Description

762-1/1/74 MAIN GATE ROAD
24-MAY-71 CHATHAM DOCKYARD
(South side)
THE ROYAL DOCKYARD CHURCH
MAIN GATE ROAD
CHATHAM DOCKYARD
(South side)
THE ROYAL DOCKYARD CHURCH

II*
Church. 1808-1811 by Edward Holl, architect for the Navy Board. Late Georgian Classical Style.

MATERIALS: brick with stone dressings and a slate roof, internal cast-iron members.

PLAN: rectangular plan.

EXTERIOR: two storeys and basement; three-bay east end. The wide pedimented ends have recessed outer bays, with plat band and eaves cornice all round. The east end has a central Venetian window, and outer segmental-arched ground-floor windows and first-floor round-arched windows set in matching recesses; metal framed windows. Six-bay north and south sides with windows as the end outer bays. West end of five bays, with a central doorway with moulded surround and bracketed cornice, to double doors each with eight raised panels, and lower outer doorways with architraves and pulvinated frieze and cornice, to eight-panel doors, and intermediate segmental-arched windows; upper windows as the sides, with an oculus in the pediment.

INTERIOR: a largely complete interior has a gallery on three sides on reeded cast-iron columns and the Royal Coat of Arms to the centre, panelled wainscot and gallery; panelled plaster ceiling; decorated east window with gilded Corinthian capitals. Wide timber roof trusses with queen and prince posts. Most of the original fittings replaced: C19 benches to the gallery, and a good late C19 octagonal pulpit with an iron rail to curved steps, turned posts to the corners and arched panels.

HISTORY: before the construction of the Chapel, employees used the local church or converted hulks moored at the quay.
Notable for its plan modelled on Non-conformist chapels, as are the dockyard chapels at Portsmouth and Sheerness (qqv), and occupying a strong position facing the entrance to the Yard. Contains the earliest use of structural cast-iron in a royal dockyard. An important part of a complete Georgian dockyard.

SOURCES:
Newman, J, Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald (1976) p 205;
Coad, J, Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850 (1982) p 169;
Coad, J, Historic Architecture of the Royal Navy (1983), p 117;
Coad, J, The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850 (1989) p 27-28.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The Royal Dockyard Church is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* architectural interest: early-C19 dockyard church notable for its plan modelled on non-conformist chapels and largely complete interior;
* historical interest: as a part of the world's most complete example of an historic dockyard from the age of sail and early steam;
* technological innovation: earliest use of structural cast-iron in a royal dockyard.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17551448

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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