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Your voyage of discovery starts here

DIVE IN

VISIT THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM

PAY FOR A DAY, VISIT FREE FOR ONE YEAR

A visit to The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a guaranteed adventure. Let your heart set sail through the tides of history. A fantastic day out in Kent awaits.

OPENING TIMES

CLOSED

Reopening on 12 February 2026.

ADMISSION

BUY GIFT VOUCHERS

Tickets for 2026 will be available soon. Gift vouchers for tickets are available now and can be purchased online.

Get Directions

SET SAIL

Not to be missed

ATTRACTIONS

THINGS TO
SEE AND DO

The story of Chatham Dockyard and its people can be discovered in our immersive exhibition galleries, such as Command of the Oceans and The Ropery. Explore three historic warships to learn about warship construction, refit and repair and examine important objects related to the Dockyard and the wider maritime world from the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich and Imperial War Museums.

Access to all galleries and ships is included in your admission ticket. Click on the tiles below to explore further ...

Collections

EXPLORE OVER 70,000 objects STEEPED in 400 years of BRITISH history

DIVE DEEPER

A place like no other

Whether you’re a teacher, a group organiser or a party planner, we can facilitate a huge range of different visit types.

You might also be surprised to know, we’re a place where over 100 businesses have chosen to locate, that over 400 people call home and where over 600 people study with the University of Kent.

Tie the knot at the Dockyard

Your Dream Kent Wedding

We have four stunning historic venues, for you to say ‘I do’. We’ll take your vision and bring it to life creating the day of your dreams.

OUR CHARITY

The most complete and best preserved dockyard of the age of sail

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is in the stewardship of independent charity, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.

The Trust aims to not only set the benchmark in maintaining excellence in the sympathetic preservation and use of The Historic Dockyard Chatham, its buildings, ships and collections through diverse re-use, but also to engage the widest possible audiences in learning about the significance and history of the former Royal Dockyard.

Join the conversation

Share your day and remember to tag us…

On this day in 1812, the Admiralty commissioned Ma On this day in 1812, the Admiralty commissioned Marc Isambard Brunel to design a new steam-powered sawmill at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Chatham. Marc Isambard Brunel (father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel) designed an intricate system at the dockyard that would revolutionise how timber was moved, handled, and cut around the site. At the heart of Brunel's designs was a large steam-powered machine that operated eight large timber-cutting frames that were capable of holding up to 36 saws and could be staffed by only two attendants. The dockyard still employed a number of men to saw timber planks by hand but the number was greatly reduced by Brunel's machine. For Brunel’s new sawmill to be as efficient as he envisioned, he looked beyond just revolutionising the Mill itself and set his sights on the whole system of how timber arrived and moved within the dockyard. To move timber around, Brunel utilised a new canal system rather than depend on horse and cart. His new canal and canal tunnel were over 500 ft long and linked the South Mast Pond to a deep oval brick lined shaft just in front of the water tank at the Sawmill. Construction of Brunel’s Sawmill and Canal took two years to be completed and opened in 1814. Today, the Sawmill is home to North Kent Joinery Ltd who have called Brunel’s Sawmill home since the late 1980’s. Many of the original features can still be seen within the sawing hall. In the main visitor car park, Brunel's Sawmill Canal Lock can still be seen alongside the South Mast Pond that were connected to the sawmill by canal and canal tunnel. The tunnel has since been filled in and is inaccessible. Next time you are visiting The Historic Dockyard Chatham, take a moment to stop and appreciate Marc Isambard Brunel’s Sawmill, which is an often overlooked but very important part of The Dockyard’s history. 👉 thedockyard.co.uk/news/on-this-day-brunels-sawmill
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