Essential Hotels > England > Kent > Chatham

Chatham is located in North Kent. It is a Medway town, meaning it is one of several settlements based around the River Medway. The Medway is a significant waterway, which was historically used as a trading route into Kent and was responsible for the growth of the riverside market towns. Chatham is has convenient local road links, with the M2 motorway to the south of the town and the A2 to the north. The A2 was once a Roman road travelling from Dover, through Canterbury, and into London. The road network, as well as regular rail services, brings Chatham within easy reach of Central London.

Chatham’s origins pre-date the Domesday Book, but the town will always be best known for its 16th century dockyards and the associated naval and military history. The 1500s saw the first significant use of the Medway docks, which were protected from the openness of the North Sea by the convoluted path of the river from Chatham to the coast at Sheerness. Henry VIII first rented two warehouses here in the 1540s, and its importance grew from there, being designated the Royal Dockyards under Elizabeth I. One of the docks’ most famous achievements is the construction of the HMS Victory, which was captained by Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic War. Sadly, after over 400 years of use, the docks closed in the 1980s, and are now a heritage attraction known as Chatham Historic Dockyards. There are also the remains of several forts built to protect the docks to be seen in the surrounding area, and Chatham’s military heritage is maintained by the Royal Engineers, whose training and headquarters are based in the town.

The dockyards remain Chatham’s most popular visitor attraction, but there are several more places to explore both in and near the town. Charles Dickens lived in Chatham twice during his life, and there is a family based attraction, Dicken’s World, in the town that contains rides and experiences themed around his works. The road links mean that visitors can easily journey further into Kent, including the beautiful city of Canterbury or the motor racing at Brands Hatch. Bluewater, one of the largest shopping malls in the UK, is also within driving distance.