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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1808 to 1811

Summary from record TQ 76 NE 126 :

Dockyard church, built 1806-10, closed 1981

Monument Types

• SITE (Post Medieval - 1808 AD to 1811 AD)

Full description

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Listing text:

The Royal Dockyard Church
ll*
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) p169;
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 ll* 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.


The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 7568 NE CHATHAM MAIN GATE ROAD
(East side) Chatham Dockyard
762-1/1/74
The Royal Dockyard Church
GV II*
Church. 1808-1811 by Edward Holl, architect for the Navy Board. Brick with stone dressings and a slate roof, internal cast-iron members. Late Georgian style. PLAN: rectangular plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and basement; 3-bay E end. Wide pedimented ends have recessed outer bays, with plat band and eaves cornice all round. E end has a central Venetian window, and outer segmental-arched ground-floor windows and first-floor round-arched windows set in a matching recesses; metal framed windows. 6-bay N and S sides with windows as the end outer bays. W end of 5 bays, with a central doorway with moulded surround and bracketed cornice, to double doors each with 8 raised panels, and lower outer doorways with architraves and pulvinated frieze and cornice, to 8-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 E 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 a 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: Coad J: Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850: London: 1982: 169 ; Coad J: Historic Architecture of the Royal Navy: London: 1983: 117; Coad J: The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850: Aldershot: 1989: 27-28; The Buildings of England: Newman J: West Kent and the Weald: London: 1976: 205).
Listing NGR: TQ7586569209

Description from record TQ 76 NE 126 :
(TQ 7590 6897) SAM No. 387 [Dockyard Church: scheduled]. (1) Approval was given for a church at the dockyard in 1804. Previously the dockyard had been served by chapels located on floating hulks. Designs were prepared by Edward Holl in 1805 and construction lasted from 1806-1810. The church remained in use until December 1981. The cast iron columns supporting the gallery are the earliest use of this material in any of the royal dockyards. (2)

Coad, J., 1982, Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850 (Article in serial). SWX7760.

<1> English Heritage 1:1250 SAM location maplet (OS Card Reference). SKE41612.

<2> Jonathan G Coad, 1989, The royal dockyards 1690-1850: architecture and engineering works of the sailing navy. No.1, Page Nos. 72, Plate Nos. 56-58 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6362.

Sources and further reading

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