In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Chatham like this:
Chatham, seaport town, parl. bor., and par., mid. Kent, 33 miles SE. of London -- par., 4444 ac., pop. 26,889; bor., 2707 ac., pop. 46,788; 2 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-day, Saturday. The bor. includes most of Gillingham parish on the E., and is practically united with Rochester on the W.; has numerous brickyards, limekilns, and flour-mills in its neighbourhood, and carries on a large retail trade. ...
C. is one of the chief naval arsenals of Britain. The first dockyard was established in 1588. Since that date great extensions to the marine resources of the place have been made. The dockyards now cover an area of some 160 ac. The Government shipbuilding establishment, situated at Brompton, about ½ mile below C., covers an area of 100 ac., and includes extensive building-slips, floating-docks, and saw-mills. The C. Lines, which are among the most elaborate fortifications in the kingdom, consist of an intricate system of trenches, batteries, and subterranean passages. Besides the extensive system of dockyards, they include barracks, hospitals, an arsenal with a large park of artillery, a gymnasium, a military school for sappers and engineers, a military institute, and a convict prison. Numerous remains have been discovered of the Romans, who appear to have had a cemetery at C. The bor., which was created by the Reform Act of 1832, and contains most of the eccl. dists. of Brompton and New Brompton, returns 1 member to Parliament.
Chatham through time
Chatham is now part of Medway district. Click here for graphs and data of how Medway has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Chatham itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Chatham, in Medway and Kent | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/375
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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