New to Medway? Curious to know where it all began? From Roman Rochester to the Dockyard and Dickens its all been going on.

“Medway is a small and concentrated area compared to the rest of Kent yet it holds a vibrant history,” says local archivist Stephen Dixon.

“Its rich past came about mainly because of the large amount of industry and the large workforces that have grown here over the years.

“With these industries also came poverty and this is the type of thing that inspired Charles Dickens. Our geographical positioning has also been crucial.”

Read on for our potted Medway guide through the ages:

The year dot

Old Stone Age travellers pass through the Medway area for the first time. Evidence of their presence has been discovered in the form of tools made of stone and flint.

500BC

First settlement in Rochester, the heart of the Iron Age Thames Gateway. Evidence of pottery and moulds used to cast Celtic gold coins have been dug up along the high street.

43-410AD

Medway’s early settlers come under the rule of the great Roman Empire. Kent was split into two halves, the west was governed from Rochester, and known by the Romans as Durobrivae, meaning the stronghold by the bridges.

The Towns became home to a road network based around Watling Street which was the main route from London to Dover.

Improved port facilities gave added support to industries such as the Medway potteries.

The Dark Ages

Anglo-Saxon Medway sees the first Cathedral built by Bishop Justus. A mint was later established within the walls of the city.

880 Chatham first recorded as Cetham in this year. Its name comes from a combination of Ceto and the Old English ham meaning a forest settlement

900-1000 First mention or Gillingham or Gyllingeham as it was then known, which means a homestead of Gylla’s family

1066 and all that

The Norman invasion marked the start of Medieval Medway and the rebuilding of the Cathedral and creation of a stone castle. It came to good use as wars, civil and foreign were a major factor in this period of time - leading to the construction of both Cooling castle and the 1387 version of Rochester Bridge.

1123

The earliest ever record of the written English language and laws is found in Rochester.

1193

Strood, which refers to marshy land overgrown with brushwood, was part of Frindsbury until this year.

1485-1603

Tudor Medway. King Henry VIII’s marital problems lead to the dissolution of the Priory of St. Andrew which was attached to the Cathedral. A new Chapter was formed in 1541, together with the King’s School, which replaced the ancient college attached to the priory.

1586

The first Chatham built warship, the Sunne is launched.

1714-1830

Georgian Medway. Rochester was a thriving port. More and more fortifications were brought in to defend the Dockyard. Chatham became a military hot bed with new barracks built at Brompton during the Napoleonic wars.

1765

HMS Victory, famous for its role in the Battle of Trafalgar is built

1837-1901

Medway’s landscape changed massively in the Victorian period. The economy prospered and jobs created by the Dockyard and related industries attracted people from all over to Chatham and Gillingham.

1903

The Borough of Gillingham is created. Rainham is added on in 1928.

1939-45

Second World War leaves Medway relatively unscathed despite the presence of an aircraft factory, the Dockyard and Brompton barracks.

1974

The City of Rochester and the Borough of Chatham and Strood Rural District join forces to become Medway District Council.

1982

New decade, new name. Medway District Council changes to The City of Rochester-upon-Medway.

1984

The naval dockyard closes in this year with thousands of job losses. Thoughts turn to the area’s regeneration.

1998

Medway Council is created after a further merger with Gillingham Borough Council

2000-present

Medway becomes the largest conurbation in the south-east outside London.

Major change still to come promised as part of the multi billion pound Thames Gateway regeneration project.