Chatham Dockyard, located on the
River Medway and of which two-thirds is in
Gillingham and one third in
Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the
Reformation, relations with the
Catholic countries of
Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional defences. For 414 years Chatham
Royal Dockyard provided over 500 ships for the
Royal Navy, and was at the forefront of
shipbuilding,
industrial and
architectural technology. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled
artisans and covered 400 acres (1.6 km²). Chatham dockyard closed in 1984, and of the Georgian dockyard is now managed as a visitor attraction by the
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.