Riverside Gardens share their history with that of the Paddock. Formally marshland until the Land Wall (now Globe Lane) was built as a transport route from Rochester to the dockyard (1633/1588), and dammed the marsh from the River Medway. The land was reclaimed and built to form a tidal pool to drive the Chatham Mill. During C18, as the area around Chatham Dockyards underwent significant militarisation, the tidal pool was filled in to provide land for New Gun Wharf, in order to bring in supplies and armaments to the expanding defensive fort system of the area. In 1819, the White House was built on the eastern edge of New Gun Wharf. New Fun Wharf remained in use by the army until 1955. In 1963, a photograph shows a public space composed of a few mature trees set in mown grassland with benches and unbrellas for public enjoyment.
The boundaries of Riverside Gardens follow those of New Gun Wharf on which the park is laid out. Historically marsh and then mill pond, the reclaimed land is now a roughly level site with some minor undulations along the east-west path, rising gradually to the east where it meets Dock Road.
The area itself is now a mixture of mown grass and grassland planted with numerous mixed decideous young trees, some beech hedging around the carpark, as well as mature trees (including a yew, an oak, a lime, and three horse chestnut trees).


In 2014, the Kent Gardens Trust performed a review of historical information relating to Riverside Gardens, Chatham.

Taken from the review:
"STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Riverside Gardens are a mid C20 example of public authorities creating open space on the site of former military land – in this case an C18 military wharf (New Gun Wharf) serving the forts of Chatham, the history of which can be traced to C16. Strong documentary and archival evidence supports the past importance of this site which, in addition, is considered to have high potential for below-ground archaeology of a nationally significant nature.
Together with the adjacent Paddock, Town Hall Gardens and the slope of Fort Amherst the Gardens have community value and scenic and landmark significance, allowing public access to the banks of the River Medway and offering extensive views to historic landmarks such as Rochester Cathedral and Castle to the west. Besides providing a public amenity, the gardens provide a direct physical connection to both local and national collective memories of Chatham’s vital importance to the United Kingdom’s defence up to the mid C20.

Brief History:

Riverside Gardens share their history with that of the Paddock (qv) the former lying to the northwest of the Land Wall (now Globe Lane) and the latter to the south-east. The Land Wall was built as a transport route from Rochester to the dockyard across marshy land and, first recorded in 1633 (possibly in 1588), it also served to dam the marsh from the River Medway. This allowed land reclamation and the building of a tidal pool to drive the Chatham mill. During C18 the need for more military capability hastened this process and the tidal pool was filled in to provide the land for New Gun Wharf in order to bring in supplies and armaments to the expanding system of defensive forts which were being built around the Chatham Dockyard at that time. In 1819, the White House was built on the eastern edge of New Gun Wharf to provide accommodation and offices for the deputy storekeeper. The first edition OS map (1864) shows a garden (c.80 x 30m) surrounding the house and lying between the C18 building (now Riverside One) to the north and Globe Lane to the south. The map suggests that this was walled with perimeter paths and a formal layout of trees. The garden is not shown on the fourth edition OS map (1929-52).

New Gun Wharf remained in use by the army until 1955, when it was sold with the foreshore to Chatham Council, although the Army continued in occupation of at least part of it until 1961 during which time it was part of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. The fourth edition OS map (1929-52) shows numerous storehouses and workshops with cranes at the riverside. A tramway carried goods from here, northwards to the dockyard, for distribution to the forts.

Public access to the river edge became possible after 1955…A photograph of the northern end of the gardens in June 1963 shows a public space composed of a few mature trees set in mown grassland with benches and umbrellas for public enjoyment (MALSC). In contrast, the southern part of the site still had buildings and a car park in 1973 (Aerofilm)…Since c1983 the buildings around the pumping station have been removed leaving a level grassed area with some car parking. Land from the south-eastern part of the site, adjacent to Globe Lane, was incorporated into the new bus station (Dynamic Bus Facility) which opened in 2011 and the area immediately to the south is now (2013) scheduled for redevelopment.

The Site:

Riverside Gardens lie directly on the east bank of the River Medway, in the centre of Chatham, south of Dock Road (A231) and the junction with Globe Lane and the Brook. To the east, they are immediately adjacent to the Paddock, separated only by the bus station. The site is roughly triangular in shape, some 200m from north to south and 170m east to west with an area of 1.7 hectares…The boundaries of Riverside Gardens follow those of New Gun Wharf on which the park is laid out…the reclaimed land is now a roughly level site with some minor undulations along the east-west path, rising gradually to the east where it meets Dock Road. To the north lies St Mary’s Church, built on rising ground, to the east the slopes of Fort Amherst and to the west, the river.

…a paved stone path runs 170m westwards to the Rats Bay Pumping Station bisecting the site…[there is a] grassed [area]for 20m with a mature yew tree, perhaps remaining from the White House’s C19 garden, before reaching the White House itself. Beyond the house, to the west, are three mature horse chestnut trees which survive from within the working area of New Gun Wharf…at the far west end near the pumping station…is planted with numerous mixed deciduous young trees with some beech hedging round the car park.

…mown grass extends to the frontages of the Medway Council Hub buildings (former C18 workshops), forming the eastern boundary of the site. Wrought iron and wooden seats are set in the grass and halfway along the path are three cannons found in the excavations during the rebuilding of the river wall and now mounted on stone plinths in the grass… This whole area of the site, north of the central path, is planted with groups of mature trees growing in mown grass. In its western half the mature trees are mainly horse chestnut while in the eastern half the trees are of mixed species. These include the three beeches by the car park, the yew beside the White House, an oak, a lime and row of three plane trees immediately outside Riverside One…The largest horse chestnut has a girth of 3.2m and is perhaps a surviving tree of those marked on the first edition OS map (1864). Map evidence, and their size, suggests that a few of the present trees may be survivors from the earlier garden of the White House although there is no other visible evidence of its existence. They appear to be about the same age as some of the trees in the Paddock which are visible to the east beyond the bus station." (1)

<1> Kent Gardens Trust, 2014, The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Medway: Riverside Gardens, Chatham (Unpublished document). SKE31417.