Originally built as a servicemen’s club for the NAAFI in the 1940s, the King Charles Hotel is…
Our View
Situated on the banks of the River Medway, Upnor Castle is set in a picturesque village area backed by rolling, wooded hills. Steeped in history, this turreted castle was originally built on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I in 1559 as a gun fort to defend her warships at anchor in the reaches of the Medway and Chatham Dockyard. Although the castle was an important link in the defence line, it was not well maintained and proved ineffective when the Dutch, under the command of Admiral de Ruyter, sailed up the Medway in June 1667 to attack the dockyard. The enemy fleet met very little resistance and when it left two days later, it had destroyed or captured a large number of the Royal Navy ships anchored at Chatham.
Awards, accolades & Welcome Schemes
Facilities – at a glance
Assist dogs allowed
Refreshments
Suitable for all child ages
Features
- Suitable for children of all ages
- Parking nearby
- Cafe
- Facilities: There is disabled access to the grounds only, with a ramp leading into the Lower Magazine. Disabled visitors can be set down outside the Barrack Block. Unfortunately there is no disabled parking on site.
- Opening Times: 10am to 6pm, (1 April -30 Sept) & 10am to 4pm (1 Oct -31 Oct) Tuesday to Sunday
Also in the area
About the area
Discover Kent
The White Cliffs of Dover are an English icon – the epitome of our island heritage and sense of nationhood. They also mark the point where the Kent Downs AONB, that great arc of chalk downland stretching from the Surrey Hills and sometimes known as ‘the Garden of England’, finally reaches the sea. This is a well-ordered and settled landscape, where chalk and greensand escarpments look down into the wooded Weald to the south.
Many historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s red-brick former home at Chartwell, are also worth visiting. Attractive settlements such as Charing, site of Archbishop Cranmer’s Tudor palace, and Chilham, with its magnificent half-timbered buildings and 17th-century castle built on a Norman site, can be found on the Pilgrim’s Way, the traditional route for Canterbury-bound pilgrims in the Middle Ages.
In the nature reserves, such as the traditionally coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood, and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank high on the North Downs near Ashford, it is still possible to experience the atmosphere of wilderness that must have been felt by the earliest travellers along this ancient ridgeway.
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Places to Stay
Dining nearby
Restaurants and Pubs
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