insideKENT Magazine Issue 54 - September 2016 | Page 95

TOWNSPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT
ON

Chatham

Chatham – unusual, fascinating, and diverse Chatham – is one of the Medway
towns, along with Gillingham, Strood, Rainham and Rochester. Chatham is where
history and the future come together to create a fabulously different place to live,
work, and play. With excellent transport links, yet able to keep its own special
identity, Chatham has plenty to offer anyone who visits. BY LISAMARIE LAMB

HISTORY IN BRIEF
The area we now know as Chatham was first
recorded in 880AD as Cetham. The name, some
say, comes from the Old English word for valley
(‘cet’) combined with the word for a forest
settlement (‘ham’). Put together, the name means
an important settlement in a valley – given the
town’s position on the River Medway, this seems
like a very accurate name indeed.
For many centuries, Chatham remained a small
town, which, despite its prominent position, did
not stand out from the rest of the area. In the
16th century, however, things changed. That
riverside position, and its location (not too far
from London, and within easy reach of Europe)
gave Chatham a boost, taking it from a pretty
English town to an essential tool in shipbuilding
and trade.
The town grew, and the name Chatham was
known up and down the country. Military

regiments were stationed there, and so many
workers were required at the dockyard and other
important places of industry that thousands of
houses were built. For those workers who could
not find anywhere to live in Chatham itself,
additional trams and bus routes were created to
ensure that they could still get to work from
nearby towns.
Chatham had arrived.

Fort Amherst

THINGS TO DO
Fort Amherst
Chatham’s wonderfully evocative Fort Amherst
was originally built to prevent an invasion by
Napoleon’s forces, and since that time it has be
utilised in both World War I and II as a civil defence.
There is a lot to do here including discovering
more than 300 years of military history, enjoying
20 acres of public parkland, taking part in tours
of the underground tunnels, climbing to the top

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of the fort to enjoy the views, and even having a
spot of lunch in the café. Fort Amherst is
considered to be one of the most haunted places
in Kent, and there are often paranormal
investigations taking part there too.
Great Lines Heritage Park
Great Lines Heritage Park is a fantastic, 70hectare area of open space for everyone to enjoy.
As well as being the site of the incredible Fort
Amherst, and including within it a memorial to