Chatham Maritime and the surrounding area is home to many wonderful attractions, quite aside from the Dockside Outlet Centre. Scroll down for more information and the web links.

Dickens World
The themed attraction will be based on the life, times and books of Dickens. The £60 million project was brought together by London-based Kevin Christie, who added: " Rochester and Chatham in Kent make a natural location for a project based upon Charles Dickens. Dickens not only lived there, but it is where he originated many of his storylines. His books provide a rich tapestry from which to draw an exciting and entertaining view of this turbulent period in our nation's history."

The in-house experience will reproduce the architecture of the Victorian period and include picturesque archways, cobbled streets with specialist lighting to provide the background to the rides and attractions.

www.dickensworld.co.uk

 

Castle Concerts
The Castle Concerts brought to you by Medway Council have become a fantastic destination as internationally renowned bands take to the stage. These have included Status Quo, Blondie & The Stranglers, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas, Sister Sledge, Jools Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra 39 performances over 11 years listening to over 120 hours of music, sitting in the sunshine and dancing under the stars.

[t]: 01634 843666
www.castleconcerts.co.uk

 

Fort Amherst Heritage Park and Caverns
A fine Napoleonic fort, currently under restoration, with 14 acres of batteries, redoubts, bastions and tunnels, a working gun battery and a variety of other displays. There is a visitor centre and various events take place throughout the year. Visitors can also take a lantern-lit ghost tour on the 1st Fri of each month!

[t]: 01634 847747
www.fortamherst.com

 

Guildhall Museum
The Guildhall Museum was built in 1687 and is one of the finest 17th century civic buildings in Kent. The building now houses a museum of Medway’s history, where visitors follow a time-line through the area's history, aided by visual displays and sound effects. The centrepiece is a two-tier gallery recreating a prison hulk of the Napoleonic period, illustrating the terrible conditions in which prisoners were kept. There are also superb collections of Victoriana on view to the public in the adjoining Conservancy Wing.

[t]: 01634 848717
www.medway.gov.uk

 

Gad's Hill Place
Charles Dickens lived in this house from 1856 to 1870. He died there while writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His "little Kentish freehold", set in 11 acres, now houses a private school, founded in 1924, which caters for girls and boys up to the age of 18.

[t]: 01634 847747
www.medway.gov.uk

 

Rochester Cathedral
The church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Rochester was founded by Ethelbert, King of Kent, as a college for a small number of secular canons under Justus, Bishop of Rochester in AD 604. Very little is known about the history of this house. It never seems to have had much influence outside its own walls and though it possessed considerable landed estates, seems to have been relatively small and poor.

[t]: 01634 332714
www.medway.gov.uk

 

Rochester Castle
The great keep of Rochester Castle towers over the River Medway and by its side, an inseparable twin, the magnificent cathedral shares and dominates the skyline. Rochester Castle is known as one of the best preserved and finest examples of Norman architecture in England. Its great keep, square, massive and one of the tallest in the country, measures 113 feet high, 70 feet square and has walls 12 feet thick in places.

[t]: 01634 402276
www.medway.gov.uk

 

Royal Engineers Museum
The Royal Engineers Museum of Military Engineering is one of the foremost Military Museums in the country. Its exhibits demonstrate the Corps' diversity and pioneering spirit throughout history. The Museum is housed in the Ravelin Building which was designed by Major E C Moore RE and completed in 1904. The building's central courtyard has now been covered to enable many fine exhibits to be displayed all year round.

[t]: 01634 822839
www.army.mod.uk

 

Restoration House
This imposing Elizabethan red-brick mansion in Crow Lane has now been fully and sympathetically restored to its original splendour and has recently opened its doors to the public.

[t]: 01634 848520
www.restorationhouse.co.uk

 

Chatham Historic Dockyard
Discover over 400 years of maritime history as you explore the most complete dockyard of the Age of Sail to survive anywhere in the world. Tread well-worn cobbles and follow in the footsteps of Britain's finest naval commanders. For centuries the dockyard walls kept many closely guarded secrets safe. Visit today and see them revealed!

[t]: 01634 823807
www.chdt.org.uk

 

Riverside Country Park
Riverside Country Park covers 100 hectares alongside the Medway Estuary, including Motney Hill and Berengrave Local Nature Reserve. There are various habitats within the park, including mudflats and salt marsh, ponds and reed-beds, grassland and scrub, which provide a haven for wildlife.

[t]: 01634 378987
www.medway.gov.uk

 

Buckmore Park
Buckmore Park is a 1200m International outdoor kart circuit catering for sports, corporate and hire-kart drivers aged 8 to 80 years. Established in 1963, facilities include a state-of-the-art conference centre and the biggest fleet of hire-karts in the country. Nestling within picturesque Kentish woodland, the venue is located just off the M2 in Kent – only 15 minutes drive from the M25 and less than an hour from Dover.

[t]: 01634 201562
www.buckmore.co.uk