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Lower Lines Park

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Coordinates: 51°23′44.2″N 0°32′40.1″E / 51.395611°N 0.544472°E / 51.395611; 0.544472
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Lower Lines Park
Admiral's Gardens
The entrance to the Lower Lines Park from Johnson Avenue
Map
TypePublic park, Scheduled Monument
LocationGillingham, Kent, England
Nearest townGillingham, Kent
Coordinates51°23′44.2″N 0°32′40.1″E / 51.395611°N 0.544472°E / 51.395611; 0.544472
Created1803–1804 (fortifications); redeveloped 2006–2010 (public park)
Owned byFort Amherst Trust
Operated byFriends of Admiral's Gardens (charitable trust)
Open24/7
StatusOpen to public
DesignationScheduled Monument (The Lower Lines)
WebsiteGreat Lines Heritage Park Trust

Lower Lines Park, also known as Admiral's Gardens,[1][2] is a public park in Gillingham, Kent.[3] The park is part of the former Chatham Lines,[4] a defensive moat built in 1803 to protect Chatham Dockyard. Used by the military until the mid-1900s, it never saw combat and is now a Scheduled Monument within the Great Lines Heritage Park.[5][6] The park is owned by Fort Amherst Trust.[7]

History

[edit]

The Lower Lines Park occupies part of the former Great Lines defensive field of fire for Chatham Dockyard.[8] Built in 1804,[9] as an extension of the 'Chatham Lines' (built in 1755),[10][9] are large deep ditches with brick lined walls (similar to the upgraded Fort Amherst fortifications).[11][12] Constructed from 1803 to 1804 during the Napoleonic Wars, the Lower Lines were deep, brick-lined dry moats (part of the wider Chatham Lines) built to prevent landward attack on the dockyard.[13][14][15] In June 1808, after an act of parliament was passed, a road from Gillingham heading north towards St Mary's Island was closed for the building of the Lower Lines.[16] The park sits on what was the eastern end of this fortification network: it became known locally as Admiral's Gardens because a late‑19th‑century "Admiral’s House" once stood here.[17][18] According to Kent's heritage record, the site saw military use from its inception in 1803 until the mid-20th century.[18] Fortifications were never used in combat, and the land was kept clear as an open field of fire.[19] (An 1849 *Illustrated News* engraving even depicts mock siege operations on the Lines.)[20] Today the area is part of the Great Lines Heritage Park, managed by Fort Amherst Trust[21] and Lower Lines Park itself is a Scheduled Monument ("The Lower Lines").[22][6]

Admiral's House

[edit]
Aerial photo of Admiral's House and Gardens, Lower Lines Park, Gillingham, in the 1960s
Historic 1960s aerial view of Admiral's House and formal gardens in Lower Lines Park, Gillingham

The Admiral's House was built on the plateau in the late 19th century to house the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore (the senior naval officer in the Medway) and his staff.[23] Its formal gardens extended west and north across the site. The house reportedly survived into the late 1950s but was demolished in the 1960s.[24][25] (Today only earthwork traces of the gardens remain; a 2015 survey notes the site has potential for archaeology but no standing structures.) Anecdotally the house has been described as having 1930s/Art-Deco features, but primary sources simply list it as a late-Victorian Officers’ residence.

The name "Admiral’s Gardens" persisted for decades afterwards, and the park is still often called by that historic name.[26] Older maps and conservation appraisals note the park's boundaries: it is bordered by Medway Road to the south,[27] Cumberland Road (a former cart way) to the east,[28] and college buildings[29] and woods to the north and west.

Military features

[edit]

The park preserves many 19th- and 20th-century military relics. The original Lower Lines dry moat runs along the west side of the park; a reconstructed military-style footbridge now spans this trench.[30] Sections of the brick-lined ditch (Napoleonic bastion ramparts) survive intact, and interpretive panels mark their route. In the southern part of the park is a broad dip in the ramparts – a wide "moat" feature – which was part of the original defenses.[30]

One of the many information signs placed at prominent locations in the park where military installations can be found

Beneath the park lie several WW2- and Cold-War era tunnels and bunkers. In the late 1930s the Admiralty sank a deep reinforced "Combined Headquarters" (ACHQ) bunker into the chalk near the Lower Lines (contracted to Francois Cementation Co.)[31][32] This tunnel complex housed the Commander-in-Chief, Nore (Chatham) from December 1939 onward. Its concrete-encased plotting room and entrances survive (now sealed); outside, two sealed doorways set into the ditch brickwork mark the secondary entrance and escape exits of that bunker.[33] The tunnels served as the Naval Reserve HQ (HMS Wildfire) into the 1960s, after which they were damaged by fire and deliberately sealed to preserve them. Medway Road anti-tank obstacles ("dragon’s teeth" or "pimples")[34] guard the park's southern edge, and several have been listed Grade II for their historic value.[35][36] Throughout the park one can see relics of 19th-century siege-train training. Excavations have revealed counterscarp galleries and countermine chambers leading from a bastion into the surrounding ground.[37] The Royal Engineers – whose barracks were adjacent – used the Lower Lines for practice, even installing experimental devices here. In fact, an archaeological report noted two prototype 19th‑C electric searchlight emplacements on the Lower Lines, reflecting the Royal Engineers experimenting on defense technology.[38] One such searchlight mounting (now just a concrete pit) still bears a WW2‑era carving: "P.O. WIDLEY – DEC 1941" is etched into its interior concrete.[39] Anti-aircraft gun emplacements once dotted the ramparts as well; their concrete bases partly survive, though most were buried or demolished. For example, two 12-pounder naval deck guns were mounted on the ramparts in 1940, and concrete platform remnants can still be seen.[40]

Other evidence of past military use is visible: clusters of brick and stone foundations mark where the Admiral's House and Gas School once stood. The park's Visitor Map and signage point out various heritage features. Notably, the World Heritage nomination for Chatham comments on the "high level of survival" of the fortifications and ancillary structures here. Recent archaeological surveys (2007–09) have documented the tunnel systems, bunkers and siege features in detail. Graffiti left by servicemen has also been recorded – for example, the carved signature on the searchlight concrete noted above. In summary, Lower Lines Park offers a "remarkably intact" suite of fortification remains – dry moats, magazines, tunnels and training installations – largely undisturbed since their last military use.[41]

View of a section of the Lower Lines undergoing repair, with new brickwork masonry and earthwork.

Redevelopment and modern use

[edit]
Aerial view of Lower Lines Park in the 1990s, showing the overgrown derelict state prior to redevelopment in the 2000s

Following closure of the Royal Engineers and naval facilities, the Lower Lines lay derelict for decades.[42][43] In the mid-2000s, Medway Council re-envisioned the area as public open space. Planning records show that in 2006–07, permission (Ref. No: MC/06/1519) was granted for the change of use of the land from military training grounds to a public park. The project included land level lowering, infilling works, construction of paths, two pedestrian bridges over the moats, and the installation of play equipment. The site, bounded by Medway Road, Cumberland Road, Johnson Avenue, and Princess Mary Avenue in Gillingham, was officially approved with the application received on 8 August 2006, validated on 21 March 2007, and the status marked as decided.[44] Around 2008–09 the council (with Kier Construction as contractor[45]) cleared scrub, reinstated earthworks, and installed park amenities. In May 2010 the renovated Lower Lines Park was officially opened to the public.[46] The £2 million government "Parklands" grant was used[47] for paths, lighting and park entrances, and MidKent College (which was building a campus on part of the Lower Lines site)[48][49] contributed a further £7 million towards landscaping and heritage interpretation.[50] Today the park is owned by Fort Amherst Trust and managed by volunteers (the Friends of Admiral's Gardens). It features wide mown lawns, wildflower meadows and a tree arboretum (including oak, lime and fig). Tarmac paths run throughout,[51] connecting to Chatham via a Fort Amherst pedestrian bridge. An original children's play area was installed circa 2009–10 as part of the works. (This was mentioned in the 2006 planning approval and was noted as present at the park's 2010 opening.) In recent years no formal play equipment has been in active use, and the area has largely become informal greenspace.[52] Public events (jazz concerts, war commemoration ceremonies) are now held here, reflecting the park's new civic role. MidKent College students helped maintain the site after opening.

Aerial view of Lower Lines Park in Gillingham during regeneration in 2003
Lower Lines Park, Gillingham, aerial view during regeneration, 2003

Architectural and cultural remnants

[edit]
Remains of a World War II air-raid shelter in Lower Lines Park

Almost nothing of the Admiral's House itself remains above ground.[53] The flat central plateau of the park marks where the house and its formal gardens stood. No walls survive, but three heavy brick-and-stone gate pillars (with decorative capstones) at the Medway Road entry are widely believed to be remnants of the original estate boundary (though contemporary sources do not explicitly confirm this). All that is visible today of the house are earthbanks and foundation "footprints" under grass. Elsewhere in the park are small cultural finds: for example, a Victorian brick pedestal (now used as a bench) was once part of the estate's garden ornaments. Some older maps show a tennis court northwest of the house, but modern inspection has found only turf at that location, suggesting it too has been grassed over. The site includes several post-war memorials and bench dedications placed by local groups (notably the Great Lines Heritage Park Trust). Altogether, aside from the three pillars and some masonry fragments in the ditch walls, there are no large 19th-century buildings or gates in situ; the park is effectively an open green with military relics.

Cumberland Road

[edit]
Cumberland Road today (view south towards Lower Lines Park). Once a through‑road to naval estates, it is now a quiet pedestrian path following the 2008–10 park redevelopment.[54][55]

Cumberland Road lies on the eastern edge of Medway’s Lower Lines (Admiral’s Gardens) park. In the 19th–20th centuries it ran north from Medway Road up into the former naval lines area.[56] It served Imperial naval facilities: notably a Royal Navy Gasworks School and the Commander‑in‑Chief, The Nore’s official residence (Admiral’s House) were located along Cumberland Road.[57] (Admiral’s House stood atop the Lower Lines plateau; the Gas School occupied a site nearby on Cumberland Road.) During the Second World War the Medway Road end of Cumberland Road was fortified – a heavy RSJ steel roadblock was installed there as part of the Chatham anti‑tank defences,[58] protecting the approaches to the Nore’s HQ and Gas School.

Today Cumberland Road is no longer a public highway but functions as a pedestrian/cycle path into Lower Lines Park. It forms one of the park’s formal entrances.[55] The road surface remains a broad tarmac avenue, but vehicular access is blocked. Original road features (kerbs, surface) largely survive, though traffic signs and double-yellow lines are vestigial. In the photo below, Cumberland Road now appears as a quiet, tree‑lined pedestrian way (looking south into the park). The path is flanked by parkland on one side and the Medway College campus on the other, in keeping with the 2008–2010 redevelopment.[54][55]

In summary, Cumberland Road was created to serve Victorian‑era naval amenities (the Gas School and Admiral’s House) and later played a role in WWII defences.[59] Its formal closure to traffic coincided with the creation of Admiral’s Gardens (Lower Lines Park) around 2008–2010.[60][54] Apart from the surviving roadway and some boundary fencing, little of the original infrastructure remains above ground; the historic sites of the Gas School and Nore’s House survive only as archaeological traces within the park.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Friends of the Admiral's Gardens - The Net Magazine". 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Visiting Upnor parks & nearby green spaces". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. ^ "The Admiral's Gardens, otherwise known as 'the Lower Lines', are situated next to the site of the new Mid Kent College (MKC), on Medway Road, Gillingham." Sunlight Development Trust Community Newsletter – Issue 32
  4. ^ "Chatham Lines, section at Chatham Gun Wharf, Non Civil Parish - 1021379 | Historic England". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Brompton Lines, Non Civil Parish - 1003364 | Historic England". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Community park is officially opened". 29 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  7. ^ "FOI003938.docx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  8. ^ Chadwick, N (29 April 2012) [2012-04-29]. "Lower Lines Park [18 photos] in TQ7769 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland". Geograph Britain and Ireland. Geograph Project Limited. Geograph Project Limited. p. 1. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  9. ^ a b Council, Kent County (25 January 2008). "Exploring Kent's Past". Exploring Kent’s Past. Kent County Council. Kent County Council. p. 1. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Chatham Lines, section at Chatham Gun Wharf, Non Civil Parish - 1021379 | Historic England". 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Chatham Lines, section at Chatham Gun Wharf, Non Civil Parish - 1021379 | Historic England". 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  12. ^ Medway Council, Greenspaces Development Team (April 2012). "Area 4 – The Lower Lines". Great Lines Heritage Park Management and Maintenance Plan 2012–2016: Comprehensive Strategy for Conservation, Land Ownership, Finance, and Vegetation Management (PDF). Additional involvement from the Friends of Great Lines Heritage Park. Medway Council. p. 8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ^ "TQ 76 NE 1346 - Lower Lines, Chatham - Historic Environment Record". 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  14. ^ reporter, KentOnline (1 June 2010). "Medway's newest park opens". Kent Online. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  15. ^ "HMS Wildfire – Subterranea Britannica". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  16. ^ Alexander, Magnus (2011). "Prince Edward's Bastion, Chatham Lines: Topographic Survey (Research Dept. Report No. 1-2011)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Lower Lines Park – Gillingham". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  18. ^ a b "TQ 76 NE 1311 – Public Park: Admiral's Gardens/Lower Lines". heritage.kent.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Issue 22" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  20. ^ Weedy, John. "Illustrated London News 1849". www.iln.org.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  21. ^ "LOWER LINES PARK – 1135955". 16 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  22. ^ England, Historic (16 May 2025). "Brompton Lines, Non Civil Parish - 1003364". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  23. ^ Historic Environment Record, Kent County Council (16 May 2025). "TQ 76 NE 1311 – Public Park: Admiral's Gardens/Lower Lines". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  24. ^ https://www.medway.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/2368/heritage_asset_review_2017.pdf#:~:text=Admiral%E2%80%99s%20Gardens%2FLower%20Lines%20Park%3A%20The,provide%20a%20historical%20military%20association
  25. ^ Historic Environment Record, Kent County Council. "TQ 76 NE 1311 - Public Park: Admiral's Gardens/Lower Lines - Historic Environment Record". heritage.kent.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  26. ^ Historic Environment Record, Kent County Council (16 May 2025). "TQ 76 NE 1311 – Public Park: Admiral's Gardens/Lower Lines". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  27. ^ Council, Kent County (25 January 2008). "Exploring Kent's Past". Exploring Kent's Past | Kent Historic Environment Record (HER). Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  28. ^ Council, Kent County (25 January 2008). "Exploring Kent's Past". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  29. ^ Institute, Landscape (16 May 2025). "Great Lines Heritage Park". Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  30. ^ a b Parks and Gardens, Gardens (en). "Lower Lines Park – Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  31. ^ Jenner, Bob (16 February 2008). "Site Name: Area Combined Headquarters Chatham & HMS Wildfire". subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  32. ^ Jenner, Bob (16 May 2025). "HMS Wildfire – Subterranea Britannica". www.subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  34. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20250518114945/https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/mgconvert2pdf.aspx?id=9637
  35. ^ Smith, Victor T.C. (2011). "Kent's Twentieth-Century Military and Civil Defences, Part 2 – Medway" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  36. ^ Stuff, Good. "Group of Anti-Tank Pimples, Gillingham". Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  37. ^ Archaeological Trust, Canterbury. "New publication: The Lower Lines, Brompton". Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  38. ^ Research Group, Kent Defence. "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  39. ^ Research Group, Kent Defence. "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  40. ^ Research Group, Kent Defence. "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  41. ^ Research Group, Kent Defence. "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Kent Archaeology Society. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  42. ^ Historic Environment Record, Kent County Council (18 May 2025). "TQ 76 NE 1311 - Public Park: Admiral's Gardens/Lower Lines - Historic Environment Record". Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  43. ^ "By the end of the Napoleonic Wars their military importance had declined. Fort Amherst was declared obsolete by the 1860 Royal Commission. Much of the additional work remains but it is extremely overgrown." Heritage Statement for Proposed Development at King Charles Hotel, Brompton (November 2023)
  44. ^ Council, Medway (18 May 2025). "MC/06/1519 | Change of use of land from military training land to public park with land level lowering; infilling works and installation of ancillary structures including 2 bridges and play equipment | Land At Lower Lines Bounded By Medway Road Cumberland Road Johnson Avenue And Princess Mary Avenue Gillingham Kent". Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  45. ^ "Multimillion pound college project takes shape". Kent Online. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  46. ^ "The Lower Lines Park, part of the World Heritage Site project, was formally opened to the public in late May." Medway Council Cabinet Report: Capital Budget Monitoring Update – May 2010 Forecast
  47. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20111030001448/http://democracy.medway.gov.uk/Data/Regeneration,%20Community%20and%20Culture%20Overview%20and%20Scrutiny%20Committee/20090707/Agenda/orc20090707r-31.pdf
  48. ^ "The new Mid Kent College building will open on the Lower Lines." Update on Policy and Practice for 14-19 Education and Training in Medway: Report to the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 12 September 2007
  49. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20250503092305/https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/Data/Development%20Control%20Committee/20050919/Agenda/ddc20050919r.pdf
  50. ^ "MidKent College Contribution to Great Lines Heritage Park" (PDF). December 2009.
  51. ^ Gardens (en), Parks and. "Lower Lines Park - Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  52. ^ Aubnoy, Dave (14 May 2025). "Removal of Former Children's Playground at Lower Lines Park, Gillingham - a Freedom of Information request to Medway Council". WhatDoTheyKnow. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  53. ^ Gardens (en), Parks and. "Lower Lines Park - Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  54. ^ a b c https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/mgconvert2pdf.aspx?id=9636#:~:text=access%20to%20the%20Lower%20Lines,walk%20through%20the%20public%20park
  55. ^ a b c Gardens (en), Parks and. "Lower Lines Park - Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  56. ^ Gardens (en), Parks and. "Lower Lines Park - Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  57. ^ "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  58. ^ "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  59. ^ "Defending Chatham 1939-1941". Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  60. ^ Gardens, Parks and (20 May 2025). "Lower Lines Park - Gillingham". Parks & Gardens. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.

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