Chatham Dockyard No. 3 slip

[stuartwaters]

When it was built (in the 1830s), the basins and all the associated buildings were still 30 years away from the start of construction. I would imagine that the view down the river would have been unobstructed.

[Stewie]

Looking at the view you would be likely to get from the room, I presume that you could see across to the River Medway to the vicinity of Hoo saltmarsh, possibly even Sheerness dockyard with a telescope. Could this have been a lookout facility to give a view for either approaching (friendly) shipping or naval vessels moored in that part of the river perhaps?

[Stewie]

Thanks Stuartwalters. It does seem to be a rather unusual place for an office being at the top of a very long flight of stairs and being very isolated from the slip workforce below, facing North East it would not have got a lot of natural daylight, Also why build it to one side of the roof angles when it could have been symmetrically located in the centre facing East above the entrance.

[stuartwaters]

As far as I'm aware it was an office, though who for I have no idea. The stairs up to it are really rickety now (and were when I worked there 10 years ago). It was an ongoing dare when I was there to climb the stairs and carve your name somewhere in the office.

[Stewie]

Does anyone know the purpose of the small 'lookout' windows on the top of number 3 slip please, (see attached picture)? The space is reached by a series of wooden stairs from ground level and presumably was too distant to be an overseers office. The space looks out in a north easterly direction over what would have been the mast ponds and possibly as far as the basins on St Marys island. There may possibly have been more of these spaces, the angles on the structure roof would allow it, but there seems to be no obvious evidence of additional ones being provided.