49:
68:
257:
elongated) parade ground. Opposite the main block, backing on to the road, new quarters for
Warrant Officers were added. At the opposite end of the site, to the north, a separate area of land was purchased from the Dockyard. This was used for a new range of officers' quarters, fronting on to the main road, which were built in 1867. The area behind was used for tennis courts and a rackets court, and in 1879 a 292-seat theatre, known as
30:
75:
301:
dockyard to provide a steady supply (not only for the hospital itself but also for the barracks and for houses in the
Dockyard). The hospital grounds were entered through a gateway on the east side, flanked by a guard house, porter's lodge and offices; on the west side a dispensary was built, alongside other ancillary buildings.
256:
The barracks were expanded considerably in the 1860s: the area to the south of Cat Lane, between the barracks and St Mary's
Churchyard, was purchased and levelled off. The main barracks block was extended south as far as the new boundary, and a new block was built to form the southern end of the (now
363:
The Royal Marine
Barracks remained in use until 1950 when the Chatham Group, Royal Marines was disbanded, although the adjacent Melville Barracks continued to house parts of the Royal Marines Pay and Records Office until these barracks were closed in 1960. Both the Royal Marine and Melville Barracks
248:
and clock). Behind the men's barrack the ground fell away towards the river (meaning that the building was of three storeys in front but four storeys to the rear). The rear of the building faced on to 'a narrower parallelogram, on the other side of which is a long narrow building, chiefly for store
231:
and as the principal administrative building of the
Dockyard from the sixteenth to the early eighteenth century) was demolished to make way for the barracks. The site was bounded by two alleyways: one to the north, running along the southern boundary of the Dockyard, which led from the road to the
239:
was described in the 1850s: 'On entering the gate, the visitor sees a very elegant parallelogram, one side of which has a railing between it and the road; the two ends are occupied by officers' quarters, and the opposite side by a range of building, being the men's barrack'. Externally the three
249:
rooms' (originally this area contained just a simple wash room and privies). As originally built the barracks included an infirmary, outside the quadrangle (alongside the road at the south-east corner of the site); there was also a separate house for the
Barrack-Master to the south-west, and a '
226:
decision in 1764 to provide accommodation for 500 marines, a site adjacent to the Gun Wharf (to the west) and the
Dockyard (to the north) was purchased in 1777, with buildings completed and first occupied by the Royal Marines on 2 September 1779. Hill House (which had served as lodgings for the
300:
In front of the hospital was a 'spacious lawn' used as an airing ground for the patients; behind, set back from the hospital, was a terrace of houses for the principal officers. On higher ground to the north was the hospital reservoir, into which fresh water was pumped from a deep well in the
277:. A pair of smaller blocks, in the space between the wards, contained a chapel and operating house on the one side, and a cook house on the other. When opened the infirmary had beds for around 230 patients; its first chief medical officer was Dr (later Sir)
354:
Following the closure of
Melville Hospital, its buildings were taken over by the Royal Marines and converted into additional barracks accommodation. After a period of reconstruction, it reopened with the name Melville Barracks in 1906.
329:
By the end of the century it was widely acknowledged that the
Melville Hospital did not have the capacity adequately to serve the growing numbers of naval personnel in Chatham. Following the opening of a new
261:, was built here; it was used for lectures, concert parties and plays. By February 1894 a total of 7 officers and 1,049 non-commissioned officers and men were quartered there.
235:
Accommodation was in back-to-back barrack rooms, each accommodating 16 men, heated by a central stove (which originally was also used for cooking). The main barracks
202:. The barracks were situated immediately to the south of the Dockyard, just above the Ordnance Wharf. The barracks were closed in 1950 and demolished in 1960.
304:
From the time of its opening the
Melville Hospital had admitted naval personnel as well as Royal Marines (previously the former had been taken care of in a
240:
blocks were of similar appearance, each presenting a uniform front to the parade ground with windows equally spaced, and topped by a shallow roof behind a
101:
48:
67:
315:
had fulfilled this duty). There were, however, comparatively few Royal Navy personnel at Chatham at that time, as it was by then primarily a
393:
290:
777:
666:
372:
for their main offices and car park. The site of Melville Barracks was developed as council housing and is now known as Melville Court.
521:
558:
273:. Built of brick and stucco, the hospital consisted of three parallel ward blocks linked in front by a covered walkway behind a
53:
430:
339:
331:
17:
869:
859:
278:
533:
294:
269:
Between 1827 and 1828 a new Royal Marine Infirmary was built, across the road from the barracks, to the design of
236:
470:
Stratton, Thomas (1 April 1851). "History of the Epidemic Cholera in Chatham, Rochester and Strood, in 1849".
809:
864:
831:
270:
365:
323:
309:
404:
322:
Later in the century the infirmary took on more naval work, and in 1885 it was redesignated as a
784:
759:
223:
157:
749:
741:
343:
211:
778:"Royal Marines, closing of Chatham Group, Royal Marines and Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham"
688:
600:
364:
were demolished in 1960. The site of the Royal Marine Barracks was subsequently sold to
754:
729:
369:
853:
305:
232:'New Stairs' at the riverside; and the other to the south, named Church or Cat Lane.
195:
191:
39:
702:
Support the Fleet: Architecture and engineering of the Royal Navy's bases, 1700–1914
316:
29:
285:
as the 'Royal Marine Infirmary, Chatham', it was usually known locally as the
228:
116:
103:
282:
274:
763:
745:
245:
215:
563:
241:
250:
219:
56:
officers and ratings drilling at the Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham
494:
British Barracks 1600-1914: their Architecture and Role in Society
326:(and duly listed as "Royal Hospital, Chatham" in the Navy List).
392:
Royal Engineers Museum; Brompton History Research Group (eds.).
199:
509:
Geography or The First Division of The English Cyclopædia
588:
The Autobiography of an Octogenarian Architect (Vol. I)
346:
in 1905; that same year, the Melville Hospital closed.
253:
house' linked to the officers' quarters to the north.
244:. (The long range was later refashioned with a central
74:
655:. London: H. M. Stationery Office. 1884. p. 306.
640:. London: Longmans, Green & co. pp. 165–166.
689:
The Branch Line Society (Chatham Historic Dockyard))
612:
610:
608:
368:
who built new offices, which were later acquired by
176:
171:
163:
153:
145:
140:
132:
95:
25:
218:were available to house them, marines often being
511:. London: Bradbury, Evans & co. p. 310.
496:. London: The Stationery Office. pp. 51–54.
590:. London: Longmans & Co. pp. 173–174.
465:
463:
461:
459:
8:
487:
485:
190:was a military installation occupied by the
210:While there was a Royal Marine presence at
22:
753:
718:. London: John Murray. 1885. p. 308.
387:
385:
810:"Chatham Royal Naval Division Barracks"
381:
539:. Royal Marines Historical. p. 14
472:Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal
431:"Chatham - The Hill House (1567-1805)"
297:at the time the hospital was opened).
617:"The Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham".
7:
730:"The Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham"
281:. While officially gazetted in the
222:at local inns and hotels. After an
534:"Royal Marines Archives 1892-1929"
319:rather than a base for the fleet.
14:
625:(93): 170–171. 12 November 1898.
559:"Chatham Division Royal Marines"
403:. pp. 11–17. Archived from
214:during the eighteen century, no
194:and located at the Gun Wharf at
73:
66:
47:
28:
783:. Royal Marines. Archived from
740:(2794): 125–129. 18 July 1914.
619:The Navy & Army Illustrated
586:Taylor, George Ledwell (1870).
564:Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
180:Chatham Division, Royal Marines
308:moored on the river, latterly
188:Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham
81:Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham
26:Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham
1:
340:Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham
18:Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham
704:. Swindon: English Heritage.
342:was opened on Chatham Hill,
667:"Melville Hospital Chatham"
638:Life of Sir John Richardson
295:First Lord of the Admiralty
886:
332:Royal Naval Barracks (HMS
15:
834:. University of Edinburgh
394:"The History of Brompton"
61:
46:
37:
832:"Melville Barracks Site"
636:McIlraith, John (1868).
507:Knight, Charles (1869).
429:Cull, Frederick (1962).
16:Not to be confused with
734:British Medical Journal
700:Coad, Jonathan (2013).
746:10.1136/bmj.2.2794.125
687:See contemporary map:
401:bromptonhistory.org.uk
492:Douet, James (1998).
438:Archaeologia Cantiana
271:George Ledwell Taylor
478:(CLXXXVII): 258–259.
324:Royal Naval Hospital
172:Garrison information
87:Location within Kent
870:Royal Marines bases
860:Barracks in England
113: /
567:. 16 February 1894
136:Royal Marines Base
366:Lloyd's of London
350:Melville Barracks
291:Viscount Melville
287:Melville Hospital
265:Melville Hospital
184:
183:
117:51.388°N 0.5245°E
877:
844:
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812:. Roll of Honour
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669:. Medway Council
663:
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633:
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212:Chatham Dockyard
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51:
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410:on 4 March 2016
407:
396:
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378:
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338:in 1902, a new
279:John Richardson
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5:
883:
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790:on 2 July 2013
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604:
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370:Medway Council
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293:(who had been
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154:Built for
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122:51.388; 0.5245
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865:Chatham, Kent
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716:The Navy List
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653:The Navy List
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317:building yard
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306:hospital ship
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192:Royal Marines
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98:
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40:Chatham, Kent
36:
31:
24:
19:
836:. Retrieved
826:
814:. Retrieved
804:
792:. Retrieved
785:the original
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737:
733:
724:
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695:
683:
671:. Retrieved
661:
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569:. Retrieved
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541:. Retrieved
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446:. Retrieved
441:
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412:. Retrieved
405:the original
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268:
258:
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234:
209:
187:
185:
141:Site history
522:Photo, 1955
164:In use
120: /
96:Coordinates
854:Categories
448:5 February
376:References
344:Gillingham
237:quadrangle
229:Navy Board
105:51°23′17″N
283:Navy List
275:colonnade
259:The Globe
224:Admiralty
177:Occupants
167:1779-1950
158:Admiralty
108:0°31′28″E
816:25 March
764:20767245
673:12 April
444:: 95–109
334:Pembroke
312:Argonaut
246:pediment
220:billeted
216:barracks
838:30 July
755:2299566
543:30 July
359:Closure
251:sutling
242:parapet
206:History
196:Chatham
794:22 May
762:
752:
601:Photo.
571:28 May
414:22 May
289:after
788:(PDF)
781:(PDF)
650:e.g.
537:(PDF)
434:(PDF)
408:(PDF)
397:(PDF)
146:Built
840:2021
818:2016
796:2016
760:PMID
675:2024
573:2016
545:2021
450:2022
416:2016
310:HMS
200:Kent
186:The
149:1779
133:Type
54:WRNS
750:PMC
742:doi
623:VII
198:in
856::
758:.
748:.
736:.
732:.
621:.
607:^
561:.
484:^
476:75
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458:^
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436:.
399:.
384:^
842:.
820:.
798:.
766:.
744::
738:2
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575:.
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452:.
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336:)
20:.
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