. The yard was first enclosed by a wall and fence in 1682/3. This wall was extended and rebuilt to enclose a greater area in the 18th century. The strategic importance of the dockyard led to the construction of an extensive complex of fortifications centred on the base during the later 18th centuries [see associated records]. During the 18th century shoaling of the Medway, the need to cater for larger ships and changed strategic priorities meant that Chatham was no longer convenient as a supply base. In 1773 the Navy Board therefore changed the role of Chatham to one principally of construction of capital ships, and major refits. Extensive reconstruction of the South end of the dockyard took place during the 18th century [Auth. (1) plate 9]: many of the buildings of this time are still extant and form one of the most important industrial complexes of Northern Europe [see associated records]. The yard expanded to the North during the early 19th century, responding to changes in technology and the ever increasing size of ships. The first steam saw-mills were introduced 1810-1813; the first steam powered ship built at the yard was launched in 1849, and the first all-iron ship was launched in 1863. St Mary's Island (centred TQ 769705) was purchased between 1820 and 1854. Between 1860 and 1885 the three major basins at the North end of the yard were constructed at a cost of 3,000,000, pounds and the yards took on their present form. The dockyard was finally closed in 1984, ships based there being redeployed to Portsmouth and Devonport. Principle archives relating to the dockyard are held at the Public Record Office and the National Maritime Museum. The latter collection includes a model of the yard constructed in 1774 [Auth.(1) plate 3]. (1-3)
Detailed account of the history of land acquisition, administration and labour relations at the yard, based on primary sources. (4) |