40th Anniversary of Chatham Historic Dockyard

On March 31st of this year, we marked the 40th anniversary of Chatham Royal Navy Dockyard’s closure. This also marked the beginning of an extraordinary effort to preserve its historic 80-acre Georgian core, considered the world’s most complete dockyard from the age of sail.

[fg]png|Fig 1: Arms of George I, 1720, Main Gate ©The author|Image[/fg]

The results have been remarkable, but they have not come easily. Initially, not everyone supported the idea of preserving the site and creating a new maritime heritage attraction around it. Some local campaigners argued that the buildings should be sold to private developers immediately, hoping that new businesses, possibly with shipbuilding interests, might replace some of the 7,000 jobs lost due to the closure. In other words, they wanted immediate jobs rather than hopes for the future.

The charitable trust established by the government to maintain the site soon realised the significant challenge it faced and the insufficient resources it had. The main issue was funding, which was in short supply.

Although the yard’s closure was announced in 1981, parts of the site had already been neglected for years. Early visitors to the yard after its closure found that many of its forty-seven ancient scheduled monuments were at risk. Buddleia sprouted in the Smithy, other buildings were unsafe to enter, a few were boarded up, and historic artefacts were being lost.

[fg]png|Fig 2: Buddleia in the Smithery, Permission CHDT|Image[/fg]

The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust (CHDT) was promised an initial endowment of £11.5 million, but they discovered that £3.5 million of that amount had already been allocated by civil servants in London for the reroofing of the still functioning ropery, which is the longest brick building in Europe. Although the Trust would have had to authorise the same work eventually, losing 30% of its funds immediately and facing the cost and complexity of maintaining the buildings in its care was frustrating and illuminating.

By the time the first paying visitors were admitted to the site in 1986, the Trust was being pulled in different directions between the good intentions of those who wanted, or who thought it was necessary to provide, a sort of Disney-like experience with guides in historic costumes versus those who fretted about dwindling resources, insufficient income, leaking buildings and the enormous costs of maintaining the site.

[fg]png|Fig 3 - The Ropery: Permission of CHDT, Louise Hubbard photography|Image[/fg]

By the early 1990s, these pressures had become unsustainable. Pragmatists feared the worst. Just as one government had closed the yard, another rescued it by launching the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) played a crucial role in saving the yard. The first grant of £10 million was received in 1996, followed by additional awards totalling £20 million for various projects. Each grant inspired others as trust in the professionalism of the Trust and its management grew. The City of Rochester-upon-Medway (the forerunner of Medway Council), Kent County Council, and English Heritage all donated money. Government Departments provided annual subventions and tailored grants, while private charitable foundations proved to be generous. In total, the yard received £60 million. Moreover, hundreds of local people provided and continue to provide essential unpaid voluntary help.

The results are impressive. In 1986, there were 14,000 ticket sales, but before Covid, annual visitor numbers had reached nearly 200,000. The ongoing conversion of industrial buildings into offices and workshops generates income expected to make the site financially self-sustainable. The site’s heritage and educational value have been enhanced by attractions such as three former warships, museums, and an award-winning Command of the Oceans visitor experience. The local economy is estimated to benefit from around £30 million a year. Once again, the dockyard is at the centre of the Medway Towns.

The scale of the conservation effort can be gauged by a quick imagining of the scene. In March 1771, Horatio Nelson, the lively son of a widowed clergyman, left his home in North Norfolk and travelled by coach to Chatham to join his uncle’s ship, HMS Raisonnable, as a midshipman for officer training. Many of the principal buildings he saw then and during later visits to the yard have survived and are now under the care of the Trust. These include the ‘Queen Anne style’ Commissioner’s House (1703), the embattled main gatehouse with its colourful coat of arms (1720), a storehouse (1723) known as the Clock Tower building, adjacent to the former drydock where HMS Victory was launched in 1765, the Sail and Color Loft (1723) where the flags were made that signalled his immortal message to the fleet before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and 12 large houses comprising the impressive Officers Terrace (1733) built for the senior managers of the yard who lived on the job.

[fg]png|Fig 4: The Officers Terrace © The author|Image[/fg]

We can only guess what the young sailor thought about the buildings, the bustle he witnessed, and the smells and noises he experienced must have made a lasting impression. Chatham was his introduction to Britain’s naval supremacy and a life of glory.

Several important buildings from the late eighteenth century have been restored and repurposed. These include the Ropery (1784-91), the Royal Dockyard Church (1806), which is now used as a conference centre, and two large riverside storehouses (1778-1805), one of which has been converted into modern offices. Some later buildings have also been repurposed. The Smithery (1809 and later) is now an exhibition centre and houses many model ships. The Armour Plate shop (1860s) serves as a café and depot for the yard’s internal rail engines and wagons. The huge No 3 Slip (1840) also houses the national collection of historic lifeboats and a large mezzanine floor.

[fg]png|Fig 5: Wagon Stop café with Locomotives in Background © The author|Image[/fg]

The yard’s unique locations attract film companies, providing an additional source of income. Two major renovation projects are scheduled for the next few years. With the help of a recent £2.3 million Department of Culture grant, contracts have been signed for the renovation and re-roofing of the Commissioner’s House. A separate collaborative effort with the University of Kent will refurbish the derelict Victorian Grade II Police Section House, creating a multi-million-pound digital media production learning hub.

Challenges are persistent and costly, but Chatham Dockyard is securing a brighter future forty years after its bleakest day.

[fg]png|Fig 6: The Commissioner’s House, Permission of CHDT, Geoff Watkins Aerial Imaging, South|Image[/fg]

[fg]png|Fig 7: Police Section House, The author|Image[/fg]