On 30 March 1984, the main gate of Chatham Dockyard was padlocked, ending 400 years of shipbuilding and Royal Navy presence in Chatham. Forty years later, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust has commemorated this anniversary with Dockyard40, an ambitious programme that honoured the Dockyard’s past, celebrated the achievements of the Trust in preserving the former Royal Dockyard and invited new audiences to engage with its story.

Over the past year, Dockyard40 has reconnected thousands with Chatham’s maritime heritage through a programme of exhibitions, events, and community-led initiatives, all while reinforcing the Dockyard’s position as a world leading maritime destination.

Highlights of the Dockyard40 programme:

• Strengthened local connection: Despite a challenging year for the industry, the Dockyard saw a rise in ticket sales from Medway postcodes, showing renewed interest from the local community. A targeted 40% discount and £2 day tickets for those in receipt of Universal or Pension credit, helped to lower the price barrier for hyper local audiences.
• Deeper community engagement: Over 1,000 participants engaged in co-curated exhibitions, workshops, and talks. Collaborations with partners including Medway School of Arts, Electric Medway and Medway African Caribbean Association, brought new audiences into the Dockyard.
• Innovative digital storytelling: A new, interactive Dockyard40 Digital Timeline, alongside social media campaigns and digital storytelling reached over 1.2 million people, with standout features like Transformation Tuesday and Warship Wednesday, extending the Dockyard’s geographic reach.
• High impact media coverage: The Dockyard40 story captured national and regional attention, with prominent features in The Times and BBC News Online. BBC South East Today devoted over half of its evening news broadcast to the anniversary.
• Community-led storytelling: The launch of a Human Library, featuring authentic voices from former Dockyard workers; the Anchors Aweigh yarn-bombing project, which saw 400 crochet anchors created by local community groups; and reminiscence sessions with Medway Archives created intergenerational links and uncovered new stories.
• Flagship events: Ghost Ships, a co-created dance-theatre production by ICON Theatre with Hip Hop dance from Olivier Award winners ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company; Kathak from Amina Khayyam Dance Company; original live music, and over 150 community performers, drew national acclaim and new audiences. Medway’s Armed Forces Day, hosted at the Historic Dockyard for the first time in over a decade, welcomed 8,000 visitors, 58% of whom were first time visitors.
• Expanding access for young people: The Dockyard Discoverers programme enabled 900 students from high pupil premium schools in Medway to access the Dockyard’s award winning learning offer for free, breaking down financial barriers.
• International recognition: The Trust presented its innovative approach to ‘preservation through reuse’ at leading sector conferences including Association of Independent Museums (AIM), Association of Cultural Enterprises (ACE), and the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), reinforcing its position as a leader in the museum and heritage sector.

Richard Morsley, Chief Executive, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust said: “With the Dockyard40 programme we set out not only to reflect on the Dockyard’s legacy but also to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of the Trust over the last four decades. The response from our communities, partners, and visitors has been incredible and we are grateful to all who supported and engaged with our programmes. This milestone year has allowed us to reconnect with many locally, raise our profile nationally and broaden our appeal to more diverse audiences, ensuring our ongoing relevance as we head into the next decade.”

Dockyard40 has successfully reconnected the community with Chatham’s maritime heritage, celebrated four decades of transformation, and laid a strong foundation for the next chapter. As the Dockyard enters its fifth decade under the Trust’s stewardship, the momentum built over the past 40 years will shape its future. The Trust is committed to sustaining local engagement through a changing programme of events and activities. For 2025 this includes the UK premier of the internationally acclaimed exhibition, Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks. In summer 2025, the Trust will launch its ambitious 10-year strategy, building on past achievements and charting an exciting future.

For full highlights and resources, visit: https://thedockyard.co.uk/dockyard40

ENDS