Former Wheelwrights Shop

The Former Wheelwright's Shop is a building located on the east side of Chatham Dockyard, dating from the late 18th to early 19th century. Originally a mast house, it later became a wheelwright's shop and is now used as a museum and restaurant. The structure is timber-framed, featuring weatherboarding and a tiled roof, with a plan consisting of three rectangular parallel ranges.

The exterior is a single storey with three gable ranges. Each matching gable has double carriage doors and small-paned metal framed windows. The northern end has three ground-floor windows on the left side and wide attic windows above the doors, while the southern end has three ground-floor windows in the middle and tall attic windows. The west side has rendered brick infill.

Inside, the building showcases timber roof trusses supported by heavy former ships' knee braces and king posts. Historically, mast houses were significant in the sailing ship dockyard, and the roofs exemplify shipwright techniques used in construction. After the decline of sailing ships, the building was repurposed for various uses, including as a wheelwright's shop. It has group value with the Mast House and is part of a notably complete Georgian dockyard.