Chattenden is a village within the civil parish of Hoo, which is within the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England. It was, until 1998, part of

and is still ceremonially associated via the Lieutenancies Act. The A228 goes through the village.

Origins

Chattenden means 'Forest Settlement' from the elements ''ceto'' and ''ham dun''. It is recorded in 1100 as Chetindunam, and Chatindone in 1281.The Place Names Of Kent, Judith Glover, 1976, Batsford.

Geography and ecology

Turning left on the A228 on the brow of Four Elms Hill, leads onto Kitchener Road, that eventually leads itself to Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill, designated as an

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle o ...

, due to the diversity of insects, birds, plants and trees found there. To the south of Chattenden is Towerhill Wood, also known as Coxham Wood, with has Public Footpaths that lead into Lower Upnor, where the Arethusa Venture Centre and the

Medway Yacht Club Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to ...

(MYC) are located. Along the A228, (which becomes the Ratcliffe Highway in Chattenden), was once a pub known as 'The Old George'.

Military history

In 1875, the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MoD ...

built five magazines on a hillside at Chattenden. This facility expanded and a nearby site at Lodge Hill was established in 1899. These sites, which became known as

Chattenden and Lodge Hill Military Camps Chattenden and Lodge Hill Military Camps were British Army training camps in Chattenden and Hoo St Werburgh in Kent. They were built as ordnance depots and functioned as such through to the second half of the twentieth century. Origins After 16 ...

Origins

Geography and ecology

Military history

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links