The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Dockyard is home to award winning galleries that detail the life of dockyards and the hidden stories within them. The Age of Sail gallery documents the glory days of the age of sail. Here visitors can discover how the great ocean vessels like the HMS Victory were designed and constructed. The engaging and immersive Heart of Oak gallery relives the life of retired Master Shipwright of the Valiant, John North, follow his footsteps around the beautifully curated narrative experience. The four new ‘Command the Oceans’ galleries give their audience a full interactive journey revealing thrilling archaeological finds and long-lost objects now available for viewing.

Now it wouldn’t be a dockyard without ships, and the Chatham Historic Dockyard has three titans of the sea on display. From the second you set eyes on them you will sense the vision and gain new appreciation of the hard work that forged them. A visit to these historic warships will give you great perspective ofd the nautical lives of those who rode the ocean on the Victorian Sloop, the WW2 Destroyer and the Cold War Submarine. A truly memorable experience that will leave you speechless.

Other notable features of the Dockyard include the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection which is the largest collection of its kind. From an 1897 pulling and sailing lifeboat to the familiar Blue Peter inflatable models this collection has saved hundreds of lives over the years and tell an incredible tale of innovation. Chatham Dockyards have been making rope for almost 400 years meaning it is the only one of the original Royal Navy Ropeyards to still be in use today. Check out the Victorian Ropery and see how they create materials still used to rig the mightiest of seafarers.

There is so much to see and do at the Chatham Historic Dockyards, a modern interpretation on classic British history that everyone should take time to visit.