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This article is about the Medway towns in England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For others, see Medway (disambiguation).
Borough of Medway
Image:EnglandMedway.png
Geography
Status: Unitary, Borough
Region: South East England
Ceremonial County: Kent
Area:
- Total		 Ranked 192nd
192.03 km²
Admin. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Surface area is the measure of how much exposed Area an object has This is a list of Districts of England ordered by area. The areas given are calculated from the Output Areas created for Census 2001 and made available To help compare different Orders of magnitude and geographical regions we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km² Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of HQ: Strood
ONS code: 00LC
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2006 est. Headquarters (HQ denotes the location where most if not all of the important functions of an organization are concentrated This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating Census and other statistical data In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology )
- Density		 Ranked 39th
251,700
1311 / km²
Ethnicity[1]: 93. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different The figures are mid-year estimates for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics. 0% White
3. 4% S. Asian
1. 3% Black
1. 4% Mixed
1. 0% Chinese or other
Politics
Medway Council
http://www.medway.gov.uk/
Leadership: Leader & Cabinet
Executive: Conservative
MPs: Paul Clark (L)
Robert Marshall-Andrews (L)
Jonathan Shaw (L)
A view from Merrall's Shaw, Cuxton ENE over the Medway Towns. In sight are the M2, Rochester Bridge and Castle, the covered slips at Chatham Dockyard, Kingsnorth Power station and in the far distance the Grain Power Stations.
A view from Merrall's Shaw, Cuxton ENE over the Medway Towns. The pattern of local government in England is complex with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Paul Gordon Clark (born 29 April 1957) is a British Labour Politician and MP for the South East constituency of Gillingham The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Robert Graham Marshall-Andrews, known as Bob Marshall-Andrews, QC (born 10 April 1944 is an English politician and Barrister. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Jonathan Rowland Shaw (born 3 June 1966, Kent) is a politician in the United Kingdom. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the In sight are the M2, Rochester Bridge and Castle, the covered slips at Chatham Dockyard, Kingsnorth Power station and in the far distance the Grain Power Stations.

Medway is the name given to a conurbation and unitary authority in north Kent, England. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format It is also a major seaport. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo It was previously known as "The Medway Towns" , but the five towns on the River Medway have gradually merged together. The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters Because of its strategic location by the major crossing of the River Medway by Watling Street it has made a wide and historically significant contribution to Kent, and to the United Kingdom dating back thousands of years, as evident in the Norman Rochester Castle, Rochester Cathedral (the second oldest in Britain), and the Chatham naval dockyard and its associated defences. Watling Street is the name given to an Ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. Rochester Castle ( stands on the east bank of the River Medway, in Rochester Kent. Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester Kent. Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England

The five main towns involved in the conurbation are (from west to east in terms of geographical position): Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham. This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. The town of Rainham is part of the Medway Towns conurbation under the Unitary authority of Medway, in South East England, and part of the ceremonial Many smaller towns and villages such as Frindsbury, Brompton, Walderslade, Luton, Wigmore etc, lie within the conurbation with a few villages outside the main urban area such as Hoo St Werburgh, Cliffe and Grain on the Hoo Peninsula to the north of the main towns, and villages such as Cuxton, Halling and Wouldham in the Medway Gap region to the south of Rochester and Strood. Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. Walderslade is a large suburb to the south of Chatham in Kent, England, encompassing almost all the ME5 postcode district (except parts Hoo St Werburgh is one of several Villages on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England to bear the name Hoo. Cliffe (sometimes known as Cliffe-at-Hoo) is a Village on the Hoo peninsula in Kent, England, reached from the Medway Towns For the peninsula sometimes mistakenly called the Isle of Grain see the Hoo Peninsula. The Hoo Peninsula is a Peninsula in England separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. Cuxton is a village in the unitary authority of Medway. It lies on left bank of the River Medway in the North Downs. Halling is a Village on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent, England, covering 7 Wouldham is a small village on the bank of the River Medway in Kent, Great Britain. The Medway Gap is a topographic feature in the English county of Kent near Rochester. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary

Medway also includes parts of the North Kent Marshes, an environmentally significant wetlands region with several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The North Kent Marshes, located in the north of the county of Kent on the Thames Estuary in south-east England, is one of 22 Environmentally Sensitive A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a Conservation designation denoting a Protected area in the United Kingdom. Other similar areas of conservation include Ranscombe Farm on chalk grassland and woodland between Strood and Cuxton, with rare woodland flowers and orchids. BluebellWood9923RanscombeJPG|right|300px|thumb|In April the woods are carpeted with bluebells This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary Cuxton is a village in the unitary authority of Medway. It lies on left bank of the River Medway in the North Downs.

Contents

History

The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated originally by the city of Rochester and later by the naval and military establishments principally in Chatham and Gilllingham. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England.

Rochester was established by the Romans, who called it Durobrivae (meaning "stronghold by the bridge"), on an Iron Age site to control the point where Watling Street (now the A2) crossed the River Medway. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Watling Street is the name given to an Ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters The first cathedral was buillt by Bishop Justus in 604 and was rebuilt under the Normans by Bishop Gundulf, who also built the castle which stands opposite the cathedral. Saint Justus (d 10 November between 627 to 631 was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. Events By Place Ancient Japan Prince Shotoku issues a Seventeen-article constitution. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. Gundulf (or Gundulph) was a Norman monk who came to England following the Conquest Rochester Castle ( stands on the east bank of the River Medway, in Rochester Kent. Rochester was also an important point for people travelling the Pilgrims' Way. "Pilgrim's Way" is also the US title of Memory Hold-the-Door by John Buchan The Pilgrims' Way (also Pilgrim's Pilgrims' Way stretches from Winchester to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre St Thomas Becket (c 1118 &ndash December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. Pilgrims' Way crossed the Medway near Cuxton. Cuxton is a village in the unitary authority of Medway. It lies on left bank of the River Medway in the North Downs. Rochester became a walled town and under later Saxon influence a mint was established here.

Rochester has many fine buildings such as the Guildhall (today a museum) built in 1687, 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 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. In Medway there are 82 scheduled ancient monuments, 832 Listed buildings and 22 conservation areas. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a 'nationally important' Archaeological site or historic building given protection against unauthorised change A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance A conservation area is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded Parts of the Roman city wall are still in evidence. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

Famous people

Naval and military history

Dutch Attack on the Medway, June 1667 by Pieter Cornelisz van Soest, painted c. 1667. The captured ship Royal Charles is right of center
Dutch Attack on the Medway, June 1667 by Pieter Cornelisz van Soest, painted c. 1667. The captured ship Royal Charles is right of center
The Chatham naval memorial commemorates the 18,500 officers, ranks and ratings of the Royal Navy who were lost or buried at sea in the two World Wars. It stands on the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham.
The Chatham naval memorial commemorates the 18,500 officers, ranks and ratings of the Royal Navy who were lost or buried at sea in the two World Wars. Chatham Naval Memorial is a large Obelisk situated in the town of Chatham Kent, which is in the Medway Towns. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) It stands on the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham.

The Royal Navy opened a dockyard during the reign of Henry VIII; it shut in 1984. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships These can be Yachts military Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of It was protected by a series of forts including the Great Lines of Defence, Fort Amherst, Fort Pitt and Fort Borstal. Fort Amherst, in Kent, England, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, by convict labour between 1875 and 1885 The majority of surviving buildings in the Historic Dockyard are Georgian. Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England It was here that Britain's most famous wooden warship HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, was built and launched in 1765. Construction In December 1758 the commissioner of Chatham Dockyard was instructed to prepare a Dry dock for the construction of a new First-rate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British The Battle of Trafalgar ( 21 October 1805) was a historic sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the Year 1765 ( MDCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Sir Francis Drake learned his seamanship on the Medway; Sir John Hawkins founded a hospital in Chatham for seamen, and Nelson began his Navy service at Chatham at the age of 12. Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c 1540 &ndash 27 January 1595 was an English Privateer, navigator, Slaver, and politician Admiral Sir John Hawkins (also spelled as John Hawkyns) ( Plymouth 1532 &ndash November 12 1595) was an English shipbuilder 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. Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Kent England The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of Medway or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English

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. See also HMS ''Trincomalee'' HMS ''Leda'' Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year She never saw active service and has been restored and is (as of 2005) preserved afloat in Dundee, Scotland. Dundee (Dùn Dèagh is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council

There have also been other naval disasters in Medway other than the Raid on the Medway. The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of Medway or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English

On the 26 November 1914 the battleship HMS Bulwark was moored at buoy number 17 at Kethole Reach on the River Medway. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were Technical Description HMS Bulwark was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 20 March 1899 and launched on 18 October 1899 The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters She was taking on coal from the airship base at Kingsnorth, on the Isle of Grain when an internal explosion (most likely the result of Cordite charges stored alongside a boiler room bulkhead and failure to follow guidelines on the storage of shells) ripped the ship apart. For the town of Kingsnorth near Ashford see Kingsnorth. Kingsnorth is a place in Kent, England, on the south side of the Hoo For the peninsula sometimes mistakenly called the Isle of Grain see the Hoo Peninsula. Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace Gunpowder as a military propellant 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 in Gillingham for the Bulwark's dead, who were mostly drawn from the Portsmouth area. Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which The explosion could be heard from up to 20 miles at Southend and Whitstable. Whitstable ( is a seaside town in northeast Kent, southeast England 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 the Princess Irene. She was a 1,500-passenger liner built at Dumbarton in 1914 for Canadian Pacific. Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde Before she could leave Britain she was commandeered for war service and became HMS Princess Irene, and was used as a minelayer. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines Historically this has been carried out by ships submarines and aircraft After several trips she was back in the Medway for a refit when on the morning of 27 May 1915 another huge internal explosion tore through the vessel, shaking the ground for miles around and showering the surrounding villages with remains of bodies and debris. There was a great mushroom cloud from which the ship disintegrated. 278 died, including 78 workers from nearby towns and villages. In one Sheerness street there were ten who died. Sheerness (ˈʃɪərnɪs is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England Once again sabotage was suspected, but it would seem that the mine charges were unstable and awaiting replacement. A naval mine is a self-contained Explosive device placed in water to destroy Ships or Submarines Unlike Depth charges mines are deposited

For a complete history of the dockyard, including its closure in 1984, see Chatham Dockyard

The British Army also established barracks here; and the Royal Engineers headquarters is in Gillingham. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England.

The Royal Marines also have a long association with Chatham. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy The Chatham Division was based in Chatham until the closure of the Dockyard. Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England A small museum dedicated to the Royal Marines can be found at the dockyard.

Future development

Central government has worked with Medway Council to regenerate Medway, including the projects below:

Medway Waterfront

The Medway Waterfront Renaissance Strategy is a 20-year plan for the redevelopment of up to seven miles (11km) of waterfront along the River Medway. The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters This project will create 6,000 to 8,000 homes and 8,500 jobs. There are five main areas designated for development:

Gillingham centre

Gillingham will get another 150 parking spaces, as well as a new town square within a new shopping area, a new cultural and leisure venue, improved connections and use of the Great Lines and Black Lion open spaces, plus improved pedestrian facilities. Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England.

Rochester riverside

In Rochester A 74-acre (30-hectare) brownfield site between the river and the railway line is being developed with high-quality high-density housing. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters Up to 50 homes per hectare will be built. There has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for local public services which will be required by the approximately 1000 new residences which are expected to house over 2000 people. The site has accommodated a wide variety of industrial, commercial and maritime activities since the beginning of the 19th century but has become largely disused in recent years.

Chatham centre and waterfront

Chatham town centre is the main commercial centre of Medway but has notorious traffic problems and much of the transport system will be redeveloped. In the early autumn of 2006 the "one way" system was turned into a two way system. In the near future it is planned that the Sir John Hawkins flyover will be demolished. The council believes that this will open up Chatham Waterfront, an area long marked for redevelopment though there is debate as to the new road system actually harming some businesses in Chatham. Chatham waterfront is the area between Rochester railway station and Chatham Dockyard — numerous residential and commercial developments are planned in this run down area.

Strood riverside

Redevelopment including new homes and a landscaped play area were completed in the 1990s but now there are plans to extend this further along the river past Strood railway station. Strood Railway Station serves the town of Strood in Medway. It is on the North Kent Line and is a terminus for the Medway Valley Line. Another 500 to 600 homes will be built, and the waterfront will be developed with new recreational and leisure facilities (although there has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for medical, police, or educational services), improved open public space, better access to the railway station, the town centre and the Medway City Estate industrial area.

Temple Waterfront

This 70-hectare area (formerly a Templar farm) — between the river and Morgan's Timber yard in Strood — is commonly known as "Morgans" or "Morgan's field" and is often used illegally by off-road motorcyclists. Under the plans, 600 homes will be built along with 15,000 square metres of commercial space and a new two-hectare site for Morgan's Timber, however there has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for local public services.

Medway Gate

A view of the Medway Gate development, April 2007.
A view of the Medway Gate development, April 2007.

This is not under the Medway waterfront scheme, but it is a major development under way in Strood between Medway Valley Park and the M2 junction 2. Motorway is a term for both a type of Road and a classification or designation Much of the development is inside a large unused chalk pit and requires massive landscaping efforts to make building possible. A small field which was hidden from the main road has also been landscaped. Many problems such as new schools and amenities to accommodate the new homes seem to be still unresolved.

Medway unitary authority

Formation

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 single county borough. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City In 1948 the Local Government Boundary Commission recommended that the area become a "most purposes" county borough, but the recommendation was not carried out. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1956 the Joint Amalgamation Committee decided in favour of the amalgamation and invited representatives from Strood Rural District Council to join the Committee. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Strood Rural District was a Rural district with an area of 196 [2] 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. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This led to Gillingham Council voting to leave the committee, as it believed the three towns should go forward as equal partners. [3] On March 9 the committee held its last meeting, with the Chatham representatives voting to dissolve the body and those from Rochester voting against. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. The motion to disband was passed on the casting vote of the chairman, Alderman Semple from Chatham. [4]

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the City of Rochester, the Borough of Chatham and part of Strood Rural District were amalgamated to form the Borough of Medway, with Gillingham remaining separate. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales Strood Rural District was a Rural district with an area of 196 The City of Rochester-upon-Medway was a local government district in north Kent, England from 1974 to 1998 In 1982 the district was renamed Rochester-upon-Medway, and Rochester's city status was transferred to the district. In 1998 Gillingham and Rochester-upon-Medway were merged under the local government review, to form the Borough of Medway Towns (soon renamed the Borough of Medway), which became a unitary authority, administratively independent from Kent. The structure of Local government in the United Kingdom underwent large changes in the 1990s See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Medway applied for city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions, but was unsuccessful. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Because of the abolition of Rochester-upon-Medway in 1998, and the decision not to appoint Charter Trustees, it was removed from the list of official cities. In England and Wales, Charter Trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a Town charter or City charter after a district with the status

The council currently comprises 55 councillors representing different wards. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district The current political make-up of the Council (after the 2007 local elections) is;

Parts of the unitary authority are parished, chiefly the rural areas. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. There are currently 11 parishes;

Demographics

Settlements

Apart from the parishes above, the following settlements are within the borough. Around the perimeter (especially to the south) there are also many large estates built mainly after the Second World War.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Medway at current basic prices published (pp. Chattenden is a small village in Hoo Parish in Medway in Kent, UK Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. Hempstead is a town near Gillingham in Kent, part of the built-up area of the Medway Towns. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the The town of Rainham is part of the Medway Towns conurbation under the Unitary authority of Medway, in South East England, and part of the ceremonial This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary Twydall is an area of Gillingham in Medway, in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. Wainscott is a small village bordering the Hoo Peninsula, in Kent. Walderslade is a large suburb to the south of Chatham in Kent, England, encompassing almost all the ME5 postcode district (except parts 240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of pounds Sterling.

Year Regional Gross Value Added[1] Agriculture[2] Industry[3] Services[4]
1995 1,823 21 560 1,243
2000 2,348 8 745 1,595
2003 2,671 10 802 1,859

^  includes hunting and forestry

^  includes energy and construction

^  includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

^  Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

Transport

Road

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

Four of Medway's five towns are located upon Watling Street (the A2), the Roman road between the Channel port of Dover and London. The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. 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 century. The M2 is a Motorway in Kent, England. It is 257 Miles (414 Km) long and acts as a bypass of the section of the A2 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 of Watling Street.

The A2 leaves the main route (which bypasses Medway by either the Northern Relief Road — The A289 or the M2) at the Three Crutches junction. List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. The road descends through Strood towards the river. During the Decent the road to Gravesend, the A226 joins. In Strood the High Street is bypassed by the one-way system to the north and south encircling the High Street. This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary The A2 crosses the Medway via two bridges in a dual carriageway (see Rochester Bridge). Rochester Bridge was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in Kent, southern England 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 original LCDR main line railway bridge (the Chatham Main Line uses the SER's) branch line's bridge). The London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies The Chatham Main Line is the British railway line that runs from London Victoria to Dover Priory or Ramsgate via the Medway Towns For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom 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 central Gillingham which lies to the North. Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. From the main road to Gillingham (Canterbury Street), the A2 is dual carriageway. Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. 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(?) at this location that left a giant water tower. A large Tesco supermarket currently inhabits the site. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain As the road progresses into Rainham it becomes single carriageway again.

Connecting Medway with neighbouring Gravesend is the A226. Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. The A226 road travels in a west-east direction from Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley, along north Kent through Gravesend to the The 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. Along side is High Speed 1. Both are seen climbing up the Nashenden Valley, towards Bluebell Hill.
Junction Two of the M2 is on the A228, just before the Medway motorway bridge. Along side is High Speed 1. Both are seen climbing up the Nashenden Valley, towards Bluebell Hill.

The A228 runs along the west bank of the Medway, through Strood. A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually 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 the Isle of Grain. For the peninsula sometimes mistakenly called the Isle of Grain see the Hoo Peninsula. Through out it 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 of Thamesport which is located to the north-west along the Medway Estuary prompted the construction of a new dual-carriageway. A dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or Highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land known as a 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 (610mm) in diameter and the largest gas main 36 inches (914mm). The road cost £19 million and is approximately 2. 5 miles (4km) long.

The A229 starts 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 (the A230 which starts at Chatham Station / New Cut). The A229 is a major Road running north-south through Kent. The road begins in the Medway town of Rochester at the foot of Star Hill Rochester Airport is a small airfield located 15 nm (172 mi 2 The A230 is a short Road running north-south in the Medway town of Chatham in Kent. From here it continues south, becoming dual carriageway and meeting the M2 at its third junction, which also provides access with Walderslade. Walderslade is a large suburb to the south of Chatham in Kent, England, encompassing almost all the ME5 postcode district (except parts This road then proceeds down Blue Bell Hill (from the summit of the North Downs) to the county town of Maidstone and the M20. The M20 is a Motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel

The A278 Hoath Way links the A2 at Gillingham to its southern suburbs (Hempstead, Wigmore and Parkwood) to the M2's fourth junction. The A278 is a Road running north-south in North Kent. The whole length of the road is dual-carriageway within Medway Council but is a non- Primary Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is dual carriageway throughout.

The A289 was built in the 1990s as the Medway Towns Northern Relief Road. List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. 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 part are dualled. A dualled link road leads to the Medway Tunnel to the Chatham Dockyard. Here it meets Dock Road (A231) that leads to Chatham. List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. 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.

The A2045 is the A289's counterpart, however it is largely unbuilt. List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. 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. 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 B2156 North Dane Way was 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.

Bus

The vast majority of local bus routes throughout Medway are centred upon the Pentagon Bus Station in Chatham, located at the Pentagon shopping centre. Pentagon Bus Station is the main bus interchange in Chatham Kent. Most bus routes are run by Arriva Southern Counties, which took over the local bus company, Maidstone and District in the 1990s. Arriva Southern Counties is a Bus operator in London, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Essex Other companies have run a few services but appear to have encountered difficulties, these include ASD, Amberlee and Mercury. A park and ride service is run from a car park constructed on Rochester Airport to the Pentagon — this is run by Nu-Venture for the council. Nu-Venture is an Aylesford, Kent -based bus & coach company Established in 1960s as a coach company Nu-Venture operated coach tour holidays all over Europe

Bus links to London and other parts of the south east can be achieved via Bluewater shopping centre, near Greenhithe, which has extensive bus routes to London. Bluewater is a super-regional shopping centre, opened on 16 March 1999. Greenhithe is a Village in Dartford District of Kent, England. Commuter coaches runs from various parts of Medway to a selection of London destinations using the M2/A2. Operating companies include The Kings Ferry and Chalkwell.

Rail

Rochester station building. The railway passes at first floor level on a viaduct.
Rochester station building. The railway passes at first floor level on a viaduct. A viaduct is a Bridge composed of several small spans The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to

See also

The Medway council area has seven rail stations; one for each of the five towns and two rural stations in outlying villages. Strood Railway Station serves the town of Strood in Medway. It is on the North Kent Line and is a terminus for the Medway Valley Line. Rochester railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in Medway, north Kent, England. This article is about the station in Kent England For the station in Melbourne Australia see Chatham railway station Melbourne. Gillingham (Kent railway station on the Chatham Main Line, serves the town of Gillingham, north Kent, between Chatham and Rainham Rainham (Kent railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent, between Gillingham and Newington. Cuxton railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in north Kent, and serves the village of Cuxton. Halling railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in north Kent, and serves the village of Halling.

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. The Thames and Medway Canal is a disused Canal in Kent, south east England, also known as the Gravesend and Rochester Canal. They were soon absorbed by the South Eastern Railway whose North Kent Line linked Strood with Gravesend, Dartford, and then London (London Bridge). For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway. London Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately Subsequently SER extended their branch from their main line to Maidstone to Strood — the Medway Valley Line. The South Eastern Main Line is one of two long-distance routes crossing the county of Kent, England, UK to reach to Kent Coast History The line was built in two stages by the South Eastern Railway (SER Stations were built on the Medway Valley line for the outlying villages of Cuxton and Halling.

A rival company, the LCDR, built a railway between Chatham and East Kent. The London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies 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. London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. This railway became known as the Chatham Main Line and it encompassed stations in all five of the Medway Towns, extending from the Kent Coast (Thannet and Dover). The Chatham Main Line is the British railway line that runs from London Victoria to Dover Priory or Ramsgate via the Medway Towns

In reaction to this strong rival the SER built a small branch alongside the LCDR over the Medway to Rochester and a terminus called Chatham although it failed to reach Chatham.

The strenuous competition between the two companies resulted in their merger into the South Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1899. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR was a working amalgamation of two neighbouring rival railways the South Eastern Railway (SER and London Chatham 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 into Southern in 1923. The Southern Railway (SR was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. This led to electrification of suburban services (750v 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. Railway electrification in Great Britain describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to railways and tramways in Great Britain

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. See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" 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 has only had two platforms.

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, although the network within the dockyard has been extensively curtailed since the dockyards closure.

Rail services generally consist of North Kent Line services (to London Bridge and beyond — Charing Cross and Cannon 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 to Tonbridge and even Gatwick. The main services are on the Chatham Main line, with stopper services from Faversham (ie they stop at local stations, running fast from Bromley) and fast services from Kent Coast (ie they run fast from Medway to London). Services are currently operated by Southeastern. Southeastern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom.

The completion of High Speed 1 will see domestic services operate on the rail link, which is anticipated to include a stopping service starting at Rochester going to Ebbsfleet and then fast to London and a Kent Coast (ie Thanet) service running fast from Chatham.

The rail service while much maligned is extensively used by the residents of Medway to commute into London.

Water

The River Medway is not used for local transport purposes (it is extensively used for leisure) however cargo ships still sail to the cement works to the south at Halling/Cuxton, by Union Transport of Bromley. Part of the closed Royal Navy base is now used as a cargo port, with facilities of Ro/Ro, cargo that comes in ranges from paper pulp to dredged material but this only occupies one of the three main basins. Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England There is also a ship repair located in the basin. Thamesport handles the shipping of containers and fossil fuels, located on the edge of the Medway Estuary on the Isle of Grain. For the peninsula sometimes mistakenly called the Isle of Grain see the Hoo Peninsula. Kingsnorth Power Station has coal shipped in from Dunkirk, also Scotline who operate a fleet of coasters for the import of wood have a wharf on the River Medway. Kingsnorth power station is a 1985- Megawatt dual-fired Coal or Oil power station in Medway Kent, England on the Hoo Peninsula. There is also a wharf on the river called Eurowharf which deals with dredged material. In addition, there is a shipping company based on the river, formerly known as Lapthorn Shipping and now as Coastal Bulk Shipping.

Air

There is one small airport, Rochester Airport, but this is a "grass strip" and used for leisure purposes. Rochester Airport is a small airfield located 15 nm (172 mi 2 For air travel, Medway residents must use Kent's main airports Kent International (Manston) or Lydd but these lack extensive passenger facilities or routes, thus the London Airports are used the vast majority of the time (mainly Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted)

Leisure and recreation

Local youth organisations

Twin towns

Medway is twinned with:[5]

References

  1. ^ http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276846&c=medway&d=13&e=13&g=406944&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1207137037477&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812
  2. ^ Medway Towns Amalgamation — Favoured by three councils, The Times, November 6, 1956
  3. ^ Gillingham leaving merger scheme, The Times, February 3, 1960
  4. ^ Medway Towns split over merger — Committee disbands, The Times, March 10, 1960
  5. ^ Medway Council - Twin towns

External links

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