The Historic Dockyard Chatham Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.

Reviewed by Maddie Reynolds

The Historic Dockyard Chatham welcomes visitors from February until November, they are open 10:00 am till 17:00 and from November until 16:00 hrs.

We arrived at The Historic Dockyard Chatham via car as we were staying at a caravan park located in Rochester. It was an under 30 minutes journey for us and easily signposted along the route. Car parking is free if you are visiting the Dockyard. You can also get the train to Chatham and walking is 35 to 40 minutes to get to the correct entrance which involves walking along the A231, there is also a bus service. Information for this can be found on the website. Via taxi from the station is about 6 minutes. There is also the option to arrive by boat into the Marina, followed by a short walk to the Dockyard.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham became a registered charity in 1984 following the closing of it which marked the end of over 400 years of ship building. They now are working on a 10 year strategy to preserve it through purposeful reuse, which will incorporate effective Heritage management, adding financial resilience and engagement from the community. They do a remarkable amount to give back and this enables them to support their charity and fundraising.

The Dockyard accommodates 400 people who live on site as well as having over 100 businesses such as a solicitors, ship operators and architects.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham currently have some fantastic exhibitions running, first we enjoyed Quentin Blake story, Jack and Nancy, which is an adventure trail for children who can explore the Dockyard and dive into a world full of imagination. Join in the fun with these two characters created by Quentin Blake for this Dockyard experience and amazing journey seeing amazing places. There was lots of hands on activities around the Dockyard, for example my little one particularly enjoyed dressing up and making an umbrella. We purchased the story to read and revisit at home.

The exhibition runs from 2nd May until 21st June and is included in your ticket. My 5 year old loved this and the little explorer journal was packed with illustrations and activities to do.

Next up, we enjoyed the Ocean Photographer of the year, my 18 year old has recently got into photography and is looking at doing a course, so this particularly interested them. We really enjoyed this and stepping into the interactive world of natural colours, movement and life under the waves, meeting various creatures and animals from penguins to stingrays and many more.

Alongside this is the incredible connection of humans to the sea exhibition. This is also included in your ticket and displays 112 award winning photographs selected from 15,000 entries. It brings together Ocean, Wildlife and other photography from around the world at its best. Running from the 28th March till 31st August 2026, this was breathtaking and seeing the photos up close, the detail in these was phenomenal and really captures the Ocean in a different light.

They also have some other exhibitions to book such as the Call the Midwife tour, this looked great for any fans, which sees employees dressed as Midwives leading the tour around the Dockyard to show where it was filmed.

We managed to also visit the Ropes Museum and find out about all the different types of ropes and how they are used.

I was very impressed with how accessible it is for pushchairs and wheelchair users. The videos are very visual and each one is signed for those with hearing impairments. There was also opportunity to change the language for those that wished to, simply by pushing a button next to the video.

All of the museums and ships were interactive and engaging for children and adults. We enjoyed being able to actually go on the ships and the submarine and see what life would have been like working on them.

Whilst I was there I was asked to go and view the Commissioner’s House (Britain’s oldest standing Navel building and possibly the world) ahead of its opening in a few weeks’ time. The building which was built in 1704 is currently undergoing a restoration project, costing 3.5 million.

The sensitive refurbishment has restored the House’s Georgian elegance while introducing thoughtful contemporary updates, allowing it to function as a refined yet relaxed venue for modern use. Crucially, the restoration has been guided by rigorous historical research, with the team reinstating interior schemes using colours sourced directly from original archival records. This ensures the building reflects its authentic historic character, with original features and paintings carefully preserved.

During the works, a series of fascinating artefacts were uncovered, offering a glimpse into everyday life at the Dockyard. Among the discoveries was a rare playing card, which will be framed and given pride of place ahead of the reopening. The team also found personal notes — often cheeky — scribbled on the walls, serving as an incredible reminder of those who once passed through the building many years ago.

There is a YouTube series which showcases some of the remarkable work being undertaken to restore the House to its former beauty.

I really liked how they had managed to save the beautiful hand painted ceramic sinks which have been added to the bridal suite for weddings. They have also managed to restore the original Commissioner’s House Iconic Mars crowning Neptune ceiling painting, which every time you looked at it you could see something else it really was magnificent.

This venue will not only be for weddings but will be used for corporate events, celebrations such a birthdays and baby showers and finally become open to the public again. They have built their orangery room out in the gardens where you can book to enjoy a cream tea.

The House is also well known as a filming location for Bridgerton, giving guests the opportunity to host their very own Regency-inspired wedding or celebration.

It is set to be a stunning venue that has some new features whilst keeping its history and original state. It will become a wonderful venue for years to come having sat empty for many.

Rating: 5/5! Fantastic family day out for all ages.

Ticket prices Adult £29:00
Child £18:50 age 4 years to 15 years.
Family ticket £78:00

Tickets include re visiting as many times as you like for a whole year from the date of your first visit. Some exhibitions may have an extra cost.

Tickets can be purchased online here.

Address: Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TZ