Homecare in Chatham
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History of Chatham
Chatham is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. Chatham was established in the mid-16th century and subsequently expanded to Gillingham.
Chatham dockyard is a historical landmark which draws a lot of attention from local residents to the tourists who flock there all year round.
The town developed around Chatham Dockyard and several Army barracks, together with 19th century forts which provided a defensive shield for the dockyard. The Corps of Royal Engineers is still based in Chatham at Brompton Barracks.
The Dockyard closed in 1984, but the remaining major naval buildings are an attraction for a flourishing tourist industry. Following closure, part of the site was developed as a commercial port, other parts were redeveloped for business and residential use, and part was used as the Chatham historic Dockyard Museum. The attractions include the submarine HMS Ocedlot, and Ford Amherst which was a strategic outpost during the Napoleonic war which dates back over 3,000 years to the stone age.