Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard, 1700–1850

Abstract

During the 18^th century a combination of increasing warship size and the silting up of the Medway reduced Chatham’s utility as a fleet base and led in 1773 to its repurposing as a dockyard. Due to financial constraints, unlike Portsmouth and Plymouth, Chatham remained largely unaltered through the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and also survived lightly from WW2 bombing, thus providing the historian with several buildings of interest. Coad covers notable accommodation buildings such as the Commissioner’s House and Officers’ Terrace and significant engineering structures including the introduction of steam power with Brunel’s sawmill and its use in the ropehouse after 1836.

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Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Internal Waterways
Subjects include: Harbours & Dockyards | Shipbuilding & Design