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Free Tours & Talks

We have a range of tours and talks available for everyone to enjoy, all included in the price of your entry ticket. All tours are booked on arrival.

Showing you the ropes for generations

The Ropery

All tours and demonstrations start at the all-new Ropery Gallery but must be booked at ‘Plan your Visit’ which is near our entrance.

Daily

Ropery Experience

Be transported back in time during our 30-minute Ropery Experience. Learn about the ancient art of ropemaking, its vital role in supporting Chatham’s shipbuilding and discover why our enormous double ropewalk is ¼ mile long.

You’ll also have the opportunity to get hand-on with our ropemaking machine, before exploring the breath-taking ropery buildings.

The Ropery

Monday – Friday

Live Demonstration

Rope has been made at Chatham for over 400 years and it continues to be made today for customers all over the world. Witness the mysterious craft of ropemaking for yourself during our live demonstrations by the Master Ropemakers.

12.15pm in The Ropery.

The Ropery

Explore a Cold War Submarine

HM Submarine Ocelot

All tours and demonstrations start at HM Submarine OCELOT but must be booked at ‘Plan your Visit’ which is near our entrance.

Our OCELOT tours are very popular and on busy days we cannot guarantee availability.

HM Submarine Ocelot interior at Chatham Historic Dockyard

Daily

Guided Walk Through

Get a taster for what life was like onboard a real submarine. Swing through the hatches and explore the last Royal Navy warship built at Chatham.

The walk through takes approximately 15 minutes.

HM Submarine Ocelot

Daily

Guided Tour

For 2023 we are pleased to introduce a longer guided tour of our Cold War submarine OCELOT. This new tour allows more time to explore the original interior and hear fascinating facts as you experience what life on board was like for her serving crew.

The guided tour takes approximately 30 minutes.

HM Submarine Ocelot

Walking Cinema Experience

Hearts of Oak

Located in our Command of the Oceans galleries, Hearts of Oak tells the story of a true dockyard worker, this immersive audio visual tour takes you through the Mould Loft – the exact building where the designs of HMS VICTORY were made.

Daily

Walking Cinema

Join retired Master Shipwright, John North, as he relives his role as HMS VALIANT’s Carpenter and encourages his Grandson to follow in his footsteps.

What will the young man do? Become a Shipwright like his Grandfather – or follow his instincts and join the Royal Navy to be like Nelson?

Hearts of Oak