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Royal Engineers Museum
Attractions in Gillingham

What to see in Gillingham, from Royal Engineers Museum on

Castles or historic places make up 20 of the 33 places on the list. Mapped inside Gillingham’s built-up area are 2 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 31. Among them, 3 are cared for by English Heritage. For a full day, there is Leeds Castle, 14 km away.

Photo: Royal Engineers Museum, Immanuel Giel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Gillingham
2
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
31
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
20
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Top of the list in Gillingham

Behind Royal Engineers Museum on the list are 2 castles, an attraction and a cathedral.

MuseumRoyal Engineers Museumin townAttractionAttractionGillingham Town Centre (High Street)in townCathedralRochester Cathedral1.7 km outside town, to the westCastle · English HeritageRochester Castle1.8 km outside town, to the westCastle · English HeritageUpnor Castle400 m outside town, to the northwestHistoric shipHMS Cavalier200 m outside town, to the northwest

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

Plotted on the map

The outermost point is Thurnham Castle, at 8.9 km.

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The dashed line is Gillingham’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 list by type

There are more castles or historic places (20) than anything else, then museums or galleries (6).

Museums & galleries 5 museums · 1 art gallery1 in town · 5 nearby
Castles & historic places 7 forts · 4 castles · 4 historic ships · 2 historic houses · 2 historic sites · 1 cathedral0 in town · 20 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions1 in town · 3 nearby

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

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

Every place

Place by place

After the 2 in town come 31 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 2 inside Gillingham 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.

130 listed buildings and 12 scheduled monuments are on Gillingham’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Gillingham →

Big names nearby

Beyond Gillingham

Leading the 12 is Leeds Castle, 14 km away; they include 5 historic houses and 3 castles.

CastleLeeds Castle14 km southCathedralCanterbury Cathedral37 km eastAbbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey37 km eastHistoric houseHever Castle38 km southwestGarden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden29 km southHistoric house · National TrustKnole House28 km southwestCastle · English HeritageHadleigh Castle19 km northHistoric house · National TrustChartwell37 km southwestCastleAllington Castle9.8 km southwestHistoric house · English HeritageEltham Palace37 km westMuseum · National TrustRed House32 km westHistoric house · English HeritageDown House37 km west

Places well known beyond Gillingham (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.

Know before you go to Gillingham

What are the main attractions in Gillingham?

The best known inside Gillingham’s built-up area are Royal Engineers Museum and Gillingham Town Centre (High Street). In all, 2 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 31 more within 5 km.

Does Gillingham have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Gillingham: Royal Engineers Museum, PS Medway Queen, Medway megaliths and Guildhall Museum.

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

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

What are the best-known days out near Gillingham?

Within 40 km: Leeds Castle (14 km), Canterbury Cathedral (37 km), Saint Augustine's Abbey (37 km), Hever Castle (38 km).

Where are Gillingham’s historic buildings listed?

Gillingham has 130 listed buildings, 4 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 Gillingham 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 (33)

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.