Historic Dockyard Chatham

Congratulations to The Historic Dockyard Chatham's RNLI volunteering group that has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. 🥂

The group are a vital resource for keeping the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection fully maintained. They also do a fantastic job of engaging with visitors about the collection's history and its significance.

Well done to all involved. 👏 Wishing you another happy 30 years.

It's the final weekend for Yuck Yard: The Rat-catcher's Trail.

Can you sniff out the rats and revolting foodie facts as you skulk around the Dockyard? Track down the rodents to uncover gross answers and sink your teeth into tales of gruesome grub!

📍 Yuck Yard at The Historic Dockyard Chatham until 3 November.
Included with standard Dockyard ticket.

🐀

Director Steve McQueen's new film 'Blitz' is now in cinemas.

During filming, The Historic Dockyard doubled as many different locations including a London Underground Station and a factory.

One of the most powerful scenes in the movie (and trailer) is a building on fire. This scene was filmed here at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. It is the first time a stunt of this scale has been attempted at The Historic Dockyard, and the resulting footage is incredible. A false building front was built in Museum Square; it incorporated controlled fire and smoke effects to create a very realistic impression of how London burned during the Blitz.

The film follows Saoirse Ronan's character, Rita, across bombed London during the Second World War, as she searches for her nine-year-old son who is determined not to be evacuated.

If you see the film in the cinema or on Apple TV later in the month, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Let us know 👇

📸 All rights reserved.

Happy Halloween 🎃

On the spookiest night of the year, we'd love to hear about the ghostly experiences you've had here at The Historic Dockyard.

The Dockyard is no stranger to spooky stories, with plenty of staff, volunteers, and visitors having experiences. 👻

It's no surprise that the Rope Walk and The Ropery are hot spots for activity. Currently, there have been sightings of a man in a brown coat who, when approached, will disappear. Whilst he may be unconcerned about other people's presence, there is a second entity that is not so friendly.

Staff members have reported being pushed, watched, and made to feel unwelcome.

Is the malevolent presence visible in these photos? can you see the same round, white face?

Have you been down to the Yuck Yard this October Half Term?

Be quick! There are only three days left of the Battle of the Bilge to be disgusted by. 🤢

Meet Widow Wink, the queen of queasy cures! At her apothecary table, she brews up potions from sour-smelling herbs and all sorts of natural nasties. Fancy a leech or two? She’s got just the trick to turn your stomach!

Seek out Assistant Surgeon George Bass, who’s at the cutting edge of seafaring surgery— literally! From yanking out rotten teeth to sawing off gangrenous limbs and patching up festering gunshot wounds, he’s got just the tool for every ailment.

📍 Yuck Yard at The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Included with standard Dockyard ticket.
Battle of the Bilge is on until 31 October; Rat-catcher's Trail until 3 November. 🐀

Commissioner's House

The original house was built in 1640 for the First Resident Commissioner Phineas Pett, his family and servants. In 1703 it was knocked down and rebuilt in its present style for the new Resident Commissioner George St Lo. Lo felt that the original house did not compare to his previous, and newly built, residence in Plymouth and petitioned for a new one to be built of equal grandeur.

The house has changed little since its construction and it is the oldest intact naval building in Britain to survive. Internally the centrepiece is a magnificent ceiling painting above the main staircase. Painted on a wood panel and depicting a scene of the Greek gods assembling, it is believed to have come from the Great Cabin of the Royal Sovereign an important first-rate ship of the line, broken up at Chatham in 1768.

📍 The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Volunteer Voices: Working in Slip 3

Conservation Volunteer, Auriel shares how volunteering at The Historic Dockyard Chatham helped with studying at university.

I first started volunteering at the dockyard in October 2022, working in Slip 3. This was the beginning of my conservation journey, as I had started to think about going to university to study it, and realised that volunteering would be the perfect way to see if it was something I actually enjoyed.

It turns out, I not only adore working and studying in conservation, but volunteering at the Dockyard has been one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Potentially the best part of the role is the many, many opportunities available.

👉 read Auriel's story: https://bit.ly/CHDT_Volunteer-Voices-Auriel

HMS CAVALIER was launched in 1944 and is a CA-class destroyer. She is preserved as The National Destroyer Memorial commemorating the 11,000 lives and 142 Royal Navy Destroyers lost during the Second World War.

As a part of the 80th-anniversary celebrations, some objects from her collection have been loaned to the Classic Boat Museum on the Isle of Wight. The Classic Boat Museum is on the site of the former J.S. White dockyard in Cowes where HMS CAVALIER was built and launched in 1944.

Take part in an otherworldly evening of audiovisual installations that reveal the unseen and unheard rhythms of nature at night 🌙✨

Featuring incredible works from creative practitioners like Xtina Lamb, Jane Pitt, Anna Braithwaite, Formwork, Livi Wilmore, Tom Ward, Cybersaur Arts, Gabi Almeida, and 51zero, you’ll immerse yourself in a world filled with bioluminescence, bat echoes, glow fungi, night foxes, weather patterns, augmented reality, animation, and 3D sound.

Experience a unique projection mapped piece created by Cybersaur Arts, featuring weather-based extracts from the diary of a former Dockyard Matey.

We are thrilled to partner with Electric Medway for this event as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations! 🎉

🔗 More info: https://bit.ly/nocturnal-evening
📅 6pm to 9pm, 26 October 2024
📍 The Old High Street Intra (various locations)
🆓 FREE event, no booking required

Yesterday we were delighted to host the launch of Windrush: A Time to Remember, an exhibition curated by David Lawrence on behalf of the Medway African and Caribbean Association (MACA).

The Mayor of Medway, Councillor Marian Nestorov, officially opened the exhibition with additional speeches by the Chair of MACA Carol Stewart and Curator David Lawrence.

The exhibition allows visitors to explore the Windrush journey through the eyes of the first-generation Windrush communities and hear stories about the history of MACA. It is a poignant and enlightening experience that celebrates the enduring legacy of the Windrush generation and MACA.

This exhibition features historical photographs, personal stories, cultural artefacts, music, and art.

Windrush: A Time to Remember is in the Namur Room of the Mess Deck restaurant and is free to visit without a Dockyard ticket.

Since the Battle of Trafalgar, Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson's victory has been celebrated at an annual dinner. Every year on October 21st, Trafalgar Night is marked in Royal Navy Officer Mess Decks and Wardrooms throughout the country and on Royal Naval vessels serving overseas.

This year, The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust marked Trafalgar Night on Thursday 17 October. Our honoured guest was Dr Simon Thurley CBE, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, who made the toast to The Immortal Memory. started with an introductory speech by Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB, OBE, DL – Chairman of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.

The evening was kindly sponsored by Ward Security and drinks were sponsored by Biddenden Vineyards.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is delighted to announce that it has been awarded GOLD in the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Accolades. 🏆

Congratulations to all the recipients who were announced today (22 October) at a celebratory lunch at the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire. 👏👏

The Dockyard is passionate about maintaining a high-quality day out for our visitors. This year's result (95%) was the highest result ever awarded to The Historic Dockyard and it is the fifth time we have received a GOLD award.

HMS Gannet

A sloop of the Victorian Royal Navy, HMS GANNET was built on the River Medway at Sheerness in 1878.

📍 The Historic Dockyard Chatham
📸 Louise Hubbard

The latest episode of Dock Chat the Dockyard's podcast is now available to listen to. In episode 4 we hear from Alex Rowling of the Master Ropemakers.

Alex has worked for the Master Ropemakers at The Historic Dockyard for over 10 years. During that time, she held several different roles and helped develop the limited company into what it is today. Alex tells us about her various roles in the Ropery, the development of the retail offering, and the fascinating world of the Ropery.

Rope has been made at Chatham Dockyard for over 400 years, miles upon miles of rope that has rigged the mightiest vessels ever to take to the sea, including Nelson’s VICTORY.

🎧 Dock Chat is available on all major podcast platforms: https://bit.ly/CHDT_Dock-Chat

This week was the monthly volunteers' coffee morning. ☕

It is a chance for all the volunteers to come together, meet with those who work in different groups, and enjoy a nice piece of cake.

For this month's coffee morning, Pip (the Trust's Volunteer Co-ordinator) awarded some spooky awards including:

❤️ The Queen of Hearts to Andy for painting the roses (workshop floor) red.

🧵 The Enchanted Sewing Machine to Judi for the amount of bunting made for Salute to the '40s.

👻 The Ghostbusters Award to Paul for services to dust-busting (he ain't afraid of no dust!)

Congratulations to all the winners. 👏

Explore our digital exhibitions on the Dockyard's website. It is a great opportunity to find out more information about topics such as the Three Cruisers and Hidden Heroines.

Three Cruisers is a heartbreaking story about how three Chatham Division cruisers all sank on the morning of morning of 22 September 1914.

HMS ABOUKIR, HMS HOGUE and HMS CRESSY, were spotted by a single German submarine, U9, while on patrol off the Hook of Holland. In little under two hours, U9 had torpedoed and sunk all three ships.

Hidden Heroines is an exhibition of the untold stories of the women of the Dockyard. From the women of the Spinning Rooms and Sail and Colour Loft, to tales of stowaways, women masquerading as men and the extraordinary women whose impact left a lasting legacy.

👉 View all online exhibitions: https://bit.ly/CHDT_Digital-Exhibitions

Were you in the Pentagon Shopping Centre today?

A team from the Historic Dockyard were there as a part Medway Fun Palace, which is a free fun-filled day of art and science activities for all ages.

The Dockyard’s Public Engagement Officer, Vikkie said “We've had a brilliant time today at Medway Fun Palace engaging with families and hearing a wide variety of Dockyard stories from local people (including former workers) and our human library has had great fun sharing their memories too.”

On this day in 1815, an Admiralty Letter was issuing instructions that the Surgeon of the Yard was prohibited from undertaking any private practice outside the Dockyard.

Join us this October half-term to discover the gruesome jobs that surgeons used to undertake. During Yuck Yard, seek out Assistant Surgeon George Bass, who’s at the cutting edge of seafaring surgery—literally! From yanking out rotten teeth to sawing off gangrenous limbs and patching up festering gunshot wounds, he’s got just the tool for every ailment. 🐀

Yuck Yard in on 19 October - 3 November and included with a standard Dockyard ticket.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is hosting a range of events during October to celebrate Black History Month.

Black History Month provides a fantastic opportunity to recognise the outstanding contributions people of African and Caribbean descent have made to our country over many generations.

Our upcoming events include:

Extended Circle Workshop, Saturday 12 October
Exhibition - Windrush: A Time to Remember, 22 October - 3 November
Talk - David Lawrence presents: The Music of Windrush, Saturday 2 November
Community Event - Medway Culture Club’s Black History Tour Bus

👉 Find out more: https://bit.ly/CHDT_Black-History-Month-2024

To find out more and to book:

Black History Month Events at The Historic Dockyard Chatham Black History Month Events at The Historic Dockyard Chatham The Historic Dockyard Chatham is hosting a range of events during October to celebrate Black