Medway

This article is about the unitary authority in Kent, England. For the river after which it is named, seeRiver Medway.For other uses, seeMedway (disambiguation).

Medway
Unitary authority areaandborough
Clockwise from top:Rochester Cathedral,HMS Ocelot,Rochester Castle,Royal Engineers Museum,Upnor Castle,Chatham Historic Dockyard
Coat of arms Council logo
Shown withinKent
Coordinates:51°23′N0°32′E
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Ceremonial county	Kent
Status	Unitary authority
Incorporated	1 April 1998
Admin HQ	Gun Wharf,Chatham
Government
• Type	Unitary authority
• Body	Medway Council
• Leadership	Leader & Cabinet (Labour Co-op)
•Mayor	Cllr Marian Nestorov
•MPs	Tristan Osborne(L) Naushabah Khan(L) Lauren Edwards(L)
• Deputy Mayor	Cllr Douglas Hamandishe
• Council Leader	Cllr Vince Maple
Area
• Total	74.14 sq mi (192.03 km2)
• Rank	148th(of 296)
Population (2022)
• Total	282,702
• Rank	56th(of 296)
• Density	3,800/sq mi (1,500/km2)
Ethnicity(2021)
•Ethnic groups	List 84.3%White 5.9%Asian 5.6%Black 2.8%Mixed 1.4%other
Religion(2021)
•Religion	List 45.1%Christianity 43%no religion 5.5% not stated 2.7%Islam 1.6%Sikhism 1.1%Hinduism 0.6%other 0.4%Buddhism 0.1%Judaism
Time zone	UTC0(GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1(BST)
ONS code	00LC (ONS) E06000035 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TQ768688
ISO 3166-2	GB-MED
Website	medway.gov.uk

Medwayis aunitary authorityarea withborough statusin theceremonial countyofKentinSouth East England.It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs ofRochester-upon-MedwayandGillingham,and is administered byMedway Council,which is independent fromKent County Council.The borough had a population of 278,016 in 2019.The borough contains the towns ofChatham,Gillingham,Rainham,RochesterandStrood,which are collectively known as theMedway Towns.

Medway is one of the boroughs included in theThames Gatewaydevelopment scheme. It is also the home ofUniversities at Medway,a tri-partite collaboration of theUniversity of Greenwich,theUniversity of KentandCanterbury Christ Church Universityon a single campus in Chatham, together with theMedway School of Arts.

Geography

Because of its strategic location by the major crossing of theRiver Medway,the borough has made a wide and significant contribution to Kent, and to England, dating back thousands of years, as evident in the siting ofWatling Streetby theRomansand by theNormanRochester Castle,Rochester Cathedral(the second oldest in Britain) and theChatham naval dockyardand its associated defences.

The main towns in the conurbation are (from west to east):Strood,Rochester,Chatham,Gillingham,andRainham.These are traditionally known as theMedway Towns.Many other towns and villages such asFrindsburyandBromptonlie within the conurbation. Outside the urban area, the villages retain parish councils.Cuxton,HallingandWouldhamare in theMedway Gapregion to the south of Rochester and Strood.Hoo St Werburgh,Cliffe,High Halstow,St Mary Hoo,Allhallows,StokeandGrainare on theHoo Peninsulato the north.Frindsbury ExtraincludingUpnorborders Strood.

The southern part of the urban area is on the north slope of theNorth Downs,including the suburbs ofWalderslade,Luton,HempsteadandWigmore.

Over half of the unitary authority area is rural in nature. Medway includes parts of theNorth Kent Marshes,an environmentally significantwetlandsregion with severalSites of Special Scientific Interest(SSSIs). Other similar areas of conservation includeRanscombe Farmon chalk grassland and woodland between Strood and Cuxton, with rare woodland flowers andorchids.

History

The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated originally by the city ofRochesterand later by the naval and military establishments principally inChathamandGillingham.

Rochester was established on anIron Agesite by theRomans,who called it Durobrivae (meaning "stronghold by the bridge" ), to control the point whereWatling Street(now the A2) crossed theRiver Medway.Rochester later became a walled town and, under later Saxon influence, a mint was established here. The first cathedral was built byBishop Justusin 604 and rebuilt under theNormansbyBishop Gundulf,who also built thecastlethat stands opposite the cathedral. Rochester was also an important point for people travelling thePilgrims' Way,which stretches fromWinchesterto the shrine ofThomas BecketatCanterbury.ThePilgrims' Waycrossed the Medway nearCuxton.

In Rochester, parts of theRomancity 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;the Corn Exchange, built in 1698, originally the Butcher's Market; the small Tudor house of Watts Charity endowed bySir Richard Wattsto house "six poor travelers" for one night each; Satis House and Old Hall, both visited byQueen Elizabeth I,built in 1573.In Medway there are 82scheduled ancient monuments,832Listed buildingsand 22conservation areas.

Naval and military history

DutchAttack on the Medway,June 1667byPieter Cornelisz van Soest,painted c. 1667. The captured shipHMSRoyal Charlesis right of centre

TheChatham Naval Memorialcommemorates the 18,500 officers, ranks and ratings of theRoyal Navywho were lost or buried at sea in the two World Wars. It stands on theGreat Linesbetween Chatham and Gillingham.

TheRoyal Navyopened ananchoragedockyardin Gillingham (Jillingham Water) during the reign ofHenry VIII,in 1567 the Royal Naval Dockyard was established in Medway.Although it is called Chatham dockyard, two-thirds of the dockyard lie within Gillingham. 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 per cent.It was protected by a series of forts includingFort Amherstand the Lines,Fort PittandFort Borstal.The majority of surviving buildings in theHistoric Dockyardare Georgian. It was here thatHMSVictory,Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship atTrafalgar,was built and launched in 1765.Sir Francis Drakelearned his seamanship on the Medway;Sir John Hawkinsfounded a hospital in Chatham for seamen, and Nelson began his Navy service at Chatham at the age of 12. Other notable sea-faring and naval figures, such asWilliam Adams,were raised on the Medway but apprenticed elsewhere. The river was further protected by such fortifications asUpnor Castlewhich, in 1667 in varying accounts says it was partly successful in thwarting the Dutchraid on the dockyard,or the commanding officer fled without firing on the Dutch.

Another warship built at Chatham that still exists isHMSUnicorn(a 46-gun "Leda" class frigate) laid down in February 1822, and launched 30 March 1824. She never saw active service and has been restored and is (as of 2005) preserved afloat inDundee,Scotland.

On 25 November 1914 thebattleshipHMSBulwarkwas moored at buoy number 17 at Kethole Reach on the River Medway. She was taking on coal from the airship base atKingsnorth,on theIsle of Grainwhen an internal explosion (most likely the result ofcorditecharges stored alongside a boiler room bulkhead and failure to follow guidelines on the storage of shells) ripped the ship apart. In all, the explosion killed 745 men and 51 officers. Five of the 14 men who survived died later of their wounds, and almost all of the others were seriously wounded. There are mass and individual graves in Woodlands Cemetery inGillinghamfor theBulwark's dead, who were mostly drawn from thePortsmoutharea. The explosion could be heard from up to 20 mi (30 km) atSouthendandWhitstable.In terms of loss of life it remains the second worst explosion in British history.

Less than six months later there was a second explosion. This time it was thePrincess Irene.She was a 1,500-passenger liner built atDumbartonin 1914 forCanadian Pacific.Before she could leave Britain she was commandeered for war service and becameHMSPrincess Irene,and was used as aminelayer.After several trips she was back in the Medway for a refit when on the morning of 27 May 1915 a huge internal explosion tore through the vessel, shaking the ground for miles around and showering the surrounding villages with remains of bodies and debris. A total of 278 died, including 78 workers from nearby towns and villages. In oneSheernessstreet there were ten who died. A Court of Inquiry was held into the loss and evidence was given that priming of the mines was being carried out hurriedly and by untrained personnel. A faulty primer was blamed for the explosion.

For a complete history of the dockyard, including its closure in 1984, seeChatham Dockyard.

TheBritish Armyalso established barracks here; and theRoyal Engineersheadquarters is in Gillingham.

TheRoyal Marinesalso have a long association withChatham.The Chatham Division was based in Chatham until the closure of Chatham Dockyard. A museum dedicated to the Royal Marines can be found close to the dockyard at theRoyal Engineers Museumin Brompton. Founded in 1812, it moved to its current site in 1987. It was classed asGrade II listedon 5 December 1996.

Chatham High Street, December 2007

Post-war development

After World War II, the Medway conurbation expanded to the south as areas including Walderslade, Lordswood, Hempstead and Wigmore were developed, aided by the construction of theM2 motorwayin the 1960s.

The population of Medway is projected to increase to around 300,000 by 2028 according to 2013 projections.Medway Council foresees total investment on development to be in excess of £1 billion over a 20-year period from 2006.

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 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.

In 2004, Medway Council announced its development strategy for the Medway Waterfront area.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. 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.

Among the transport proposals set forth for consideration were a new bridge linking the Medway City industrial estate to central Chatham; the removal of Chatham's gyratory system along with an associated relocation of the town's bus station; remodelling of Strood's one-way system; and the provision of new cycle lanes and park-and-ride services throughout the area.

Chatham Bus Interchange Station, October 2011

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.The new bus station opened in October 2011.

Other recent and proposed developments include:

Rochester riverside

In Rochester, a 74-acre (30-hectare) area ofbrownfield landbetween the river and the railway line is being developed with high-density housing. Up to 50 homes per hectare will be built. The site will also include a primary school, two hotels, business centre, health centre, cafes, restaurants, bars and various commercial units.

The Quays, Chatham Dockside, December 2009

Chatham centre and waterfront

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.One such development at Chatham Waterfront (the area betweenRochester railway stationandChatham Dockyard) is The Quays, a mixed-use development comprising two 20-storey residential towers, designed byWilkinsonEyrearchitects.

A view of the Medway Gate development, June 2009.

Medway Gate

A major development in Strood between Medway Valley Park and junction 2 of theM2 motorway,much of the Medway Gate development is inside a large abandoned chalk pit. The area has seen the building of over 400 homes since work began in 2006, including 125affordable homes.

Strood riverside

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 beyondStrood railway stationwith 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.

Temple Waterfront

This 173-acre (70-hectare) area between the river and Morgan's Timber yard in Strood (formerly aTemplar farm)has plans for 600 homes to be built along with 161,458 square feet (15,000 square metres) of commercial space and a new two-hectare (4.9-acre) site for Morgan's Timber.

Governance

Throughout the 19th century there had been proposals to join the Medway towns under a single authority. 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.

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 singlecounty borough.In 1948 theLocal Government Boundary Commissionrecommended that the area become a "most purposes" county borough, but the recommendation was not carried out. In 1956 the Joint Amalgamation Committee decided in favour of the amalgamation and invited representatives fromStrood Rural DistrictCouncil to join the Committee.In 1960, a proposal was made by Rochester Council that the merger be effected by the city absorbing the two other towns, to safeguard its ancient charters and city status. This led to Gillingham Council voting to leave the committee, as it believed the three towns should go forward as equal partners.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 motion to disband was passed on the casting vote of the chairman, Alderman Semple from Chatham.

Under theLocal Government Act 1972,on 1 April 1974 the City of Rochester, the Borough of Chatham and part ofStrood Rural Districtwere amalgamated to form theBorough of Medway,alocal government districtin the county of Kent. Gillingham chose to remain separate. Underletters patentthe 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".The city was unique, as it had no council or charter trustees and no mayor or civic head. In 1979, the Borough of Medway was renamed asRochester-upon-Medway,and in 1982 further letters patent transferred the city status to the entire borough.

Creation of modern borough

The modern borough was created on 1 April 1998 as part of the1990s local government reforms.The way the change was implemented was to create a newnon-metropolitan districtand anon-metropolitan county,both of which were called 'Medway Towns', each covering the combined area of the previous local government districts of Rochester-upon-Medway and Gillingham. There is no separate county council; instead the district council also performs county council functions, making it a unitary authority.The district remains part of the ceremonial county of Kent for the purposes oflieutenancyandshrievalty.

The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title ofmayor.The first elections to the new council were in 1997; it initially acted as a shadow authority to oversee the transition to the new system, before formally coming into office on 1 April 1998. With effect from that day, the incoming council changed the borough and non-metropolitan county's name from Medway Towns to just Medway.

Since it was the local government district of Rochester-upon-Medway that officially held city status under the 1982 letters patent, when it was abolished, it also ceased to be a city. The other local government districts with city status that were abolished around this time (BathandHereford) appointedcharter trusteesto maintain the existence of the city and the mayoralty. However, Rochester-upon-Medway City Council had decided not to and as a result their city status was rescinded. Medway Council apparently only became aware of this when they discovered that Rochester was not on theLord Chancellor's Office's list of cities.Medway applied forcity statusin the 2000 and 2002 competitions, but was unsuccessful. 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 theAdvertising Standards Authority.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.Ultimately Medway was unsuccessful with the eventual winners beingChelmsford(Essex),Perth(Perthshire), andSt Asaph(Denbighshire).

Politics

Main article:Medway Council

The council comprises 59 councillors representing differentwards.The party political breakdown of the council following the 2023 local elections is:

Affiliation		Councillors
	Labour Party	33
	Conservative Party	22
	Independent	4

Parts of the unitary authority areparished,chiefly the rural areas. There are currently 11 parishes:

• Allhallows
• Cliffeand Cliffe Woods
• Cooling
• Cuxton
• Frindsbury Extra
• Halling
• High Halstow
• Hoo St Werburgh
• St JamesIsle of Grain
• St Mary Hoo
• Stoke

Education

Main article:List of schools in Medway

Medway operates a two-tier education system, with academic selection for admission to secondary schools determined by theEleven plus exam.There are a number ofgrammar schoolslocated in the area, the other secondary schools in Medway beingnon-selective(apart from one faith schools and the school on the peninsula). There are also a number ofprivate schoolsoperating in the area.Medway is also home to the third largestHome Schoolpopulation of children in the UK after the Isles of Scilly and Isle of Wight.

Demographics

Top 10 countries of birth in 2011
Country of birth	Population
United Kingdom	236,589
India	3,812
Poland	1,731
Republic of Ireland	1,725
Germany	1,542
Nigeria	1,527
South Africa	743
Bangladesh	737
Pakistan	692
Lithuania	601

• Population: The population of Medway as measured in the 2001 Census was 249,488, of which 49% were male and 51% female. Most of the population live in the Chatham and Gillingham areas: 70,540 in Chatham and 99,773 in Gillingham.
• Unemployment: The closure of Chatham Dockyard cost some 20,000 jobs. In June 2005 local unemployment stood at 2.3% of the workforce, a total of 3,678 people. Many of the employed population of 160,000 people now work outside the district — especially in London, which has many transport links from Medway.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Medway at current basic pricespublished(pp. 240–253) byOffice for National Statisticswith figures in millions of pounds Sterling.

Year	Regional Gross Value Added	Agriculture	Industry	Services
1995	1,823	21	560	1,243
2000	2,348	8	745	1,595
2003	2,671	10	802	1,859

Culture

Medway's cultural strategy is run by Creative Medway, a sector-led organisation drawing together business, cultural sector organisations and freelancers.

There are five theatres in Medway, two run by the council and three independent. 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). The independent theatres are Medway Little Theatre (96 seats), The Oasthouse Theatre and Kings Theatre (110 seats).

Leisure and recreation

A view of former The Black Lion Leisure Centre (Now Medway Park), April 2009.

• 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. It includes the Jumpers Rebound Centre for trampolining. Medway Park has been upgraded for the Medway 2012 programme to secure local benefits from the London Olympics.
• The Strand Leisure Park in Gillingham has an open-air swimming pool on the banks of the River Medway as well as other leisure attractions including tennis courts and a narrow-gauge railway.
• Strood Sports Centre in has an indoor swimming pool, gym, sports hall, squash courts and an astroturf sports pitch.
• Gillingham has an ice rink, The Ice Bowl, home to a localice hockeyteam, theInvicta Dynamoswho play in theNIHL South Division 1.
• Gillingham F.C.are the main football team of the area. They play inFootball League Two.
• John Nike Ski Centre – located in Capstone near Hempstead
• The Splashes Leisure Centre in Rainham, Kent has a swimming pool with indoor slide and a wave machine. It also has a small gym on the second floor.
• Medway Dragons Rugby League Football Club operate out the Royal School of Military Engineering sports facilities and Medway Park for Wheelchair Rugby League

Transport

Roadways

The A2 crossing the Medway at Rochester on the site of the Roman crossings, the medieval crossing was to the south

Watling Street(theA2), the Roman road between thePort of Doveron theEnglish Channeland London, runs through Medway. This route became particularly congested and led to the building of theM2to bypass the Medway Towns to the south in the 1960s and was subsequently widened extensively at the turn of the 21st century. The A2 through the Medway Towns varies from single carriageway to dual carriageway to "one way" systems. In places it deviates from the original route ofWatling Street.

The A2 leaves the main route (which bypasses Medway by either the Northern Relief Road — TheA289or the M2) at the Three Crutches junction. The road descends through Strood towards the river. During the descent, the road to Gravesend, the A226 joins. InStroodthe High Street is bypassed by the one-way system to the north and south encircling the High Street. The A2 crosses the Medway via two bridges in a dual carriageway (seeRochester Bridge). One bridge is Victorian and in the position of the original Roman bridge. The second bridge is more recent and build upon the piers of the originalLondon, Chatham and Dover Railway(LCDR) main line railway bridge (theChatham Main Lineuses theSouth Eastern Railway's branch line's bridge).

In Rochester the High street is bypassed to the north by the dualled Corporation Street. 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). 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. It then climbs Chatham Hill (to Gillingham) now has a separate bus lane. The A2 / Watling street traditionally bypasses centralGillinghamwhich lies to the North. From the main road toGillingham(Canterbury Street), the A2 is dual carriageway. Here the Northern Relief Road (A289) rejoins at the Will Adams roundabout. 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. A largeTescosupermarket currently inhabits the site. As the road progresses into Rainham it becomes single carriageway again.

Connecting Medway with neighbouringGravesendis theA226.This leaves the A2 on the hill above Strood. It is a single carriageway A road.

Junction Two of the M2 is on the A228, just before the Medway motorway bridge. Alongside isHigh Speed 1.Both are seen climbing up the Nashenden Valley, towardsBluebell Hill.

TheA228runs along the west bank of the Medway, through Strood. Intersecting the M2 at its second junction, crossing the A2 through the centre of Strood and meeting (and encompassing for a short stretch) the Northern Relief Road (A289). The road then carries on to theIsle of Grain.Throughout its passage through Strood it is single carriageway, but the stretches to the North are dualled partially toward Grain. The road to Grain was an accident black spot, this and increased traffic from the major port ofThamesportwhich is located to the north-west along the Medway Estuary prompted the construction of a newdual carriageway.The A228 Main Road to Ropers Lane project was provisionally approved by the government in December 2001. Design work started in March 2000 and in February 2004, contractors got under way with moving services such as water, gas and fuel pipes. This work was vital, as the pipes actually supply the Hoo Peninsula and the power station at Grain. The largest water main that was moved was 24 inches (610 mm) in diameter and the largest gas main 36 inches (914 mm). The road cost £19 million and is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) long.

TheA229starts from the A2 at the junction at the top of Star Hill alongside Jackson's Field / Fort Pitt, it follows City Way to the South where at Fort Horstead /Rochester Airport/ Mid Kent College it meets the branch from Chatham (theA230which starts atChatham Station/ New Cut). From here it continues south, becoming dual carriageway and meeting the M2 at its third junction, which also provides access withWalderslade.This road then proceeds down Blue Bell Hill (from the summit of the North Downs) to the county town of Maidstone and theM20.

TheA278Hoath Waylinks the A2 at Gillingham to its southern suburbs (Hempstead, Wigmore and Parkwood) to the M2's fourth junction. It is dual carriageway throughout.

TheA289was built in the 1990s as theMedway Towns Northern Relief Road.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). It then joins the A228 (as The Wainscott Eastern Bypass) — these two parts are dualled. A dualled link road leads to theMedway Tunnelto theChatham Dockyard.Here it meets Dock Road (A231) that leads to Chatham. 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.

TheA2045is the A289's counterpart, however it is largely unbuilt. TheMedway Towns Southern Relief Roadwas proposed to link the (then) new developments to the south of Chatham (Walderslade) and Gillingham (Hempstead,Wigmoreand Parkwood) with M2's J3 and the A229 to the east and the M2's J4 andA278in the west. A single carriageway road was built south of Walderslade to access the Walderslade Woods and Lordswood developments. At the other end a small section was built to access the Hempstead development and its shopping centre. However, the key middle stretch was left unbuilt, a link road to central Chatham via Luton, the B2156North Dane Waywas also left incomplete with no road to link to. The removal of Medway from Kent (which the incomplete section would lay in) and the recent widening of M2 leaves the proposed project with little chance of completion in the foreseeable future.

Buses

The vast majority of local bus routes throughout Medway are centred upon the newly openedWaterfront bus station(replacingPentagon bus station) in Chatham. Most bus routes are run byArriva Southern Counties,which took over the locally ownedMaidstone & Districtbus company in the 1990s. Other local bus companies including Nu-Venture provide certain services, some under contract to the local authority. Buses are numbered between 100 and 199 for local services, with buses numbered in the 700s to showKent County Councilsubsidised services including those toWaldersladeandBluewater Shopping Centre,and in the 600s for school bus services.

Bus links to London and other parts of the south east can be accessed via Bluewater Shopping Centre, nearGreenhithe,which has extensive bus routes to London.

Coaches

Commuter coaches run from various parts of Medway to a selection of London destinations using the M2/A2. Operating companies includeThe Kings FerryandChalkwell Coaches.

National Expressruns regular services fromHempstead Valley Shopping Centre,Chatham Waterfront bus station,and Chatham Maritime Universities toGatwick Airport.

Railways

Medway Towns Rail
High Speed 1 toLondon St Pancras Chatham Main Line toLondon Victoria North Kent Line toLondon Charing Cross Bromley South Dartford London Boro' of Bromley Borough of Dartford Ebbsfleet International Longfield Borough of Dartford Borough of Gravesham Borough of Dartford Borough of Gravesham Meopham Gravesend Sole Street Hoo Junction Staff Halt Borough of Gravesham Borough of Medway The Hundred of Hoo Railway Medway Valley Line toMaidstone Higham Halling Borough of Gravesham Borough of Medway Cuxton Higham and Strood Tunnels 3931 yd 3595 m High Speed 1 M2 motorway Strood (Old Terminus) Strood Rochester Bridge (LCDR) River Medway Rochester Bridge Goods station Rochester Common Rochester Chatham Central Fort Pitt Tunnel 428 yards (391 m) River Medway Chatham Chatham Tunnel 297 yards (272 m) Gillingham Tunnel 897 yards (820 m) Gillingham toChatham Dockyard Gillingham EMU depot Rainham Chatham Main Line toDover&Ramsgate

The Medway Council area has seven railway stations:

• Strood Station
• Rochester Station
• Chatham Station
• Gillingham Station
• Rainham Station
• Halling Station
• Cuxton Station

It is served by theMedway Valley line,theNorth Kent lineand theChatham Main Line.

The owners of theThames and Medway Canaltunnel that linked Medway (specifically Strood) with Gravesend turned half their canal into a railway bringing the first rails to Medway. They were soon absorbed by theSouth Eastern RailwaywhoseNorth Kent linelinked Strood with Gravesend, Dartford, and thenLondon Bridge.Subsequently, SER extended their branch from theirmain lineto Maidstone to Strood — theMedway Valley line.Stations were built on the Medway Valley line for the villages ofCuxtonandHalling.

A rival company, theLondon, Chatham and Dover Railway,built a railway between Chatham and East Kent. 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 theWest End of London & Crystal Palace Railwayto gain access toLondon Victoria.This railway became known as theChatham Main Line.It had stations atRochester Bridgewhich was actually in Strood, Chatham and New Brompton which was renamed Gillingham. The line was extended through Rainham to the Kent Coast (Thanet and Dover).

In reaction to this strong rival the SER built a small branch alongside the LCDR over the Medway on a parallel bridge toa station in Rochesterand a terminus calledChatham Centralwhich was actually just outside Chatham.

The strenuous competition between the two companies resulted in their merger into theSouth Eastern and Chatham Railwayin 1899. 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).

Post World War I saw the big four grouping and the SECR was merged intoSouthernin 1923. This led toelectrificationof suburban services (750 V DC third rail) which by World War II had seen electric traction reach Gillingham on the Chatham Main Line and Maidstone West (via Strood and the North Kent Line) on the Medway Valley line.

Post war (1948) saw nationalisation intoBritish Rail,which under its 1955 modernisation part saw the completion of Southern's electrification efforts in Kent as a key target. Thus Rainham was reached as part of this programme. It also saw the extension of platforms on the Chatham Main Line to 12 cars, leading to the closure of two of Chatham's four platforms. Rochester retained four platforms, while Strood and Gillingham kept three. 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. These are scheduled to commence in May 2018. In December 2015, a new Rochester station opened replacing the original one. It has three platforms and can handle 12-car trains.

Extensive goods yards existed at Strood, Rochester and Gillingham. Strood had engine sheds, while Gillingham still has carriage depots. A freight branch to Chatham Dockyard also exists. The network within the dockyard has been extensively curtailed since the dockyard’s closure.

Rail services generally consist of North Kent Line services (to London Bridge and beyond —Charing CrossandCannon Street) starting from Gillingham. 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 toTonbridgeand evenGatwick.The main services are on the Chatham Main line, with stopper services from Faversham (i.e. they stop at local stations, running fast from Bromley) and fast services from Kent Coast (i.e. they run fast from Medway to London). Services are currently operated bySoutheastern.

TheHigh Speed 1line passes through the Medway Towns area, running parallel to the M2/A2 Trunk road. The completion of High Speed 1 has seen domestic services operating on the line, which includes a stopping service starting atFavershamrunning toStroodandGravesendbefore joining the High Speed line atEbbsfleet.From there it travels at high speed toStratford InternationalandSt Pancras International,where connections can now be made with mainline trains to the north of England. The rail service is extensively used by the residents of Medway to commute into London.

Waterways

Although it is extensively used for leisure, the River Medway is not used for local transport purposes; however, cargo ships operated by Union Transport of Bromley still sail to the cement works to the south at Halling/Cuxton. Part of the closedRoyal Navy baseis 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 is also a ship repair facility located in the basin.Thamesport,which is located on the edge of the Medway Estuary on theIsle of Grain,handles the shipping of containers and fossil fuels.Kingsnorth Power Stationhas coal shipped in from Dunkirk. Scotline also operates a fleet of coasters for the import of wood, and has a wharf on the River Medway. There is also a wharf on the river called Eurowharf, which deals with dredged material. In addition, there was a shipping company based on the river, formerly known as Lapthorn Shipping but then as Coastal Bulk Shipping, but it ceased trading at the end of 2008.

Air

There are two small airports. The first,Rochester Airport,is a "grass strip" used for leisure purposes. Stoke Airfield near Grain is used by microlights and light aircraft. For scheduled air travel, Medway residents can use Kent'sLydd Airport(orManston Airportuntil its 2014 closure), but these lack extensive passenger facilities or routes; thus, the main London airports are used instead in most cases.

Notable people

See sections in the constituent towns.

• William Adams,the first Englishman to record reaching Japan, was born in Gillingham. The Japanese Shogun made him a samurai (warrior). He is significant to Medway because this has led to the twinning withYokosukaandItō,the latter being the location of the shogun shipbuilding sites most associated with William Adams.
• Charles Dickenslived in Medway; a museum was inEastgate Housein Rochester until its closure in 2004. Avisitor attractionbased on his works was located at Chatham Dockside until October 2016, when it closed.
• Thomas Aveling ofAveling and Porter,the first British, and once the largest, manufacturer ofsteamrollersin the world, is buried in the graveyard of Hoo St. Werburgh parish church. Aveling lived in this village on the Hoo Peninsula, where he invented and tested his steamrollers.
• Actress and modelKelly Brookwas born in Rochester and attended the Thomas Aveling School.
• Artist, musician and poetBilly Childish.
• Bill Lewis,poet (founder member ofThe Medway Poets,mythographer, founder member of theStuckistart group and member of Colony: A Community of Artists.
• Marxist scholarDavid Harveywas born and brought up in Gillingham.
• Thomas Hodgskin,an early socialist whose writing on the political economy influencedKarl Marx.
• Francis Drakelived inUpnorand learnt to sail on the Medway.
• Chris SmallingEnglish footballer attended Chatham Grammar School for Boys
• Jools Holland,musician and the host ofLater... with Jools Holland,lives in theCooling Castleon theHoo Peninsula.
• River Medway, a contestant onRuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 3,placing 6th alongside Choriza May.

Twin towns

Medway istwinnedwith:

• —Valenciennes(France) (existing since 1955 making it the 2nd oldest such twinning in the UK)
• —YokosukaandItō(Japan)
• —Cádiz(Spain)
• —Foshan(China)

Freedom of the Borough

The following people, military units and Organisations and Groups have received theFreedom of the Boroughof Medway.

Military units

• TheRoyal Corps of Engineers:17 January 2008.
• HMSChatham,RN:12 February 2011.
• "C" Company 3rd Battalion ThePrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment:25 January 2018.
• TheRoyal Marines.

Organisations and groups

• The Royal Naval Association (Chatham Branch): 21 July 2022.
• TheChatham Historic Dockyard Trust:21 July 2022.
• TheMedway NHS Foundation Trust:19 October 2023.

External links

• Medway Council
• Archive Images
• Detailed history of the Medway Towns
• Chatham's World Heritage Site application
• Medway's UK City of Culture 2025 bid