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Chatham Leasing

Did You Know?

Chatham is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, was the birthplace of many famous ships including Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. Once one of the most importance naval dockyards in the country, it is now the most complete dockyard of the age of sail to survive in the world.

As such, the region offers all kinds of water-based activities like fishing, boating and swimming. Known as the “Classic Car Capital of Canada”, Chatham in Kent also has a storied past as a car manufacturing powerhouse This is celebrated annually during the popular classic car show

Always fearing invasion, Henry VIII constructed a dockyard at Chatham, now a major visitor attraction in Medway known as The Historic Dockyard. The great British author, Charles Dickens moved to the town at the age of five when his father John Dickens worked in the Royal Navy pay office at the dockyard.

Chatham (recorded in 1086 as Ceteham in Domesday Book) grew around the Royal Navy dockyard established by Henry VIII and later improved by Charles I. The dockyard, closed as a naval base in the early 1980s, is now a historic trust.

Where did Charles Dickens live . After brief stays in London and Sheerness he would spend the formative years between 4 and 11 in Chatham, first at St Mary's Place, in a house long demolished on the old Brook, and later at 2 Ordnance Terrace close to Chatham railway station which still stands.

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.

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. 

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.

Traffic in the centre of town became such a problem in the 18th century that in 1769, they by-passed the town with a road running from the top of Star Hill in Rochester, to the bottom of Chatham Hill.