In Kent, where the River Medway finds its way to the North Sea, one can find one of the most beautiful hamlets of England – Chatham. Situated on the river banks settlements were in the past one of the trade points of the ancient Celtic route crossing whole country.
In 16th century, sleepy hamlet was transformed into the shipyard because of its strategic location. The huge demand for manpower attracted a lot of men eager to work and the village in short period of time became a town. The docks, during the World War the Second were used to build submarines. Now, Chatham marine serves only for the yacht owners. In the late 19s the dockyard was closed for production and than transformed into a heritage park. The old dockyard offers a wide range of attractions from thematic displays through galleries presenting the life in the docks to old ships and cars parades.
Beside the old shipyard tourists can enjoy a beautiful scenery of the city which is astonishingly similar to the small Italian villages. With its narrow alleys, Italian restaurants and remains of old fortifications scattered all over the city one can easily find this place charming. It is worth to mention that some of the strongholds are now open for tourists and, what is more, one of them is now a climbing wall ready to surprise even the best mountaineers.
Next museum which is quite original is an old Russian Submarine called The Black Widow. Built in1967 and making its own contribution into the different arm conflicts for almost 30 years were transformed into a museum. Since then it is open for tourists willing to take a look inside the communistic war unit.
Despite the fact that Chatham’s history is hugely connected with wars and conflicts it is also a place where Charles Dickens lived and created some of his masterpieces . In the place where he lived, authorities created a museum known as a Dickens World where visitors can meet their favourite literary characters in a magnificent scenery of a Victorian village.
Chatham is also an educational centre. In its borders there are two of the well known universities in England – University of Greenwich and University of Kent
To sum up. Charming spirit and unique attractions make Chatham a place you will be eager to visit again and again. In its borders one can find peace and rest from the big and crowded cities.
