	Medway Council online
		Your council : Business : Environment : Housing : Learning : Leisure : Social care : Community
\| About us \| A-Z index \| F.A.Q. \| Search \| Contact us \| Help \| Site map \| Login
You are here: Medway Council > Visiting Medway > Places to visit

Places to visit

Heritage and themed attractions
Leisure attractions
River Medway
Theatres and galleries
In pursuit of nature

Places to stay

What's on

Information for visitors

Places to visit

Medway has something for everyone. Whether you live in the area or are just visiting, you’ll never be bored as there is so much to see and do. These pages take you on a whistlestop tour through Medway’s most popular visitor attractions.

Medway is known for its rich heritage. The Romans and Normans each left their mark and the area has a long seafaring tradition. Rochester Castle and c athedral and The Historic Dockyard in Chatham are just some of the great landmarks.

Charles Dickens moved to the area when he was five years old and spent the happiest years of his childhood around Chatham. He returned to the area for the last 13 years of his life, living at Gad's Hill Place, near Rochester. Many of his books featured places and buildings in and around Rochester. Satis House in Great Expectations was based on the impressive red brick Restoration House in Crow Lane, Rochester and Eastgate House, also in Rochester, was referred to as Westgate House in his first novel, The Pickwick Papers and as the Nun's House in his last, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

The author's life, times and works can be explored at the Dickens Discovery Room in the Guildhall Museum in Rochester High Street. It is here where authentic Dickens-related objects are on display with graphic panels and multi-lingual, touch-screen technology highlighting other Dickensian sites around Medway. A short film on the author's connections with the area is shown continuously throughout the day in the museum's audio-visual theatre.

The exciting Dickens World visitor attraction opened on 25 May 2007 at Chatham Maritime. Dickens World takes visitors on a fun and fascinating journey through Dickens' lifetime, as they step into Dickensian England and are immersed in the streets, sounds and smells of the early 19th century.

Medway has a wide variety of leisure attractions to suit all ages. These range from a full-size ice rink to a dry-ski slope with the longest toboggan run in the country. For the keen walker or those with a particular interest in getting close to nature, a visit to the Medway's country parks is a must.

Photo of Dickens Discovery Room at Guildhall Museum

Contemporary art exhibitions, showing local, national and international artists can be found throughout Medway. The exhibitions can be thought-provoking and challenging. Theatres in the area provide a mixed programme of professional and amateur productions.

For further information contact:
	Email :	visitor.centre@medway.gov.uk
	Telephone :	01634 843666 Fax: 01634 847891
	Write to :	Medway Visitor Information Centre 95 High Street Rochester Kent ME1 1LX
	Minicom :	01634 333111