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Chatham Leasing

Did You Know?

The first recorded mentioning of Chatham was as Cetham in 880, and then in the Doomsday Book in 1086, where the name Ceteham was used instead. Historians suggest that the Chatham originates from a combination of an Old English word that survived from the Romans Cetu, meaning 'basin' or 'valley', with the popular suffix ham meaning 'settlement'.

Famous faces born in Chatham include multi-media artist Billy Childish, singer Lee Ryan from the boy band Blue and iconic fashion and textile designer Zandra Rhodes who has created looks for Princess Diana and Freddie Mercury.

The Chatham Naval Memorial is one of three obelisks in the country (the other two are situated in Portsmouth and Plymouth) built in 1924 to pay respect to fallen Naval heroes who died without a grave during WWI. It was designed by architect Robert Lorimer and is the only one to stand on a hill.

All Saints' Hospital closed its doors in 1999, but it was originally the Medway Union Workhouse, built in 1849 to replace the Chatham Workhouse, which is said to have inspired Dickens' Oliver Twist. The NHS acquired the property in 1948 and was then given the name All Saints'.

Chatham Dockyard was declared a Royal Dockyard by Queen Elizabeth I in 1567 due to its strategic location, close to London and at a gateway to the continent. Now the Dockyard is a museum and often features in historical dramas such as Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown.

The Historic Chatham Dockyard is located on the River Medway in Kent. It was established in the mid-16th century in Chatham. It was a Royal Navy Dockyard, later on, the dockyard was expanded into neighboring  Gilling ham in the early 20th century.

over 400 years Chatham Royal Dockyard provides more than 500 ships for the Royal Navy. It also spearheaded the building of ships and industrial and architectural technology.  It was one of the main facilities of the Royal navy until was closed in 1984. 

It is the UK’S largest collection of historic boats. The boats saved hundreds of lives off the coasts of the UK.  At the Historic Dockyard Chatham not only will you see the historic lifeboat collects of RNLI but also you will learn about the many dangerous missions that the lifeboats encountered.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham spearheaded the building of ships and industrial and architectural technology. For about 414 years, it made sure about 500 ships were available for the Royal Navy. It employed almost 10,000 skilled artisans.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is an award-winning gallery of command of the Oceans for telling thrilling stories of the dockyard of the age of sail with fascinating archeology and long-hidden object at the time.