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HMS Cavalier
Attractions in Chatham

Start with HMS Cavalier: the sights of Chatham

Most of what there is to see is castles or historic places: 22 of 37. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 27 beyond the 10 inside Chatham’s built-up area. In heritage care, 3 places on the list are looked after by English Heritage. Leeds Castle, 14 km away, is the best-known day out.

Photo: HMS Cavalier, en:User:Swpmre (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Chatham
10
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
27
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
7
in or near town
Castles & historic places
22
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

The first to see in Chatham

Behind HMS Cavalier on the list are 2 historic ships, 2 forts and a museum.

Historic shipHMS Cavalierin townHistoric shipHMS Gannetin townHistoric shipHMS Ocelotin townFortFort Amherstin townFortFort Lutonin townMuseumThe Historic Dockyard Chathamin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

How they lie

The outermost point is Thurnham Castle, at 8.3 km.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The dashed line is Chatham’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

The mix

Ahead are castles or historic places (22); next, museums or galleries (7).

Museums & galleries 6 museums · 1 art gallery1 in town · 6 nearby
Castles & historic places 7 forts · 5 castles · 4 historic ships · 2 historic houses · 2 historic sites · 1 cathedral · 1 abbey or priory6 in town · 16 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens1 in town · 1 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park · 1 water park0 in town · 2 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions2 in town · 2 nearby

Green: inside Chatham. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Rochester Castle, Upnor Castle and Temple Manor).

Every place

The full list

First the 10 in town, then the 27 within 5 km of its edge.

The 10 inside Chatham come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

103 listed buildings and 46 scheduled monuments are on Chatham’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Chatham →

Big names nearby

Further afield

Day trips number 12; the best known is Leeds Castle, 14 km off.

CastleLeeds Castle14 km southeastCathedralCanterbury Cathedral39 km eastMuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich39 km westBig drawMuseumNational Maritime Museum40 km west · 2.4M visitors a yearCastle · National TrustBodiam Castle40 km southAbbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey40 km eastHistoric houseHever Castle35 km southwestMuseumQueen's House40 km westHistoric house · National TrustKnole House25 km southwestGarden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden27 km southHistoric house · National TrustChartwell34 km westHistoric house · English HeritageEltham Palace35 km west

Places well known beyond Chatham (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Visiting Chatham: questions

What are the main attractions in Chatham?

The best known inside Chatham’s built-up area are HMS Cavalier, HMS Gannet, HMS Ocelot and Fort Amherst. In all, 10 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 27 more within 5 km.

Does Chatham have a museum?

7 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Chatham: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Medway megaliths, Royal Engineers Museum and PS Medway Queen.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Chatham?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Chatham, 3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Rochester Castle, Upnor Castle and Temple Manor).

What are the best-known days out near Chatham?

Within 40 km: Leeds Castle (14 km), Canterbury Cathedral (39 km), Royal Observatory Greenwich (39 km), National Maritime Museum (40 km).

Where are Chatham’s historic buildings listed?

Chatham has 103 listed buildings, 11 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Chatham when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (34)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.