Visit Medway Places

Visit Medway Place – things to do & explore

  

Medway places overview by Walkfo

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Medway history

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The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated by the city of Rochester. The city was established on an Iron Age site by the Romans, who called it Durobrivae (meaning “stronghold by the bridge”), to control the point where Watling Street (now the A2) crossed the River Medway. Rochester was also an important point for people travelling the Pilgrims’ Way, which stretches from Winchester to Canterbury.

Naval and military history

The Royal Navy opened an anchorage dockyard in Gillingham during the reign of Henry VIII, in 1567 the Royal Naval Dockyard was established in Medway . The dockyard was closed in 1984, with the loss of eight thousand jobs at the dockyard itself and many more in local supply industries . The majority of surviving buildings in the Historic Dockyard are Georgian .

21st century development

The population of Medway is projected to increase to around 300,000 by 2028 according to 2013 projections . Medway Council foresees total investment on development to be in excess of £1 billion over a 20-year period from 2006 . The towns as a whole are expected to rise dramatically in residents .

Medway culture & places

There are five theatres in Medway, two run by the council and three independent. Medway’s cultural strategy is run by Creative Medway – a sector-led organisation drawing together business, cultural sector organisations and freelancers.

Leisure and recreation

Medway Park has been upgraded for the Medway 2012 programme to secure local benefits from the London Olympics . Strand Leisure Park in Gillingham has an open-air swimming pool on the banks of the River Medway . Strood Sports Centre in has an indoor swimming pool, gym, sports hall, squash courts and astroturf sports pitch .

Medway geography / climate

Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham are traditionally known as the Medway Towns. Many smaller towns and villages such as Frindsbury, Brompton, etc., lie within the conurbation. The southern part of the urban area is on the north slope of the North Downs.

You can visit Medway places and use Walkfo Medway to discover the history & things to do in Medway whilst walking with our free digital tour app. Walkfo Medway has 136 places on our Medway map with history, culture & travel facts that you explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Medway, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Medway will keep up.
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With millions of places including tourist walks, Medway travel destinations, National Trust locations converted to audio experiences, our Medway places AI guide will help you get the best from your visit to Medway & the surrounding areas. The Medway places app for iPhone & Android delivers hidden history, interesting culture and amazing facts in interactive audio stories in response to where you walk at National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets, with no predefined walk map requirements.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 136 audio facts unique to Medway places forming an interactive Medway map for you to explore.”

Walkfo’s Visit Medway Places Map
136 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Medway historic spot	Medway tourist destination	Medway plaque	Medway geographic feature
Walkfo Medway tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Medway

  

Best Medway places to visit

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Medway has many places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Medway’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Medway’s information audio spots:

Medway The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council to form Medway Council . It is one of the boroughs included in the Thames Gateway development scheme .

Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham The Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham was a military installation occupied by the Royal Marines and located at the Gun Wharf at Chatham in Kent. The barracks were situated immediately to the south of the Dockyard, just above the Ordnance Wharf. They were closed in 1950 and demolished in 1960.

Gillingham bus disaster The Gillingham bus disaster occurred outside Chatham Dockyard, Kent on 4 December 1951. A double-decker bus ploughed into a company of fifty-two young members of the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps. Twenty-four of the cadets were killed and eighteen injured; at the time it was the highest loss of life in any road accident in British history.

Diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. It was established with the authority of King Æthelberht of Kent by Augustine of Canterbury in 604 at the same time as the see of London. The current diocesan boundaries roughly match its pre-19th century extent. The diocese is subdivided into three archdeaconries.

Rochester Guildhall The Rochester Guildhall is an historic building located in the High Street in Rochester, Kent, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

Fort Clarence Fort Clarence is a now defunct fortification that was located in Rochester, Kent, England. Fort Clarence was located on the Kent coast of Kent.

Fort Horsted Fort Horsted is a scheduled monument (Monument Number 416040) that lies in the Horsted Valley to the South of Chatham, Kent, England. It is a late 19th-century Land Fort, and one of six constructed around Chatham and Gillingham, Kent to protect HM Dockyard Chatham from attack.

HM Prison Rochester HM Prison Rochester (formerly known as Borstal Prison) is a male Young Offenders Institution, founded in 1870, and located in the Borstal area of Rochester in Kent. The prison is operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service, and is located next to HMP Cookham Wood.

HM Prison Cookham Wood HM Prison Cookham Wood is a male young person’s’ prison and Young Offenders Institution in the village of Borstal (near Rochester) in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty’s Prison and probation Service.

Wainscott, Kent Wainscott is a small village in Rochester, in Kent. It is in the civil parish of Frindsbury Extra, in the Medway Unitary Authority, that is Medway Council. By 1950 it had been absorbed into the neighbouring residential areas of Strood. Wainscott itself is located immediately next to Frindsbury, and is surrounded by beautiful agricultural land, as well as ancient woodlands. It is speculated that the name is derived from the OE meaning Wagonner Cot or Wagon Shed. Wainscott History. Archaeological excavations in 2007 on the north-eastern edge of Wainscott revealed evidence for human activity dating from the early prehistoric through to the post-medieval period, and provided important new evidence for Bronze Age, Romano-British and Saxon settlement. By the mid-8th century the kings of Kent were granting estates in the area by charters to the bishops of Rochester and their cathedral. In 738 King Eadberht gave 10 ploughlands at Andscohesham (Stoke) in the territory of Hoo to Bishop Ealdwulf. In 764 King Sigered of west Kent gave 20 ploughlands of arable land at Æslingaham on the west side of the Medway to Bishop Eardwulf, with seven named denes in the Weald, and this grant was confirmed by King Offa of Mercia. This charter was later regarded as including Frindsbury and Wich, and it seems likely that it included the Wainscott area. These grants were also confirmed to Bishop Wærmund in 789 by King Offa, who in later centuries was regarded as the benefactor who had given Frindsbury to the bishopric, under the name of Eslingham cum appendiciis. In 889 Bishop Swithwulf and the cathedral community at Rochester granted to a certain Beorhtwulf half of a ploughland with specified boundaries at Haddun (Haven Street in Frindsbury) with detached meadows at Beckley and Strood. The boundaries include ealden strete, perhaps to be identified as Hoo Road, wen weg, (perhaps an early form of Wainscott?) and Ciolmundesland. By the Late Saxon period the estates of Kent were divided up into lathes and hundreds. The Wainscott area lay in the Lathe of Aylesford and the Hundred of Shamwell. In the late eleventh century the hamlet of Wainscott may have been established by this time at the junction of the crossroads, although there is no written evidence for it. Its name probably means ‘wagon shelter’, suggesting a subordinate role in the larger estate of Frindsbury. At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 the manor of Frandesberie (Frindsbury) was held by the bishop of Rochester. It had been assessed at 10 sulungs (971 ha) in 1066. There was a separate manor of Wainscott which had emerged from the parent manor of Frindsbury by the early 14th century. It was also called ‘Parlabien’s Yoke’ (or ‘Perleben’s Yoke’) after the family which held it at this time. It afterwards descended to the Colepeper family, which held it until the late 16th century. In the years 1494–1504 it was divided into two halves, and court records survive for one of these moieties. However, very little business was transacted beyond the collection of fines from tenants who failed to attend. If the extent of the manor was really one yoke, it would not have been more than 50 acres (c. 20.2 ha). The fields underlying the north excavation area to the north of Hoo Road were in the manor, as were a series of smaller fields along the south side of the road as far as the stream. Beyond the stream to the north-east were the fields of Islingham manor; to the south of the road lay parts of the manors of Frindsbury and Chattenden. At the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, the manor of Frindsbury with its appendages was confiscated from Rochester Priory by Henry VIII, but was subsequently passed on to the Dean and Chapter of Rochester in 1542. The manor of Wainscott was sold in the late 16th century, and passed by a series of descents and sales to John Boghurst, who held it in the late 18th century. He still held a court leet and a court baron for the manor at this time. Post-medieval and modern maps and documents indicate that the area of the site comprised a number of agricultural fields, both within Islingham and Wainscott manors – extracts taken from www.kentarchaeology.org.uk – Prehistoric and Romano-British Activity and Saxon Settlement at Hoo Road, Wainscott, Kent by Nicholas Cooke and Rachael Seager Smith. Tilemaking at Wainscott A map dated 1711 shows this hamlet as consisting of a house and a few cottages known as Windscott, the name probably referring to a collection of cottages in an exposed or windy place. The house was called ‘White Horse’ and, since the hamlet was situated on a crossroads on the road to the Isle of Grain, it may well have been an inn. By 1838, the name had been corrupted to Wainscott and a local pottery industry was already in existence by 1842. The main works was the Wainscott Pottery owned by a Henry Hone and next to this was a smaller operation owned by Thomas Fox. The reason for their location is easily explained by investigation of the local land ownership at this time. Nearby at Four Elms Hill were two clay pits owned by a William Beadle, who was something of an entrepreneur. Beadle also owned the land to the immediate east of the road in Wainscott and it was here that the potteries were set up. Thus, not only did he sell the clay to the potteries but he also got the rent from their premises as well as the adjacent workers’ cottages. It must have been quite a monopoly for him as well as being rather lucrative. Both potteries produced tiles for the expanding building industry and some may have found their way to London together with the local brick trade. The tithe records also list an Edward Hone (limeburner at Upnor) and a John Hone (brickmaker at Bill Street). It is not known if they were related to Henry Hone but it is possible that this was an example of a family diversifying into all aspects of supplying the building industry. Henry later went on to own the Kings Arms pub and John the Old Oak Inn. By 1858, there had been a change of proprietors and the potteries were now owned by Thomas Baker and Jesse Clark Foster. It is likely that the larger premises belonged to the latter since, in 1877, Foster bought the clay pits from the Executors of Beadle who had by then died. With this assumption, Baker must have sold out after a few years to Messrs Charlton & Matthews since, in the book “Industrial Medway” by J.M. Preston, they are mentioned in an advertisement dated 1868. This reference is interesting since it shows the diverse range of products being produced i.e. oven & paving bricks and tiles; pan, plain & ridge tiles; sanitary & land drainage pipes; chimney, flower & paint pots; garden & edging tiles. In the meantime, Foster continued to expand his pottery and took his son Theophilus into partnership in 1867. In 1871 they were shown as brick and tile manufacturers but there is no evidence that they had the necessary equipment at their clay pits to make bricks on site. Since it was a competitive business locally, it is more likely that they produced specialised bricks at their premises. In 1882 they sold out to Francis Hazell, who produced bricks, tiles, drainpipes and chimney & garden pots. The 1862 Ordnance Survey map shows a draw well next to each of the potteries. Whereas these may only be water wells, there is also the possibility that they were chalk wells. The census of 1871 lists a William Eloine of Wainscott who was described as an ‘excavator’. This is a peculiar term since men who dug clay were normally described as merely labourers and it seems to imply extraction at depth. He could of course have been a local well sinker but, again, the latter term is usually used in census job descriptions. One clue is given in an article on deneholes written by F.C.J. Spurrell in 1882, when he mentions a denehole (properly termed a chalkwell) which was then being used at Plumstead for a tile works. It is known that a small quantity of chalk was added to normal bricks to prevent shrinkage during firing and possibly this was also done in the case of tiles. If products of a yellow colour were required, like the Stock Bricks, a greater proportion of chalk would have to be added to get the colouration. Thus, it is possible that the local tile works had chalkwells on the premises to obtain their own supplies of chalk. Enumerator’s Description of Wainscott on 1861 Census Part of the Parish of Frindsbury without the boundary of Rochester. Comprises all the houses and cottages which lies on the south west side of the Land Water Sewer from White Wall Creek to the High Road leading from Hoo to Wainscott, Small’s Farm and Brompton Farm including the Quarry Farm and Cottages, Chatt Home houses, White Wall Cottages, Manor Farm and cottages. Wainscott both sides, Home Street both sides, and Bill Street both sides with Brompton Farm The History of the Stag Inn, 56 Wainscott Road The 1851 census shows that living at 58 Wainscott Road was a Henry Hove with his family and he was a ‘retailer of beer’. The 1861 census reveals that Henry Briggs (an agricultural labourer) was living in the same area of Wainscott with his family, his niece and four lodgers. His 22-year-old son George Briggs was described as a ‘licensed victualler’ & a ‘labourer in the War Department’. An Ordnance map for 1871 denotes a BH (beer house) where the current Stag Inn is located. The 1871 census shows a William Perch, a ‘licensed victualler’ aged 70 was living in the beer house with his wife Anne. 1878 licensing records show that George Cheeseman was then the licensed victualler. The 1881census shows Robert Harris aged 27 ‘licensed victualler’ living there with his wife and a 16-year-old general servant. The 1891 census reveals that 49-year-old licensed victualler John Potterton lived there with his wife, a bar maid and a general servant. An 1897 Ordnance map denotes a P (Public House) and also states ‘Stag Inn’. The 1901 Ordnance map denotes ‘Stag Inn’. The 1901 census shows Jane Potterton aged 59, a widow and licensed victualler living there with a servant, a 14-year-old pot boy barman and two visitors. The 1911 census shows A Francis H Jones aged 46, a licensed victualler living there with his family. In 1918 licensing records show a William B Day, a licensed victualler living there. A 1927 Ordnance map shows ‘Stag Inn’. The 1930 licensing records show a Samuel Pope, licensed victualler living there. The 1939 Register shows a John Henry Miles aged 68, a licensed victualler living there with a 99-year-old housekeeper. WAINSCOTT MURDERS MOST FOUL The Brompton Farm Road Murder 1942 Ellen Ann Symes had been visiting her parents Thomas & Florence Overy in their Dickens Terrace home in Wainscott. She was widowed and lived in 114 Brompton Farm Road with her four-year-old son Robin J Symes. Her parents walked part of the way home with her up Hollywood Lane with Robin in a pushchair, but then left her to complete the journey whilst they returned home. A man approached Ellen and her son in Brompton Farm Road and stabbed her in her neck, killing her. Robin was able to tell the police that it was a soldier who had attacked his mother. The police quickly found Reginald Sidney Buckfield wandering in army uniform in Strood, they established that he was a deserter and although he protested his innocence, he was charged. Whilst awaiting trial and in custody Buckfield wrote a fictional account of a murder similar in all respects to the Brompton Farm Road murder and it was this hand-written book that was to sway the jury to find him guilty. In his book he cast himself as a private investigator and a mysterious Mr. X as the villain who slaughtered the young damsel (a thinly disguised version of Ellen Ann Symes). His habit of constantly grinning had earned him the nickname ‘Smiler’ and true to form, he smiled broadly all through his trial and even when he was finally convicted of murder at the Central Criminal Court on the 26th. January 1943. He was given the death sentence, but it was later commuted to life imprisonment. 1 Forsters Terrace Murder 1960 On the 18th. March 1960, William Southon was murdered at his home in Forsters Terrace. William had been drinking at the Steam Packet in Strood and had been befriended by Frank Williams and Herbert Marsh. When William left the pub, he was accompanied by both men. Marsh had said that he would be visiting his girlfriend in Wainscott. Arriving back in the village the two men waited several minutes whilst the victim had settled down in the house. Gaining access via the rear of the premises, Marsh smashed a window and both entered the property. William Southern was tied and gagged with his own shirt. A neighbour having heard a disturbance and muffled screams dialled 999. The police it is reported were on scene in 10 minutes and a search upstairs revealed the two offenders hiding. William Southon had by this time died of suffocation. Wainscott is now bypassed to the east by the ‘Wainscott Eastern Bypass’ and to the north by ‘Wainscott Northern Bypass’. These roads, both named the A289, lead traffic from the A2 to the Medway Tunnel. These two roads meet at the ‘Four Elms Roundabout’, where the A228 climbs ‘Four Elms Hill’ and onto the Hoo Peninsula, where the A228 becomes the Ratcliffe Highway, that then passes the Deangate Ridge Golf Club on the left and takes the second roundabout exit on the Main Road into Hoo itself. At the top of Four Elms Hill is the village of Chattenden, that has much MOD land, especially in and around Chattenden Army Barracks. The village has had many homes erected within it on ex-farm/MOD land. These homes were developed by Crest Nicholson and the estate is known locally and officially as ‘Liberty Park’. The development includes many different types of accommodation including homes and elderly accommodation for the local residents later years. Wainscott is situated within the parish of Frindsbury Extra.

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