Chatham

Also known as Chatham, Kent

town in Kent, England, United Kingdom

Key facts

Population: 80,596 (2020 ONS)
Os grid reference: TQ765659
London: 33 mi (53 km) WNW
Unitary authority: Medway
Ceremonial county: Kent
Region: South East
Country: England
Sovereign state: United Kingdom
Post town: CHATHAM
Postcode district: ME4, ME5
Dialling code: 01634
Police: Kent
Fire: Kent

Article

Chatham (/ˈtʃætəm/ CHAT-əm) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. It forms a conurbation with the neighbouring towns of Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham, and had a population of 80,596 in 2020.

The town developed around Chatham Dockyard, established as a Royal Naval Dockyard in 1567, along with barracks for the British Army and the Royal Navy. A chain of defensive fortifications, including Fort Amherst (begun 1756) and expanded during the Napoleonic Wars, was constructed to protect the dockyard from land-based attack. The Corps of Royal Engineers remains based at Brompton Barracks.