Our Strategy
Charting the Future
A 10 year strategy for Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
Our Vision
“A World Leading Maritime Heritage Destination”
For over 400 years, Chatham Dockyard has defined the wider development of the Medway Towns and has been the beating heart of its community.
40 years on from its formal closure, our aim is for The Historic Dockyard Chatham to uphold our pioneering strategy of ‘Preservation through Reuse,’ utilising our heritage assets to deliver both charitable impact and sustainable income generation to achieve this vision.
We will do this by understanding and responding to the needs of our audiences and continuing to preserve the most complete Dockyard of the Age of Sail, recognising that our resilience and sustainability are keys to unlocking our success in the future.
Our strategic objectives
Launched in July 2025, our 10-year strategy is founded on three core strategic objectives that are designed to move us towards the delivery of our vision. They have been developed by our Board of Trustees in collaboration with our staff and volunteers.
Audience
Putting our audiences first.
Preservation
Preservation through reuse.
Resilience
Ensuring a long term sustainable future.
Our core principles
In developing our strategic objectives, we have carefully considered a range of cross-cutting principles which will shape the way we work over the next 10 years and beyond.
These principles weave through everything that we do and are the lens through which we view our work.
An organisation that is transparent and accountable
Delivering impact within our place and community
A place which puts people first
Diversity, equity and inclusion at the heart of everything
Taking positive change to reduce our environmental impact
Delivering quality in all that we do
Our Values
Passion
We are driven by passion.
Passion has driven success within the Dockyard walls for over 400 years and will continue to be the driving forece in achieving excellence in everything we do going into the future.
Everyone
We are everyone.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a place for everyone and we have a key role in making the Dockyard accessible and welcoming to everybody, however people choose to engage with us.
Heritage
We care about our history, heritage and stories.
The history and heritage of the Dockyard is unique and special to everyone that we work with and we are commited to passing these stories on. We are the most complete Dockyard of the Age of Sail in the world and we are proud of the story we tell today and the stories we will tell in the future through heritage preserved for future generations.
Our Culture
Our culture is shaped by the people who work and volunteer at the Historic Dockyard, making it the place it is today.
Customer Focus
We deliver amazing experiences for everyone.
Innovation
We create space for creativity and solutions – improving on previous experience.
Fun
We have passion and enjoy what we do.
Teamwork
We are one team that succeed together.
Excellence
We strive to be the best at everything we do.
Charting the Future
“The Historic Dockyard Chatham is more than a museum, it’s a place of inspiration, a centre for enterprise, a cultural anchor for Medway and Kent, and a proud symbol of our maritime past”
The Lady Colgrain, Lord-Lieutenant of Kent
