History of the River Medway

Though possible with adequate preparation and appropriate safety measures the estuarial voyage from either the River Thames or the canals of London to the River Medway is not one that would routinely be undertaken by inland navigators. "London's Second River", the navigable section of the Medway flows for almost 50 miles through Tunbridge and Maidstone and denotes the boundary between a "Man of Kent" and a "Kentish Man". It has been navigable since around the 16th Century and the lower reaches have a naval history from before the time of Henry VIII. The Thames and Medway Canal once linked the Medway from Strood to the Thames at Gravesend thereby avoiding the estuarial passage around the Isle of Grain. Historically associated with its former Naval Dockyard at Chatham the area around the estuary is commercially busy and popular with small yachts and other pleasure craft. The non-tidal Medway is almost entirely rural and passes for 18 miles through bulging orchards and verdant fields that are understandably called "The Garden Of England". Converted oast houses indicate the significance of hop-growing in the brewing industry and the area was once a source of inspiration for novelist Charles Dickens who at various times in his life lived hereabouts.