Lost Chatham

by MacDougall, Philip

• ISBN13: 9781398115545
• ISBN10: 1398115541
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2024-05-15
• Publisher: Amberley Publishing

Summary

Chatham, lying on the River Medway in Kent, grew up around its naval dockyard and army barracks and fortifications. Over the years the face of Chatham has changed, buildings lost, many once occupied by artisans and labourers, shops, chapels and residences removed due to extensive road projects, and cinemas and theatres now replaced or redeveloped. Impossible to ignore is the town’s history as a former military-industrial complex, with several demolished barracks and a Georgian naval dockyard that has also undergone much change and is now a museum and heritage centre. Lost Chatham presents a portrait of this corner of the North East Kent over the last century to recent decades that has radically changed or disappeared today, showing not only industries and buildings that have gone but also people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Chatham will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

Author Biography

Philip MacDougall writes books for Amberley on southern England, but with a particular interest in the military and naval complexes that arose in and around South Hampshire (especially Portsmouth), coastal Sussex (especially Chichester) and Kent (especially Medway). As a social historian, he is interested in the people and the resources of those areas and the support provided for each of those military complexes. Possibly that interest was first sparked by having a distant ancestor who served as Nelson’s secretary during the 1790s and who first joined the future Admiral at the Great Nore anchorage and which lies off North Kent. As well as the author of a number of published books, Philip has contributed biographical material on selected naval officers for the widely-acclaimed Dictionary of National Biography. A speaker at events, both local and national, he offers a wide-range of talks connected with the books he has written.