Phone: 01634 332 266. Extensive goods yards existed at Strood, Rochester and Gillingham. Published The first, Rochester Airport, is a "grass strip" used for leisure purposes. "It's even worse than yesterday." Services are currently operated by Southeastern. The completion of High Speed 1 has seen domestic services operating on the line, which includes a stopping service starting at Faversham running to Strood and Gravesend before joining the High Speed line at Ebbsfleet. A dualled link road leads to the Medway Tunnel to the Chatham Dockyard. Medway has a few farms, some sell fresh eggs! Rochester retained four platforms, while Strood and Gillingham kept three. [26] In 1960, a proposal was made by Rochester Council that the merger be effected by the city absorbing the two other towns, in order to safeguard its ancient charters and city status. The A2045 is the A289's counterpart, however it is largely unbuilt. Strood Sports Centre in has an indoor swimming pool, gym, sports hall, squash courts and an astroturf sports pitch. The road descends through Strood towards the river. From here it continues south, becoming dual carriageway and meeting the M2 at its third junction, which also provides access with Walderslade. It is a county for the purposes of the Lieutenancies. A museum dedicated to the Royal Marines can be found close to the dockyard at the Royal Engineers Museum in Brompton. In Rochester, parts of the Roman city wall are still in evidence, and the city has many fine buildings, such as the Guildhall (today a museum), which was built in 1687 and is among the finest 17th-century civic buildings in Kent;[7] the Corn Exchange, built in 1698, originally the Butcher's Market; the small Tudor house of Watts Charity endowed by Sir Richard Watts to house "six poor travelers" for one night each; Satis House and Old Hall, both visited by Queen Elizabeth I, built in 1573. Five of the 14 men who survived died later of their wounds, and almost all of the others were seriously wounded. More news Give website feedback green smiley (good) orange smiley (average) red smiley (poor) In December 2015 a new Rochester station opened replacing the original one. The vast majority of local bus routes throughout Medway are centred upon the newly opened Waterfront bus station (replacing Pentagon bus station) in Chatham. Kingsnorth Power Station has coal shipped in from Dunkirk. Thus Rainham was reached as part of this programme. They were soon absorbed by the South Eastern Railway whose North Kent line linked Strood with Gravesend, Dartford, and then London Bridge. The road then carries on to the Isle of Grain. Here the Northern Relief Road (A289) rejoins at the Will Adams roundabout. There are two small airports. Rochester was also an important point for people travelling the Pilgrims' Way, which stretches from Winchester to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Protect yourself and others by following NHS advice. The A289 continues between northern Gillingham and the river, and then turns southwards through Gillingham Golf Course to rejoin the A2 at the Will Adams roundabout. Write to: Parking Services, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR National Express runs regular services from Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Chatham Waterfront bus station, and Chatham Maritime Universities to Gatwick Airport. In one Sheerness street there were ten who died. A rival company, the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, built a railway between Chatham and East Kent. Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in Kent in the region of South East England.It is a county for the purposes of the Lieutenancies. There are currently 11 parishes; This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Medway at current basic prices published (pp. The project aims to create between 6,000 and 8,000 new homes and 8,500 jobs, against central government targets of 16,000 new homes and 23,000 new jobs for the Medway area as a whole. [3] It had a population in 2019 of 278,016. It then joins the A228 (as The Wainscott Eastern Bypass) — these two parts are dualled. Information on all the services Medway Council provides. [34] Medway Council made a further bid for city status in 2012, when three cities were afforded the honour as part of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee civic honours competition. As of 2019, the towns in order of population (approximate figures) were Gillingham (85,000 - not including Rainham), Chatham (78,000), Strood (40,000), Rochester (30,000 - not including Strood) and Rainham (25,000). The main services are on the Chatham Main line, with stopper services from Faversham (i.e. [4] The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County Council.[5]. Under letters patent the former city council area was to continue to be styled the "City of Rochester" to "perpetuate the ancient name" and to recall "the long history and proud heritage of the said city". Other local bus companies including Nu-Venture provide certain services, some under contract to the local authority. The A278 Hoath Way links the A2 at Gillingham to its southern suburbs (Hempstead, Wigmore and Parkwood) to the M2's fourth junction. This route became particularly congested and led to the building of the M2 to bypass the Medway Towns to the south in the 1960s and was subsequently widened extensively at the turn of the 21st century. Throughout the 19th century there had been proposals to join the Medway towns under a single authority. It was classed as Grade II listed on 5 December 1996. Commuter coaches run from various parts of Medway to a selection of London destinations using the M2/A2. These were all built from different dates, rangeing from hundreds of years ago, to the the Cold war (1960s). Frindsbury Extra including Upnor borders Strood. Most of the population live in the Chatham and Gillingham areas: 70,540 in Chatham and 99,773 in Gillingham. Read More Related Articles. This road then proceeds down Blue Bell Hill (from the summit of the North Downs) to the county town of Maidstone and the M20. [14], The British Army also established barracks here; and the Royal Engineers headquarters is in Gillingham. Subsequently, SER extended their branch from their main line to Maidstone to Strood — the Medway Valley line. [27] On 9 March, the committee held its last meeting, with the Chatham representatives voting to dissolve the body and those from Rochester voting against. The majority of surviving buildings in the Historic Dockyard are Georgian. Design work started in March 2000 and in February 2004, contractors got under way with moving services such as water, gas and fuel pipes. [35] Ultimately Medway was unsuccessful with the eventual winners being Chelmsford (Essex), Perth (Perthshire), and St Asaph (Denbighshire). Stations were built on the Medway Valley line for the villages of Cuxton and Halling. In Strood the High Street is bypassed by the one-way system to the north and south encircling the High Street. Bus links to London and other parts of the south east can be accessed via Bluewater Shopping Centre, near Greenhithe, which has extensive bus routes to London. These are scheduled to commence in May 2018. Post war (1948) saw nationalisation into British Rail, which under its 1955 modernisation part saw the completion of Southern's electrification efforts in Kent as a key target. Here it meets Dock Road (A231) that leads to Chatham. There are five theatres in Medway, two run by the council and three independent. The A2 / Watling street traditionally bypasses central Gillingham which lies to the North. Hoo St Werburgh, Cliffe, High Halstow, St Mary Hoo, Allhallows, Stoke and Grain are on the Hoo Peninsula to the north. The A289 was built in the 1990s as the Medway Towns Northern Relief Road. The second bridge is more recent and build upon the piers of the original London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) main line railway bridge (the Chatham Main Line uses the South Eastern Railways (SER)' branch line's bridge).[42]. In 1979, the Borough of Medway was renamed as Rochester-upon-Medway, and in 1982 further letters patent transferred the city status to the entire borough. [9] Although it is called Chatham dockyard, two-thirds of the dockyard lie within Gillingham. These are traditionally known as the Medway Towns. permits@medway.gov.uk. Operating companies include The Kings Ferry and Chalkwell Coaches. It is also the home of Universities at Medway, a tri-partite collaboration of the University of Greenwich, the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University on a single campus in Chatham, together with the University for the Creative Arts, which has a campus in Rochester. Rainham had only two platforms until 2017 when an additional bay was created to facilitate new trains on through services to destinations north of London. The rail service is extensively used by the residents of Medway to commute into London. As it approaches Luton it is a dual carriageway for a short stretch, where a major junction lies with the railway (Chatham Main line) passes overhead — this is known as Luton Arches. Available to anyone who lives or works in Medway. The area has seen the building of over 400 homes since work began in 2006, including 125 affordable homes. If you are over 65 and feeling socially isolated, the Better Connected Team could help. This page was last edited on 6 March 2021, at 12:22. As the road progresses into Rainham it becomes single carriageway again. Find best-selling books, new releases, and classics in every category, from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to the latest by Stephen King or the next installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid children’s book series. In terms of loss of life it remains the second worst explosion in British history. [16], The population of Medway is projected to increase to around 300,000 by 2028 according to 2013 projections. 5 Himeji Castle, Japan When the guardsreturned, the village was abandoned. In reaction to this strong rival the SER built a small branch alongside the LCDR over the Medway on a parallel bridge to a station in Rochester and a terminus called Chatham Central which was actually just outside Chatham. The leaves the A2 on the hill above Strood. It is served by the Medway Valley line, the North Kent line and the Chatham Main Line. In Rochester the High street is bypassed to the north by the dualled Corporation Street. In 2004, Medway Council announced its development strategy for the Medway Waterfront area. There is also a ship repair facility located in the basin. [15], The Royal Marines also have a long association with Chatham. Bringing you the latest news, sport and events updates from around Kent. "Medway Towns split over merger — Committee disbands", Learn how and when to remove this template message, West End of London & Crystal Palace Railway, "Local Area Report – Medway Local Authority (1946157282)", "The Local Government Changes for England (Lord-Lieutenants and Sheriffs) Order 1997", "Medway Council – Local history: Medway in the 20th century 1901–2000", "Research guide: Royal Dockyard names and locations", "State of Medway Report, Economy and Employment", "Royal Engineers Museum, Brompton Barracks, Gillingham", "Housing Strategy & Development News Q3 2010/11", "The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Miscellaneous Amendments and Other Provision) Order 2009", Medway Council – Regeneration and Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Report on Rochester City Status, "Civic Honours competition results announced", "Interactive Map of Home Education Across England - FutureSchool", "2011 Census: Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales", "Medway resident Jools Holland to perform at virtual concert to help Kent churches raise £500k", Chatham's World Heritage Site application, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medway&oldid=1010620028, Local authorities adjoining the River Thames, Local government districts of South East England, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from March 2020, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox settlement with bad settlement type, Articles needing additional references from November 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [36], Medway operates a two-tier education system, with academic selection for admission to secondary schools determined by the Eleven plus exam. Cuxton, Halling and Wouldham are in the Medway Gap region to the south of Rochester and Strood. [13], Less than six months later there was a second explosion. [4] Medway Council foresees total investment on development to be in excess of £1 billion over a 20-year period from 2006.[17]. The amber warning - which also means disruption to gas, telephone or mobile phone coverage is likely - covers parts of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Medway and lasts until 12:00 GMT on Monday. they run fast from Medway to London). By 1903 moves began to take place: that year saw the creation of the Borough of Gillingham, to which, in 1928, the adjoining parish of Rainham was added. Before she could leave Britain she was commandeered for war service and became HMS Princess Irene, and was used as a minelayer. The road to Grain was an accident black spot, this and increased traffic from the major port of Thamesport which is located to the north-west along the Medway Estuary prompted the construction of a new dual carriageway. The explosion could be heard from up to 20 mi (30 km) at Southend and Whitstable. Rail services generally consist of North Kent Line services (to London Bridge and beyond — Charing Cross and Cannon Street) starting from Gillingham. Subsequent rationalisation saw the closure of the LCDR's station in Strood and the SER's branch to Rochester and Chatham (although the bridge was retained and is used to this day). Other similar areas of conservation include Ranscombe Farm on chalk grassland and woodland between Strood and Cuxton, with rare woodland flowers and orchids. The Raid on the Medway, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in June 1667, was a successful attack conducted by the Dutch navy on English warships laid up in the fleet anchorages off Chatham Dockyard and Gillingham in the county of Kent.At the time, the fortress of Upnor Castle and a barrier chain called the "Gillingham Line" were supposed to protect the English ships. Unable to secure a connection and running rights over the SER's North Kent line they built their own main line to Bromley where they connected with the West End of London & Crystal Palace Railway to gain access to London Victoria. Population: The population of Medway as measured in the 2001 Census was 249,488, of which 49% were male and 51% female. The Medway Towns Southern Relief Road was proposed to link the (then) new developments to the south of Chatham (Walderslade) and Gillingham (Hempstead, Wigmore and Parkwood) with M2's J3 and the A229 to the east and the M2's J4 and A278 in the west. The Wrentham Outlet is a 15 minute drive away. She never saw active service and has been restored and is (as of 2005) preserved afloat in Dundee, Scotland. The independent theatres are Medway Little Theatre (96 seats), The Oasthouse Theatre and Kings Theatre (110 seats).[41]. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of pounds Sterling. Kent County Council website site map. The High Speed 1 line passes through the Medway Towns area, running parallel to the M2/A2 Trunk road. Strood had engine sheds, while Gillingham still has carriage depots. Part of the closed Royal Navy base is now used as a cargo port and has Ro/Ro facilities; cargo that comes in ranges from paper pulp to dredged material, but this traffic only uses one of the three main basins. There have also been other naval disasters in Medway other than the Raid on the Medway. This is swiftly followed by the Bowater roundabout where the A278 Hoath Way leads to the M2 to the South, this is so named and distinctive because of the former paper mill Bowaters at this location that left a giant water tower. [19] The new bus station opened in October 2011.[20]. However, Rochester-upon-Medway City Council had decided not to and as a result their city status was rescinded. Founded in 1812, it moved to its current site in 1987. It had a population in 2019 of 278,016. Medway includes parts of the North Kent Marshes, an environmentally significant wetlands region with several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Gillingham chose to remain separate. Read the latest message from Cllr Alan Jarrett, about Read the latest message from Cllr Alan Jarrett, , Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TR, Book a household waste and recycling centre visit, Social Prescribing Day is on Thursday 18 March 2021, Hoo Peninsula consultation deadline extended. [18], Chatham's ring road system was subsequently changed into a two-way system in September 2006 with the Sir John Hawkins flyover (pictured right in 2007) being closed before later demolition to make way for a new bus station at the end of 2008. Other recent and proposed developments include: In Rochester, a 74-acre (30-hectare) area of brownfield land between the river and the railway line is being developed with high-density housing. Stoke Airfield near Grain is used by microlights and light aircraft. From there it travels at high speed to Stratford International and St Pancras International, where connections can now be made with mainline trains to the north of England. Scotline also operates a fleet of coasters for the import of wood, and has a wharf on the River Medway. Before they left, the villagers cursed Kuldhara, causing all who tried to live there to be plagued by supernatural entities. [32][33] Medway applied for city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions, but was unsuccessful. Latest updates and guidance. The party political breakdown of the council following the 2019 local elections is:[39]. Includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured, Components may not sum to totals due to rounding. From the main road to Gillingham (Canterbury Street), the A2 is dual carriageway. [10] It was protected by a series of forts including Fort Amherst and the Lines, Fort Pitt and Fort Borstal. Other notable sea-faring and naval figures, such as William Adams, were raised on the Medway but apprenticed elsewhere. The owners of the Thames and Medway Canal tunnel that linked Medway (specifically Strood) with Gravesend turned half their canal into a railway bringing the first rails to Medway. Gillingham has an ice rink, The Ice Bowl, home to a local, John Nike Ski Centre – located in Capstone near Hempstead. The Medway Valley line receives a shuttle service up and down terminating at Strood for transfers to the North Kent Line, although some services run through to Tonbridge and even Gatwick. Before The Castle. Thamesport, which is located on the edge of the Medway Estuary on the Isle of Grain, handles the shipping of containers and fossil fuels. She was a 1,500-passenger liner built at Dumbarton in 1914 for Canadian Pacific. Medway Park has been upgraded for the Medway 2012 programme to secure local benefits from the London Olympics. [23], Redevelopment including new homes and a landscaped play area were completed in the 1990s, but there are plans to extend this development further along the river beyond Strood railway station with another 500 to 600 homes to be built, the waterfront developed with new recreational and leisure facilities, and access to the station, town centre and Medway City estate to be improved. However, the key middle stretch was left unbuilt, a link road to central Chatham via Luton, the B2156 North Dane Way was also left incomplete with no road to link to. Medway Council apparently only became aware of this when they discovered that Rochester was not on the Lord Chancellor's Office's list of cities. It has three platforms and can handle 12 coach trains. Connecting Medway with neighbouring Gravesend is the A226. New sidewalks! The healthiest and least healthy places in England have been revealed by new research. Throughout its passage through Strood it is single carriageway, but the stretches to the North are dualled partially toward Grain. they stop at local stations, running fast from Bromley) and fast services from Kent Coast (i.e. The A2 then crosses the high street, climbs Star Hill and follows New road by Fort Pitt / Jackson's Field to bypass Chatham to the south (by the Station, via a flyover known as New Cut). In 2010, it started to refer to the "City of Medway" in promotional material, but it was rebuked and instructed not to do so in future by the Advertising Standards Authority. Rochester later became a walled town and, under later Saxon influence, a mint was established here. The other local government districts with city status that were abolished around this time (Bath and Hereford) appointed charter trustees to maintain the existence of the city and the mayoralty. [21], Numerous developments are proposed for the Chatham area including widening and straightening Union Street, development and improvements to The Brook and new developments at Gun Wharf and Chatham Waterfront. Medway is located a few miles from 495 and close to 4 communities: Millis, Bellingham, Franklin and Holliston that have large department stores, a movie theatre, Ice Creams Shoppes, Dean College, Trendy Bars and Bowling Alley. The motion to disband was passed on the casting vote of the chairman, Alderman Semple from Chatham. The towns as a whole are expected to rise dramatically in residents as increased development and housing prices are considerably less than most of Kent and London, which is 30 miles away. Amazon.com Books has the world’s largest selection of new and used titles to suit any reader's tastes. In June 2005 local unemployment stood at 2.3% of the workforce, a total of 3,678 people. Up to 50 homes per hectare will be built. Chatham-born artist Billy Childish was involved or influenced many of these bands. Many of the employed population of 160,000 people now work outside the district — especially in London, which has many transport links from Medway. Since the election, one Conservative councillor was expelled from the group and now sits as an Independent Conservative. [30], On 1 April 1998, the existing local government districts of Rochester-upon-Medway and Gillingham were abolished under the local government review and merged to become the new unitary authority of Medway, administratively independent from Kent County Council; though, under the earlier Lieutenancies Act, Medway was placed with Kent,[1] and as this has not been amended,[31] Medway is still listed with Kent purely as a ceremonial county. [5] Or the village became gradually depopulated by the 1890s due to a dwindling water supply… 10 Creepy Places That Are Serial Killer Playgrounds. Another warship built at Chatham that still exists is HMS Unicorn (a 46-gun "Leda" class frigate) laid down in February 1822, and launched 30 March 1824. Designed and powered by Jadu. Constructed in three stages, firstly it bypasses Strood with a dual carriageway from Three Crutches (M2 J1) to the A226 and the A228 (The Wainscott Northern Bypass). In 1948 the Local Government Boundary Commission recommended that the area become a "most purposes" county borough, but the recommendation was not carried out. Watling Street (the A2), the Roman road between the Port of Dover on the English Channel and London, runs through 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, contributing to a mid-1980s Medway unemployment rate of sixteen percent. Most bus routes are run by Arriva Southern Counties, which took over the locally owned Maidstone & District bus company in the 1990s. In 1944, a Medway Towns Joint Amalgamation Committee was formed by the borough corporations of Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester, to discuss the possibility of the towns forming a single county borough. MEDWAY'S FORTS Despite how dull most of Medway is, there are LOADS of awesome abandoned forts in Medway and the surrounding area. Phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4.45pm on Friday. A faulty primer was blamed for the explosion. Over half of the unitary authority area is rural in nature. [20] One such development at Chatham Waterfront (the area between Rochester railway station and Chatham Dockyard) is The Quays, a mixed-use development comprising two 20-storey residential towers, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. The council theatres are the Central Theatre (966 seats hosting a variety of tribute acts) and the Brook Theatre in the Old town hall (400 seats hosting a variety of shows). It had stations at Rochester Bridge which was actually in Strood, Chatham and New Brompton which was renamed Gillingham. [18] The report set out a 20-year framework plan for the redevelopment of up to seven miles (11 km) of waterfront and surrounding areas along the River Medway. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. It is dual carriageway throughout. [37] Medway is also home to the third largest Home School population of children in the UK after the Isles of Scilly and Isle of Wight. Medway is one of the boroughs included in the Thames Gateway development scheme. It then climbs Chatham Hill (to Gillingham) now has a separate bus lane. 278 died, including 78 workers from nearby towns and villages. The river was further protected by such fortifications as Upnor Castle which, in 1667 in varying accounts says it was partly successful in thwarting the Dutch raid on the dockyard, or the commanding officer fled without firing on the Dutch. It is amazing how many abandoned … The Sunday Times has analysed data on issues such as air … Unemployment: The closure of Chatham Dockyard cost some 20,000 jobs. [22], A major development in Strood between Medway Valley Park and junction 2 of the M2 motorway, much of the Medway Gate development is inside a large abandoned chalk pit. There is also a wharf on the river called Eurowharf, which deals with dredged material. It is a single carriageway A road. In 1956 the Joint Amalgamation Committee decided in favour of the amalgamation and invited representatives from Strood Rural District Council to join the Committee. The largest water main that was moved was 24 inches (610 mm) in diameter and the largest gas main 36 inches (914 mm). Buses are numbered between 100 and 199 for local services, with buses numbered in the 700s to show Kent County Council subsidised services including those to Walderslade and Bluewater Shopping Centre, and in the 600s for school bus services. Many bands formed or were associated with the Medway Towns, particularly from the 1970s onwards. Sport news for Kent and Medway, from KentOnline - read the latest football, cricket, athletics, hockey and motorsport news Many smaller towns and villages such as Frindsbury, Brompton, Walderslade, Luton, Wigmore etc., lie within the conurbation. This article is about the conurbation and administrative authority in England. At the other end a small section was built to access the Hempstead development and its shopping centre. Medway Park (formerly The Black Lion Leisure Centre) in Gillingham is a sub-regional sports centre with three indoor pools for swimming and SCUBA diving, gym, fitness centre, sports hall and squash courts. Cars were buried in the snow and abandoned in Crete Road near Folkestone (Image: KentLive) "No way," a man in his 20s said. The city of Rochester originated in a Roman settlement (Durobrivae) on the east bank of the river Medway. In this week’s Leader’s message Cllr Alan Jarrett discusses the roadmap to recovery, symptom-free testing and a new vaccination centre. In all, the explosion killed 745 men and 51 officers.