MJ Maccardini (trailerfullofpix)'s photos with the keyword: historic dockyard

HMS Gannet , a sloop of the Victorian Royal Navy, was built on the River Medway at Sheerness in 1878 and designed to patrol the world's oceans. Powered by both sail and steam and with a hull constructed from stout teak planking on a strong iron frame. she is historically highly significant and is listed as part of the UK's core national collection of historic ships.

Inside No. 3 Slip - the Big Space.

No.3 Slip is the most interesting architecturally and probably most beautiful of Chatham's Slips. Built in 1838 and at that time was Europe’s largest wide span timber structure. It's weatherboarded walls are covered by a wonderful large mansard shaped roof. This roof was originally of tarred paper but was soon replaced in zinc. It has a massive timber frame of square section timber aisle posts with iron bases and knees, diagonal braces, to cantilevered principal rafters that extend out to overhang the aisles, and braced collars. The Slip was backfilled about 1900 and a steel mezzanine floor added in 1904 to store ship's boats.

We took a local bus from Rochester to Chatham, and got there around 3:30 pm, so we didn't have a lot of time to explore, though it was nice to have the place nearly to ourselves. The Dockyard complex is so vast you could easily spend a whole day there. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_Dockyard

No. 3 Slip. When it was built in 1838, it was the largest wooden building in the world. It has a linked truss structure and was originally covered in tarred paper, which was quickly replaced with a zinc roof. Ships were constructed in the slipways, which were covered to prevent ships rotting before they had been launched. The slip was backfilled around 1900 and a steel mezzanine floor was added. It became a store house for ships boats.

HMS Gannet , a sloop of the Victorian Royal Navy, was built on the River Medway at Sheerness in 1878 and designed to patrol the world's oceans. Powered by both sail and steam and with a hull constructed from stout teak planking on a strong iron frame. she is historically highly significant and is listed as part of the UK's core national collection of historic ships.

Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Near the Ropery, Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Part of the Ropery complex.

The round, black metal thing on the right is called the traveler. As the rope is wound, the traveler moves down the tracks as the rope shortens.

Spooner and I were the only people on the last tour of the day. It's very tight quarters inside. HM Submarine Ocelot was the last warship built for the Royal Navy at Chatham Dockyard. An 'O' Class diesel electric submarine, she was launched in 1962 and saw service with Royal Navy throughout the height of the Cold War until she paid off in 1991. A normal sized crew would consist of 69 submariners, although she could carry a maximum of 80.

HMS Cavalier, a WWII destroyer built (not at Chatham) in 1944.

You can see these cranes during the opening credits of Call the Midwife. Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

I didn't know it at the time I was there, but the Historic Dockyard is used for many of the exterior locations in Call the Midwife. I think the midwives ride their bicycles over these cobbles at the beginning of each episode. I'd really love to go back to the Dockyard for one of their Call the Midwife tours.