The Historic Dockyard Chatham

To tell the story of The Historic Dockyard Chatham is to tell of how one nation came to rule the waves. How British innovation, engineering and design broke the mould. How vision, grit and hard work secured prosperity and launched the world’s greatest naval power for generations to come.

It’s to tell the story of thousands upon thousands of shipwrights and craftsmen plying their trade across four centuries. Banging, clanging, hammering, sawing, forging, sewing, planning, toiling. Every plank, every mast. Every rope, every rivet. From sail to steam to diesel. Above the water and below. A thriving centre of unsurpassed skill, invention and vision. An industrial phenomenon. A powerhouse at the heart of an extraordinary undertaking.

From Henry VIII to Oliver Cromwell, from Queen Elizabeth I to the Cold War, from the Battle of Trafalgar through two World Wars - fleet after fleet, built and maintained, setting forth into an uncertain future on unforgiving high seas. Vital for trade, for exploration, for Britain’s security, for four hundred years Chatham protected us. Then, in 1984, it became our turn to protect Chatham, as the Dockyard was transformed to take on a new role – a custodian of unrivalled maritime memories.

Today, this remarkable place is run by a charitable trust, dedicated to preserving and presenting Chatham’s unique history in all its glory; so future generations can wonder at the huge part it played in our past, and learn what it took to rule the waves. 

Nowhere can you see and touch more of Britain’s unsurpassed naval and maritime history in one place. Nowhere is the experience of life in the golden age of sail more alive than in the Age of Sail galleries. Discover how ships, including HMS Victory, were designed and built, immerse yourself in the vivid Hearts of Oak gallery and explore four superb new interactive ‘Command of the Oceans’ galleries.

Command of the Oceans reveals thrilling archaeology and long-hidden objects for the first time. It tells powerful, compelling stories of innovation and craftsmanship. It shows how Chatham Dockyard and its people helped lead Britain to worldwide influence. It presents two internationally significant maritime archaeological discoveries – the timbers of the Namur (1756), intriguingly laid to rest beneath the floor of the old Wheelwrights’ workshop, and an incredible treasure trove of archaeological objects recovered from the sea bed, from the Invincible (1758).

From there, climb aboard a Victorian anti-slavery sailing ship, a Second World War Destroyer a Cold War submarine. Get hands-on in the remarkable Georgian ropery, where the rigging for HMS Victory was made. Saunter past the Commissioner’s House and officer’s quarters and explore galleries that unfurl the secrets of the story of Great Britain at sea.

Chatham offers unrivalled access to the ships that shaped the world, and the stories of the people who made them. It’s the most complete dockyard from the age of sail. A place of stirring tales of boldness and daring. A place like no other.