Main Gate And Attached Dockyard Perimeter Wall To South West

The main gatehouse and attached dockyard perimeter wall, built between 1718 and 1722, form a significant feature of Chatham Dockyard. The construction is primarily brick, with four rear corner stacks and a tall external stack to the rear, all under a slate hipped roof.

The gatehouse comprises single-depth square towers connected by a bridge with a western extension, and a separate single-depth house to the west. Each tower rises three storeys and contains a single bay. They feature clasping pilasters to a moulded brick cornice and corner turrets, with floors defined by paired string courses and two blind oculi on each floor, each with small pairs of recessed panels above. A depressed three-centre archway sits between the towers, set back and adorned with key and impost stones. Above the arch is a large Royal Coat of Arms of George III, made of Coade stone and signed "Coade and Sealy" with a date of 1812. This replaced an earlier coat of arms which was moved to the north side of the dockyard. A Lombard frieze and parapet complete the exterior. The rear elevation has two six-pane sashes with cambered heads to each floor and above the arch, along with a round-arched ground-floor window on each side. A smaller Coade stone cartouche is positioned between the middle windows. Both front and rear have double doors consisting of six fielded panels each, and a gatekeeper’s lodge is located on the south side.

The attached house is recessed from the north side and parapeted, with a two-window front and a five-window western side. The rear section is single-storey, with a rendered porch connecting the sections. It features segmental brick arches over six-pane sashes.

The interior has not been inspected but is reported to contain stairs in each tower and accommodation on the upper floors.

A substantial dockyard perimeter wall, constructed in 1718, extends approximately 350 metres to the south, terminating against the quay and enclosing the dockyard. It is built of brick with a coped top. A smaller wall connects to The Cottage (separate listing).

The gatehouse and wall were built in a Baroque style akin to early 18th century Board of Ordnance designs at locations such as the Woolwich Arsenal, Berwick-on-Tweed, and Devonport, likely influenced by designs associated with Nicholas Hawksmoor. Originally, the gatehouse was occupied by the Yard porter and boatswain. Construction of the wall and four towers was authorized in 1716 to define the boundary of land acquired by the navy, and subsequently used for the Officer's Terrace. The Ropeyard was similarly enclosed in 1718.