85-761: Dickens World was a themed attraction located in the Chatham Dockside retail park in Kent , England . It was themed around elements of the life and work of Charles Dickens . After a soft opening in April, Dickens World officially opened to the public on 25 May 2007. It closed on 12 October 2016. First conceived as far back as the 1970s, Dickens World was designed by Gerry O'Sullivan-Beare, who also created Santaworld in Sweden and Andersen World. It cost £62 million. Designers RMA Ltd worked closely with Dickens World and
170-493: A Great Expectations -themed water ride, a Haunted House , a 4D movie at Peggotty's boathouse, an animatronic show in a mock-up Britannia Theatre, an interactive schoolhouse based on Dotheboys Schoolhouse , a " Fagin 's den" play area for children, and " The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters ", a themed bar and restaurant. Visitors exited into a gift shop called The Olde Curiosity Shoppe . The Great Expectations ride took visitors through scenes of Victorian London and ended with
255-474: A propeller , each of which could be driven independently from the same engine for comparison. Following the success of such early trials with screw propulsion , several older sailing ships were taken into dry dock and retro-fitted with propellers, beginning with HMS Horatio . Another hint of changes to come was seen in the launch of HMS Aetna , the first armour-plated vessel to be built at Chatham, in 1856. All these developments were to come together with
340-663: A 2.5-long-ton (2.54 t) propeller were fitted, but also masts, sails, rigging, guns, coal, food, ammunition and furnishings were either loaded or installed. It was partly to address this problem that the Admiralty undertook a huge building programme at Chatham. Between 1862 and 1865, the size of the yard quadrupled and provided specialist facilities for steam-powered ships with metal hulls. Three basins were constructed along St. Mary's creek, from west to east: No.1 Basin (of 28 acres (110,000 m )), No.2 Basin (20 acres (81,000 m )) and No.3 Basin (21 acres (85,000 m )). Along
425-415: A Friday night on the lash with your mates". In February 2008, they were named as Worst Band at the annual NME awards . They were produced by ex-member of Jamiroquai , Toby Smith , until his death in 2017, and managed by Steve Morton. The band's second single, " Goodbye Mr A ", appeared in the football video game FIFA 08 , and the game can also be seen in the "Goodbye Mr A" music video . Following
510-422: A couple of years of therapy." He has also referred to the process of releasing the album as "a baptism of fire" that took "2 years of writing and recording" to create, predominantly by himself. White Tail Falls' latest release is a second EP, Entitlement of Age , released May 30, 2022. In 2021 The Hoosiers teamed up with former Britain's Got Talent contestants and YouTubers Woody & Kleiny, to record
595-475: A few weeks later. The band asked fans to pre-order the album. They also gave fans the chance to appear in their "Somewhere in the Distance" video and visit the recording studio. We're not a big record label with lots of money, though, so need to pay for the recording, manufacturing, adverts, videos, touring, promotion – all the stuff a label usually does – ourselves. The album was released on 14 April 2014 under
680-525: A fishing (though in looks only) village with its multi-coloured houses and a modern energy-efficient concept. Many homes have views of the River Medway. A primary school (St. Mary's C of E) and a medical centre provide facilities for the residents and there are attractive walks around the Island. Chatham Dockyard has become a popular location for filming, due to its varied and interesting areas such as
765-400: A fourth Basin of 57 acres (230,000 m ), together with additional large docks of up to 800 ft (240 m), to cover the remaining land on St Mary's Island; but these were soon superseded by plans to build an entirely new dockyard at Rosyth . Nevertheless, Light cruisers and other smaller vessels continued to be built at Chatham during the first half of the 20th century. Also with
850-594: A further ship was launched. In the interwar years, eight S-class submarines as well as X1 were built at Chatham but this was a period of decline. Production ramped up during World War II with HMS's Umpire , Una , Splendid , Sportsman , Shalimar , Tradewind , Trenchant , Turpin , Thermopylae and Acheron being constructed. In February 1958 it was announced in Parliament that Sheerness Dockyard would close in 1960, with Nore Command (and its Chatham-based Commander-in-Chief) to be abolished
935-419: A major reconfiguration of the ropery. Among the vessels built in this Dockyard which still exist are HMS Victory (launched in 1765 and now preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard ) and HMS Unicorn (a Leda -class frigate ), launched in 1824 and now preserved afloat at Dundee ). Following the appointment of Robert Seppings as Master Shipwright in 1804, iron began to be introduced into
SECTION 10
#17327765384281020-446: A mixed-use development (incorporating offices, an education facility, apartments, town houses and a food store ( Asda ), as well as landscaped public areas). The development is called "Chatham Waters". In 2019 Peel announced that Chatham Docks would close in 2025 with the loss of 800 jobs. The remaining 350 acres (1.4 km ) were transferred to the government's urban regeneration agency (later English Partnerships ). Under its remit,
1105-532: A more mixed review, however, noting that whilst "the comedy is not the strongest," the show was still "a pleasant way to spend an hour;" Evans scored the production 3 stars. On October 18, 2019, lead singer Irwin Sparkes released the single "Give It Up, Son" under the name 'White Tail Falls,' with an accompanying music video premiering November 15. Following the release of a second single, "Disintegrate" on January 14, 2020, an album, titled Age Of Entitlement ,
1190-670: A naval dockyard was precipitated by the use of the Medway as a safe anchorage by the ships of what became (under King Henry VIII ) England's permanent Royal Navy . In 1550, a decree was issued to the Lord High Admiral that: all the Kinges shippes should be harborowed in Jillyngham Water – saving only those that be at Portsmouth Even prior to this, there is evidence of certain shore facilities being established in
1275-484: A new (adjacent) site to the north. (The old site was in due course transferred to the Ordnance Board , who established the gun wharf there.) By 1619, the new dockyard consisted of a new dry dock and wharf with storehouses, all enclosed within a brick perimeter wall. The growing importance of the dockyard was illustrated with the addition soon afterwards of a mast pond, and the granting of additional land on which
1360-697: A performance at the London Islington Academy from the 'Tour from Nowhere' in May 2014, and the other was titled Acoustic Songs in a Church which included 12 tracks from across the band's four albums to date, each song recorded in one take on a single day in February 2014. As both albums were recorded in 2014 before Martin's departure, they are the last albums to feature the full line-up of the Hoosiers to date. After finishing their tour in 2016, it
1445-680: A quarry in Derbyshire. The latter was due to be a single until it was announced that this was not the case on 14 October 2010. It was announced on 1 April 2011, that the band had departed from their record labels RCA and Sony Music after a dispute over the promotion of their latest album The Illusion of Safety . Sparkes told the Daily Record , "I don't think many people knew that the second album had been released, so we're having to reissue it to bring it to people's awareness." The band announced that they were repackaging and re-releasing
1530-528: A requirement for additional defences. Over 414 years Chatham Royal Dockyard provided more than 500 ships for the Royal Navy , and was at the forefront of shipbuilding , industrial and architectural technology. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled artisans and covered 400 acres (1.6 km ). Chatham dockyard closed in 1984, and 84 acres (34 ha) of the Georgian dockyard is now managed as
1615-587: A result, it was acknowledged by 1771 that Chatham had no future as a front-line fleet base; nevertheless, following a visit by the Admiralty Board in 1773, the decision was taken to invest further in Chatham, and to develop it as a building yard rather than a refitting base. By this time the establishment, including the gun wharf, stretched one mile (1.6 km) in length, and included an area of in excess of 95 acres (380,000 m ). Alongside
1700-453: A royal dockyard until 1959, but it was never considered a major shore establishment and in several respects it operated as a subsidiary yard to Chatham. By the late 17th century a number of prestigious new buildings were erected (including the officers' residences, the clocktower storehouse and the main gatehouse), several of which are still in place. At the same time, the nearby village of Brompton began to be developed to provide housing for
1785-508: A second (double) dry dock was constructed, along with a sail loft , a ropery and residences for the dockyard officers: all of which were completed by 1624. Peter Pett , of the family of shipwrights whose history is closely connected to the Chatham dockyard, became commissioner in 1649. In 1686 two new dry docks were built, in addition to the old single and double dry docks; all four were rebuilt and expanded at various points in subsequent centuries (the double dock having been converted into
SECTION 20
#17327765384281870-540: A simulated drop from a sewer into the River Thames . Though featuring Magwitch, the ride did not follow the plot of Great Expectations . Instead, it emphasised the criminal elements of Dickens' novel, featuring a jail filled with criminal characters from several of the writer's books. That ride closed in 2013. The 4D film in Peggotty's Boathouse told the story of Dickens, featuring an inflatable Catherine Dickens ,
1955-449: A single dock in 1703). Although the yard focused mainly on refitting and repairs, some shipbuilding continued to take place. It made do with a single shipbuilding slip for much of the 17th century (a second slip, dating from the same period, had fallen out of use; it was replaced in the 1730s). Also in 1686 a 'Great Long Store-house' was built, alongside the ropery on what is now Anchor Wharf; and two new mast ponds were constructed, in what
2040-644: A tie-in record to the Euro 2020 Football Championship called "Route 66". Based on an old song called "PC Wilson", the football song is a charity record with proceeds from the single going to the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), while the video features appearances from Naughty Boy, The Wealdstone Raider and indie band Two Weeks in Nashville. "Route 66" charted on the Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 at number one on
2125-473: A winking Nelly Ternan , and a spray of water in the face during the Dickenses' trip to America. The whole is framed with a magic lantern theme. That attraction closed in 2013. At Dotheboys Schoolhouse visitors experience a Victorian classroom. Touch-screens replaced slates, and visitors took a quiz on Dickens' life and works. The haunted house was first advertised as Ebenezer Scrooge 's house, but before
2210-772: The Chatham Historic Dockyard visitor attraction by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Joseph Farington (1747–1821) was commissioned by the Navy Board to paint a panoramic view of Chatham Dockyard (as part of a project to create a visual record of all six home yards) in 1785. The painting, now in the National Maritime Museum , provides a detailed illustration of the yard as it was in the Age of Sail ; many of
2295-570: The Dickens Fellowship to ensure that the production of authentic storylines, characters, atmospheric streets, courtyards, and alleyways were true to the period. Dickens World was based around the life of author Charles Dickens , briefly a resident of Chatham in Kent as a child and who, as an adult, lived at Gad's Hill Place in nearby Higham . Many of the locations and characters in his novels are based on buildings, places and people of
2380-772: The Medway Towns . Holcombe Manor in Chatham was the inspiration for Dingley Dell, the house in Pickwick Papers , and some of Edwin Drood takes place in Rochester Cathedral . Dickens World was an indoor attraction, centred on a courtyard with façades of buildings related to Dickens, like Warren's Blacking. Unlike many other theme parks, Dickens World was not designed to guide visitors through any particular path, but enabled them to structure their own experience. When Dickens World first opened it included
2465-814: The UK Singles Chart in July 2007, whilst their debut album, The Trick to Life , reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in October 2007. In August 2010, the band released their second top 20 single, " Choices ", and their second top 10 album, The Illusion of Safety . When the band was formed in Indianapolis in 2003, Alan "Alphonso" Raymond Sharland (drummer) and Irwin Nathaniel Sparkes (lead singer and guitarist) spent some time in
2550-597: The United States , encouraged by their chemistry teacher Grant Serpell , (who was part of the band Sailor during their fame in the 1970s), in an attempt to broaden their horizons. The pair won themselves a football scholarship at the University of Indianapolis , despite a reputed claim to be "allergic to running" (a claim which is backed up by lead singer Sparkes' asthma). Their time spent in Indiana inspired
2635-450: The 1850s, and its courtyard was roofed over for a steam hammer shop in 1865. By 1861, No.1 Dock had been filled in and a machine shop constructed in its place for heating, bending and planing armour plate for HMS Achilles which was being built alongside. For the time being, however, marine steam engines were not manufactured on site but were ordered from Thames -based private contractors (along with other associated equipment). In 1860
Dickens World - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-462: The 20th century came the submarine. The first submarine to be built at a royal dockyard was HMS C17 , launched from the covered No.7 Slip in 1908 and then fitted out in No.2 Dock; five more of the same class followed, C18 , C19 , C20 , C33 and C34 . During World War I , twelve submarines were built here, but when hostilities ceased, uncompleted boats were scrapped and five years passed before
2805-555: The Navy". After the abolition of the post of Commander-in-Chief, The Nore , Chatham's Admiral Superintendent took on the additional role of local Flag Officer (with local command responsibilities) and the title Flag Officer, Medway . Included: On 5 September 1971 all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were redesignated as Port Admirals . While they retained command over
2890-603: The adjacent Naval Barracks) was announced in Parliament in June 1981 and scheduled to take place in 1984. Redundancy notices were served, but then abruptly withdrawn following the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands ; the dockyard was heavily involved in preparing ships for the South Atlantic, and in repairing damaged vessels on their return. Nonetheless, the dockyard closed, as planned, on 31 March 1984. At
2975-597: The album with a new title, Bumpy Ride , on 11 April 2011. The rerelease comes with 4 new album tracks, and a deluxe version comes with a DVD of live performances. On 24 May 2013, they appeared at Bradford University's Party on the Amp to perform a few songs, including "Goodbye Mr A". On 25 May 2013, they appeared at Roehampton University 's summerball to perform a few songs. On 18 July 2013, they performed at Bishop Grosseteste University , Lincoln, England . On 19 July 2013, they appeared at Bugjam, Santa Pod Raceway , as one of
3060-888: The band's name, as a citizen of Indiana is colloquially called a Hoosier . Having gathered enough material to compile an album, Sharland and Sparkes returned to London, where they met Swiss keyboard player and sound engineer Duri Darms and Martin Skarendahl, a Swedish ex-fireman who was then working with Darms as a recording studio engineer and studying at The London Music School. The original group included two band members (Tony Byrne and Tom Easey) who had left by this point, leaving Sparkes and Sharland to replace them with Skarendahl. This newly revamped trio of Sparkes, Skarendahl, and Sharland subsequently signed to RCA and released their first album The Trick to Life on 22 October 2007. The band have spoken of their desire to write songs that are about more than just "boy and girl... finding love on
3145-431: The blockmakers, caulkers, pitch-heaters, blacksmiths , joiners and carpenters , sail makers, riggers , and ropemakers (274), as well as bricklayers , labourers and others. Building works at Chatham did not compare with the substantial expansions underway at Portsmouth and Plymouth at this time; but the southern part of the yard was significantly redeveloped, with construction of two new storehouses on Anchor Wharf and
3230-423: The buildings and structures illustrated survive: William Camden (1551–1623) described Chatham dockyard as ...stored for the finest fleet the sun ever beheld, and ready at a minute’s warning, built lately by our most gracious sovereign Elizabeth at great expense for the security of her subjects and the terror of her enemies, with a fort on the shore for its defence. Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – 1731), visiting
3315-515: The cobbled streets, church and over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. Productions that have chosen to film at Chatham Dockyard include: Les Misérables , Call the Midwife , Mr Selfridge , Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows , Oliver Twist , The World Is Not Enough and Grantchester . The Victorian Steam Yard was built around three large Basins ( wet docks ), constructed between 1865 and 1885 along
3400-410: The construction of HMS Achilles , in a newly expanded No.2 Dock, between 1860 and 1864: the first true iron-hulled battleship to be launched in a royal dockyard. To meet the new demands of building in iron, metal mills were built alongside the smithery in 1845, containing rolling machinery and furnaces for reprocessing iron. Holl's smithery was itself enlarged with the addition of a foundry in
3485-431: The core components were... none of it gelled." Radio Ha-Ha! was similarly unimpressed, suggesting the show was "chaotic and muddled" and a "difficult hour to watch," scoring it 1.5 stars. James McColl of The Skinny also gave a low 2-star rating, claiming that whilst Sparkes and Sharland "are both good performers... Felix and The Scootermen feels like a self-indulgent vanity project." Geoff Evans of One4Review gave
Dickens World - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-528: The departure of Skarendahl, the band began work on their fourth studio album titled The Secret Service . Like The News from Nowhere , the band asked fans to pre-order the album and offered a similar incentive system to help with the production of new music. On 9 October 2015, the album was released, preceded by the EPs The Wheels Fell Off and Up to No Good . The band followed up the album with two live albums; one with recordings taken from
3655-465: The dockyard and its defences to become a World Heritage Site . The easternmost basin (Basin No.3) was handed over to the Medway Ports authority and is now a commercial port (Chatham Docks). It includes Papersafe UK and Nordic Recycling Ltd. In 2013 Peel Ports , which owns and runs Chatham Docks, announced that it was set to convert a 26-acre (0.11 km ) portion of the commercial port into
3740-601: The dockyard when necessary. Thus deliveries of victuals, ordnance and other supplies were made by small boats, sailing regularly between Chatham and The Nore. Seeking to alleviate this less-than-satisfactory situation, the Navy Board explored options for developing a shore facility with direct access from the open water of the Thames Estuary . The escalating Anglo-Dutch wars forced their hand, however: several temporary buildings were hastily erected in Sheerness , at
3825-478: The dockyard's growing workforce. From the very start of the 18th century, however, Chatham began to be superseded in both size and importance, first by Portsmouth , then Plymouth , when the main naval enemy became France, and the Western approaches the chief theatre of operations. In addition, the Medway had begun to silt up, making navigation more difficult (especially as the Navy's ships were getting larger). As
3910-558: The dockyard's policing was also transferred to the new No.4 Division of the Metropolitan Police , which remained in that role until 1932. A significant disadvantage for Chatham was that fitting out had always taken place on the river. When Achilles , for example, had been completed and floated out of dry dock, she spent almost a year moored in Gillingham Reach, where not only her engines, boilers, funnels and
3995-468: The duo billed the show "as a self-help seminar " that "takes a few left turns and ends up looking at what motivates these two friends to stay together, doing what they do;" the show ran between July 31 and August 26 at the Underbelly , Bristo Square . Reviews of the production were mostly negative, with Tom Inniss of Voice Magazine scoring the show 2 of 5 stars, claiming that despite "how strong
4080-491: The final vessel was Okanagan built for the Royal Canadian Navy and launched on 17 September 1966. In 1968, a nuclear submarine refitting complex was built between Nos 6 and 7 dry docks, complete with refuelling cranes and health physics building. In spite of this in June 1981, it was announced to Parliament that the dockyard would be run down and closed in 1984. The closure of Chatham Dockyard (along with
4165-407: The following year. At the same time, it was made clear that at Chatham "the dockyard will be retained; but the barracks and other naval establishments will be closed". (In the event, the barracks were reprieved and repurposed rather than being closed at this stage.) The final boats constructed in Chatham were Oberon -class submarines – Ocelot was the last vessel built for the Royal Navy , and
4250-514: The four dry docks it now had a total of six shipbuilding slips (equalling Deptford and outnumbering the other yards in this regard), albeit three of the six were under 150 ft (46 m) in length and suitable only for building smaller warships. The docks varied from 160 ft (49 m) to 186 ft (57 m) in length. The officers and men employed in the yard had also increased, and by 1798 they numbered 1,664, including 49 officers and clerks and 624 shipwrights . Additionally required were
4335-466: The grand opening was renamed the Haunted House of 1859, possibly alluding to Dickens' Christmas story, " The Haunted House ," published that year. The house featured a Pepper's ghost effect. The original company Dickens World Ltd placed itself in administration when unable to meet a £6 million tax bill, and investors lost £32 million. Former director, Ed De Lucy, explained that the attraction
SECTION 50
#17327765384284420-407: The headline acts. It was announced by the band on Twitter that long-term keyboard player Sam Swallow would be joining the band as a full member in 2013. On 17 September 2013, the Hoosiers sent an email out to their fans announcing the planned release of their new album The News from Nowhere . The news was accompanied by the release of the first single from this album, "Somewhere in the Distance",
4505-452: The line of St Mary's Creek (separating St Mary's Island from the mainland). It was envisaged that Basin No 1 would serve as a "repair basin", No 2 as the "factory basin" and No 3 as the " fitting-out " basin; a newly launched ship could therefore enter via the west lock, have any defects remedied in the first basin, have her steam engines and heavy machinery installed in the second, and then be finished, and loaded with coal and provisions, in
4590-598: The mouth of the Medway, to enable ships to re-arm, re-victual and (if necessary) be repaired as quickly as possible. In 1665, the Navy Board approved Sheerness as a site for a new dockyard, and building work began; but in 1667 the still-incomplete Sheerness Dockyard was captured by the Dutch Navy and used as the base for an attack on the English fleet at anchor in the Medway itself. Sheerness remained operational as
4675-625: The naval personnel on site, and responsibility for the base as a whole, their oversight of the work of the dockyard was transferred to new civilian Dockyard General Managers, who had management responsibility across all Departments. The Hoosiers The Hoosiers are an English pop rock band who were originally formed in Indianapolis , Indiana , United States. The band consists of members Irwin Sparkes (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Alan Sharland (drums, percussion, vocals). Their first single " Worried About Ray " reached number 5 on
4760-457: The north of the dockyard, with the expansion project in mind, in 1853). In 1897 a naval barracks was built on the site of the prison to provide crew accommodation for ships anchored in The Nore ; for the next sixty years it served as the headquarters of Nore Command, whose Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in the adjacent Admiralty House. In 1897 a new, even longer dry dock was opened on
4845-441: The north side of No.1 Basin: at its opening, this (No.9 Dock) was the largest in the world at 650 ft (200 m) long by 84 ft (26 m) wide. At around the same time, in the older part of the dockyard, No.7 Slip was extended to accommodate the building of HMS Prince of Wales (launched in 1902), and a new (uncovered) slipway was built a little to the north (No.8 Slip, completed in 1900); at 616 ft (188 m) this
4930-611: The novel sight (and sounds) of a ship being built for the first time of iron (rather than wood): Twelve hundred men are working at her now; twelve hundred men working on stages over her sides, over her bows, over her sterns, under her keel, between her decks, down in her hold, within her and without, crawling and creeping into the finest curves of her lines wherever it is possible for men to twist. Twelve hundred hammerers, measurers, caulkers, armourers, forgers, smiths, shipwrights; twelve hundred dingers, clashers, dongers, rattlers, clinkers, bangers, bangers, bangers! Chatham's establishment as
5015-442: The record label 'Crab Race' and was made available on iTunes , Google Play , as well as streaming services such as Spotify . Shortly after the release of the album the band embarked on a UK-wide tour in the summer of 2014. This tour would be their last with founding bassist Martin Skarendahl who left the band in July 2015, in what was described by the remaining members as "one of the most amicable decisions in music history". After
5100-412: The release of " Worst Case Scenario ", the next release from The Trick to Life was " Cops and Robbers ". For their second album, The Illusion of Safety , several changes were made, including a more synthesised sound and the drummer 'Alphonso' returning to his given name Alan. The Illusion of Safety gave the first single "Choices" and includes the song "Unlikely Hero", for which a video was filmed in
5185-679: The restructuring and refinancing company pulled out of negotiations. The staff were informed by text messages and email that the company had ceased to operate. The Hoosiers used Dickens World as the location for their fourth single's video " Cops and Robbers " in March 2008. It was also featured in series 2 of the CBBC series All Over the Place in 2012. 51°24′04″N 0°31′55″E / 51.40110°N 0.53189°E / 51.40110; 0.53189 Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard
SECTION 60
#17327765384285270-474: The river, according to a Privy Council instruction of 1550; for more specialised repairs and maintenance, however, ships would have had to travel to one of the purpose-built royal dockyards (the nearest being those on the Thames : Deptford and Woolwich ). 1567 is generally seen as the date of Chatham's establishment as a Royal Naval Dockyard. In the years that followed the ground was prepared, accommodation
5355-415: The same time, moves were being made towards the application of steam power to ship propulsion. The first steam-powered ship to be laid down at Chatham was HMS Phoenix , one of four paddle steamers built concurrently across the royal dockyards in the early 1830s, each designed by a different leading shipwright. HMS Bee , launched at Chatham in 1842, was an experimental vessel fitted with both paddles and
5440-411: The southern edge of No.1 Basin four new dry docks were built (Nos.5–8), each 420 ft (130 m) long. Initially a purpose-built 'steam factory' was planned, but following the closure of Woolwich Dockyard in 1869 a number of slip covers were removed from that site and re-erected at the head of the new dry docks to serve as factories for building and fitting engines and for boilermaking . No.1 Basin
5525-477: The structure of ships being built at Chatham; the following year work began on a new, much larger smithery , commissioned by Samuel Bentham , designed by Edward Holl and fitted out by John Rennie . Among other things, the use of iron in ship construction enabled larger vessels to be built, and between 1836 and 1851 Chatham gained five new covered slipways, much larger in scale than the ones they replaced. (The covering of Chatham's slipways and dry docks, to protect
5610-525: The third before leaving via the east locks. The Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard held a seat and a vote on the Navy Board in London. The Commissioners were: In 1832 the post of commissioner was replaced by the post of superintendent, who was invested with the same power and authority as the former commissioners, "except in matters requiring an Act of Parliament to be submitted by the Commissioner of
5695-578: The time of its closure the dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km ). Thereafter this was divided into three sections: 80 acres (0.32 km ), the 18th century core of the site, was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust . The Georgian site is now a visitor attraction under the care of the Trust: Chatham Historic Dockyard . The Trust is preparing an application for
5780-401: The time was the nation's principal naval shipbuilding yard; this led to speculation that Deptford was going to be sold off). The decision established Chatham as the country's premier naval industrial complex; nevertheless, concerns were already being raised over its river being prone to silting. The decision required the dockyard to move from its original location, which was too constricted, to
5865-616: The vicinity for the benefit of the King's ships at anchor: there are isolated references from as early as 1509 to the hiring of a storehouse nearby and from 1547 this becomes a fixed item in the Treasurer's annual accounts. (At around the same time a victualling store was also established, in nearby Rochester , to provide the ships and their crews with food.) The storehouse would have furnished ships with such necessary consumables as rope, pulleys, sailcloth and timber. Careening took place on
5950-493: The westernmost (No.1) Basin was turned into a marina , part of the former factory area to the south was transformed into an entertainment and retail complex ('Chatham Maritime') and the former Barracks (HMS Pembroke ) became Universities at Medway . St Mary's Island , a 150-acre (0.61 km ), largely undeveloped area to the north of the three basins, was transformed into a residential community for some 1,500 homes. It has several themed areas with traditional maritime buildings,
6035-412: The woodwork of ships as they were built or repaired, had begun with No.2 Slip and No.1 Dock in 1817). In 1811, Marc Brunel recommended the installation of steam-powered sawmills in the royal dockyards, to replace the manual labour of the saw pits . Money was only made available for one such installation, however, and Chatham (as the principal building yard at this time) was chosen as its location. Land
6120-517: The yard in 1705, also spoke of its achievements with an almost incredulous enthusiasm: So great is the order and application there, that a first-rate vessel of war of 106 guns, ordered to be commissioned by Sir Cloudesley Shovell , was ready in three days. At the time the order was given the vessel was entirely unrigged; yet the masts were raised, sails bent, anchors and cables on board, in that time . Charles Dickens (1812–1870), who had grown up in Chatham, returned in later life and described in 1861
6205-739: Was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent . Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham ; at its most extensive (in the early 20th century) two-thirds of the dockyard lay in Gillingham, one-third in Chatham. It came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation , relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to
6290-538: Was announced that Swallow would be leaving the band. On 15 September 2023 they released their fifth studio album Confidence . During the Summer of 2024 The Hoosiers supported bands McFly and Madness at select UK dates. In May 2019, Sparkes and Sharland announced they would be appearing at that year's Edinburgh Fringe as 'Felix and The Scootermen,' a comedy duo featuring Sharland as 'Lee Delamere' and Sparkes as 'Felix Scoot.' Titled Self-Help Yourself Famous ,
6375-427: Was appointed to Chatham in 1572 (though he was primarily based at Deptford). Under his supervision the site was developed to include sawpits , workshops , storehouses and a wharf with a treadmill crane (completed in 1580). Most significantly, Chatham's first dry dock was opened in 1581 (for repairing naval galleys ). The first ship to be built at the dockyard, a 10-gun pinnace named HMS Merlin (or Merlyon ),
6460-423: Was embarked on in 1817, with the building of a 'Lead and Paint Mill', in which a single beam engine powered a rolling mill and a series of devices for grinding pigment and mixing paint; the plant was operational from 1819. It was not until 1837, however, that steam power was first introduced into the ropery, and the smithery received its first engine (for blowing the forges and powering tilt hammers ) in 1841. At
6545-450: Was formally announced. The four-track Fake News EP followed on March 6, with the album proper releasing May 29; the release was received positively by critics. Sparkes later revealed in interviews that the idea for creating a solo album "started forming around 2015", whilst White Tail Falls itself came about during "a ‘wobble crisis’ when The Hoosiers took a year off," with Sparkes inspired to create new music after "committing to
6630-408: Was launched in 1579. The dockyard received its first royal visit, from Elizabeth I , in 1573; later, in 1606, James I used Chatham dockyard for a meeting with Christian IV of Denmark . In the early 17th century the government resolved to invest in a new specialised facility for refitting and repairing warships. By 1611 Chatham had been chosen as its location (in preference to Deptford, which at
6715-456: Was losing between £500,000 and £1m each year, and only the revenue from the adjacent Odeon Theatre and Porter's restaurant had kept the attraction open. The new owners reduced the prices to £6.50 a head and the boat trip ride was removed. From 23 March 2013, the venue offered a guide-led walking tour where the visitors met costumed characters, and intended to host weddings and corporate events. Dickens World officially closed in October 2016 when
6800-502: Was officially opened in 1871, with HMS Invincible being brought into No.5 Dock for repairs, with great ceremony. Work on the other docks and basins followed, with No.3 Basin finally being completed in 1883. Two years later the project was largely complete, with facilities provided alongside for gun mounting and mast rigging, as well as a victualling depot and a coaling area. Much of the excavation and building work had been done by convict labour (a convict prison having been built to
6885-512: Was one of the longest slips in the world and was designed for building battleships . (The older slipways, by contrast, were proving much too small and they were mostly filled in around this time, their covered areas being put to alternative uses.) The first battleship to be built on the new No.8 Slip was HMS Africa , launched in 1905; however it also proved to be the last, as it was announced (controversially) that Chatham Dockyard would be unable to accommodate Dreadnoughts . Proposals were made for
6970-470: Was pumped dry using a Boulton & Watt steam engine. After completion of the new dock in 1821, reconstruction of the other docks in stone followed (with the exception of the northernmost, which was converted into a slipway); they were likewise emptied using steam power, provided by the same engine and pumps (which were also linked to a network of pipes installed across the whole dockyard site for firefighting purposes). Another novel application of steam power
7055-419: Was purchased to the northeast for its construction, and the new saw mill began operation in 1814. The following year, John Rennie was engaged to build an entirely new dry dock (following his own recommendations) which was the first in the dockyard to be built entirely of stone; it was built on the site of the old smithery. Unlike the earlier timber docks, which were drained using gravity, this new dock (No.3 Dock)
7140-624: Was secured and in 1570 a mast pond was installed. The following year a forge was built for anchor-making. At around the same time a large house was leased (the Hill House) for administrative purposes including meetings of the Council of Marine Causes . (Hill House would serve as the dockyard's Pay Office for the next 180 years; the Royal Marine Barracks were later built on its site). The renowned Tudor shipwright Mathew Baker
7225-504: Was then the northernmost part of the yard, in 1697 and 1702. One of the disadvantages of Chatham (and also of the Thames-side yards) was their relative inaccessibility for ships at sea (including those anchored in The Nore ). Therefore, rather than risk being constrained by wind, tide and draught on a journey upriver, ships would seek as often as possible to do running repairs and maintenance while at anchor, and would only travel to
#427572