Chatham Historic Dockyard
HMS Cavalier at Chatham Historic Dockyard | |
Location within Kent | |
| Established | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Location | Chatham, Medway, Kent, England |
| Type | Maritime museum |
| Owner | Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust |
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a maritime museum on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham in Kent, South East England.
Chatham Dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km2) and was one of the Royal Navy's main facilities for around 400 years until it was closed on 31 March 1984. After closure the dockyard was divided into three sections. The easternmost basin was handed over to Medway Ports and is now a commercial port, although the landowner plans to close it in 2025. Another slice was converted into a mixed commercial, residential and leisure development. 80 acres (324,000 m2), comprising the 18th-century core of the site, was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and is now open as a visitor attraction. It claims to be the world's most complete dockyard of the age of sail.