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CHATHAM , less than a mile east of Rochester and one stop further on by train, has none of the charms of its neighbour. Its chief attraction is its Historic Dockyard (April-Oct daily 10am-5pm; Feb, March & Nov Wed, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; £8.50; ), originally founded by Henry VIII, and once the major base of the Royal Navy - many of whose vessels were built, stationed and victualled here - it commanded worldwide supremacy from the Tudor era until the end of the Victorian age. Well sheltered, yet close to London and the sea, and lined with tidal mud flats which helped support ships' keels during construction, the port expanded quickly and by the time of Charles II it had become England's largest naval base. This era of shipbuilding came to an ignominious end when the dockyards were closed in 1984, re-opening soon afterwards as a tourist attraction.

The dockyards occupy a vast eighty-acre site about a mile north of the town centre along the Dock Road; it's a not very pleasant fifteen-minute walk from Chatham town centre, or a short ride on the bus (ask at Rochester's tourist office for the latest timetable). Behind the stern brick wall you'll find an array of historically and architecturally fascinating buildings dating back to the early eighteenth century. In addition to an impressive display of fifteen historic RNLI lifeboats, there's the "Wooden Walls" gallery , where you can experience life as an apprentice in the eighteenth-century dockyards. Here, too, lies the Ocelot Submarine , the last warship built, at Chatham, whose crew endured unbelievably cramped conditions, a major deterrent to visiting claustrophobes. The main part of the exhibition, however, consists of the Ropery complex , including the former rope-making room - at a quarter of a mile long, it's the longest room in the country.