Accessible Days Out For All This Summer
Accessible Days Out For All This Summer
Discover how The Historic Dockyard Chatham has made the site welcoming and accessible for everyone and how you can benefit during the summer and the rest of the year.
Sensory Support Backpacks
We now offer Sensory Support Backpacks. These are designed to help those with special educational needs make the most of their day at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
The complimentary backpacks are filled with resources to help make your visit a little bit easier. They are available for both families and individuals. Simply head to Plan Your Visit when you arrive or speak to a member of the team if you require one later on in your visit.
To borrow a backpack, you will need to provide a few basic details and it must be returned at the end of your day with us. We also include a feedback form, so do let us know how your visit goes and what we can improve on.
Quieter spaces on site
Although parts of the dockyard can seem busy and overwhelming, there are quieter areas which are free to access for everyone.
Commissioner’s Garden
Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful outdoor space. The garden is available during dockyard open hours, unless there is a private function taking place, on these occasions the garden gate will be closed.
South End of the Site
As you make your way towards The Ropery, this end of the site is often quieter (even during the busier times of the day).
There is a green area with picnic benches, although you may occasionally hear noises from the nearby playground.
Screens with BSL Captions
British Sign Language captions are available on screens in the following locations at the Dockyard:
- Ropewalk
As you enter this space, there is a screen which plays a short film about the rope-making process here at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. - Command of the Oceans cinema area
This can be found after the Supporting the Fleet case and before you enter the under-croft space to view the NAMUR timbers.
Accessibility not only covers physical barriers and we understand how hard things are for many residents in Medway who might find cost a barrier to visiting The Historic Dockyard Chatham. We would like to do what we can to help, therefore we have put together a range of free and low-cost activities and offers available to visitors.
Universal & Pension Credit Tickets
Reduced-price day tickets to The Historic Dockyard Chatham are available for Medway residents who receive either universal credits or pension credits.
A limited number of tickets are available for Medway residents each day for £2 per person (children aged 3 and under are free).
These tickets must be booked online in advance of your visit, are valid for one day only, and are available for up to 6 people per family. You will need to bring proof with you on the day of your visit.
There are no Universal Credit or Pension Credit tickets available at the ticket desk.
Kids Go FREE
This Summer, treat your family to Kent’s biggest day out at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
One free child ticket for every full-paying adult. This offer is available to book online or at our ticket desk. Tickets are valid for multiple visits for a whole year. This offer is not valid in conjunction with any other promotion.
This offer runs from 27th July – 1st September.
Wednesday Workshops – free to access
This summer we are collaborating with local community partners to deliver free-to-access creative workshops every Wednesday during the summer holidays.
All of these workshops take place in our community space – The Namur Room (opposite the Mess Deck restaurant). You do not need a Dockyard ticket to attend these workshops.
These workshops range from drawing and foil embossing to crochet and Augmented Reality. The majority are drop-in between 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, with no need to book in advance.
