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{| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300 style=margin-left:10px
|-
!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Borough of Medway
|-
|colspan=2 align=center|Image:EnglandMedway.png
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography
|-
|width="45%"|Status:||Unitary, Borough
|-
|Region:||South East England
|-
|Ceremonial County:||Kent
|-
|Area:<br>- Total||Ranked 192nd<br>192.03 km²
|-
|Admin. HQ:||Strood
|-
|ONS code:||00LC
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics
|-
||[[List of English districts by population|Ranked <br><br> / km²
|-
|Ethnicity<ref>http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276846&c=medway&d=13&e=13&g=406944&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1207137037477&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812</ref>:||93.0% White<br>3.4% S.Asian<br>1.3% Black<br>1.4% Mixed<br>1.0% Chinese or other
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics
|-
|colspan=2 align=center|Medway Council<br>http://www.medway.gov.uk/
|-
|Leadership:||Leader & Cabinet
|-
|Executive:||
|-
|MPs:||Paul Clark (L)<br>(L)<br>Jonathan Shaw (L)
|}

right|thumb|A view from Merrall's Shaw, Cuxton ENE over the Medway Towns. In sight are the M2, Rochester Bridge and Castle, the covered slips at Chatham Dockyard, Kingsnorth Power station and in the far distance the Grain Power Stations.

'''Medway''' is the name given to a Norman  Chatham naval dockyard and its associated defences.

The five main towns involved in the conurbation are (from west to east in terms of geographical position): Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham. Many smaller towns and villages such as Brompton, Luton, Cliffe and Grain on the Halling and Rochester and Strood.

Medway also includes parts of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Other similar areas of conservation include Ranscombe Farm on chalk grassland and woodland between Strood and Cuxton, with rare woodland flowers and orchids.

== History ==

The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated originally by the city of Rochester and later by the naval and military establishments principally in Chatham and Gilllingham.

Rochester was established by the Romans, who called it Durobrivae (meaning "stronghold by the bridge"), on an Bishop Justus in castle which stands opposite the cathedral. Rochester was also an important point for people travelling the Pilgrims' Way. Pilgrims' Way stretches from Winchester to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Pilgrims' Way crossed the Medway near Cuxton. Rochester became a walled town and under later Saxon influence a mint was established here.

Rochester has many fine buildings such as the Guildhall (today a museum) built in Roman city wall are still in evidence.

=== Famous people ===

* William Adams, the first Englishman to record reaching Japan, was born in Gillingham. The Japanese Shogun made him a samurai (warrior). 
* One of the most famous people with a Medway connection is Charles Dickens, whose museum was in Eastgate House in Rochester until its closure in 2004. A new museum dedicated to him is now open at Chatham Historic Dockyard. 
* guided torpedo, and who worked on early the early monorail train and helicopter, lived in Gillingham. The only surviving original Brennan Torpedo is in the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham.
* Kelly Brooke The model and actress was born and lived in Rochester.
* Gary Rhodes The chef who attended The Howard School (Rainham).

== Naval and military history ==

thumb|right|''Dutch '''Attack on the Medway''', June [[1667'' by ''Royal Charles'' is right of center]]
thumb|right| The [[Chatham naval memorial commemorates the 18,500 officers, ranks and ratings of the Royal Navy who were lost or buried at sea in the two World Wars. It stands on the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham.]]

The dockyard during the reign of Henry VIII; it shut in 1984. It was protected by a series of forts including the Great Lines of Defence, Historic Dockyard are Georgian. It was here that Britain's most famous wooden warship HMS ''Victory'', Trafalgar, was built and launched in raid on the dockyard, or the commanding officer fled without firing on the Dutch. 

Another warship built at Chatham that still exists is HMS ''Unicorn'' (a 46-gun "Leda" class frigate) laid down in February 1822, and launched 30 March 1824. She never saw active service and has been restored and is (as of 2005) preserved afloat in Dundee, Scotland.

There have also been other naval disasters in Medway other than the Raid on the Medway.

On the HMS Bulwark was moored at buoy number 17 at Kingsnorth, on the Gillingham for the Bulwark's dead, who were mostly drawn from the Portsmouth area. The explosion could be heard from up to 20 miles at Southend and Whitstable. In terms of loss of life it remains the second worst explosion in British history.

Less than six months later there was a second explosion. This time it was the Princess Irene. She was a 1,500-passenger liner built at Britain she was commandeered for war service and became mine charges were unstable and awaiting replacement. 

''For a complete history of the dockyard, including its closure in 1984, see Chatham Dockyard''

The Gillingham.

The Chatham. The Dockyard. A small museum dedicated to the Royal Marines can be found at the dockyard.

== Future development ==

Central government has worked with Medway Council to regenerate Medway, including the projects below:

=== Medway Waterfront ===

The Medway Waterfront Renaissance Strategy is a 20-year plan for the redevelopment of up to seven miles (11km) of waterfront along the River Medway. This project will create 6,000 to 8,000 homes and 8,500 jobs. There are five main areas designated for development:

=== Gillingham centre ===

Gillingham will get another 150 parking spaces, as well as a new town square within a new shopping area, a new cultural and leisure venue, improved connections and use of the Great Lines and Black Lion open spaces, plus improved pedestrian facilities.

=== Rochester riverside ===

In Rochester A 74-acre (30-hectare) brownfield site between the river and the railway line is being developed with high-quality high-density housing. Up to 50 homes per hectare will be built. There has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for local public services which will be required by the approximately 1000 new residences which are expected to house over 2000 people.  The site has accommodated a wide variety of industrial, commercial and maritime activities since the beginning of the 19th century but has become largely disused in recent years.

=== Chatham centre and waterfront ===

Chatham town centre is the main commercial centre of Medway but has notorious traffic problems and much of the transport system will be redeveloped. In the early autumn of 2006 the "one way" system was turned into a two way system. In the near future it is planned that the Sir John Hawkins flyover will be demolished. The council believes that this will open up Chatham Waterfront, an area long marked for redevelopment though there is debate as to the new road system actually harming some businesses in Chatham. Chatham waterfront is the area between Rochester railway station and Chatham Dockyard &mdash; numerous residential and commercial developments are planned in this run down area.

=== Strood riverside ===

Redevelopment including new homes and a landscaped play area were completed in the 1990s but now there are plans to extend this further along the river past Strood railway station. Another 500 to 600 homes will be built, and the waterfront will be developed with new recreational and leisure facilities (although there has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for medical, police, or educational services), improved open public space, better access to the railway station, the town centre and the Medway City Estate industrial area.

=== Temple Waterfront ===

This 70-hectare area (formerly a Templar farm) — between the river and Morgan's Timber yard in Strood — is commonly known as "Morgans" or "Morgan's field" and is often used illegally by off-road motorcyclists. Under the plans, 600 homes will be built along with 15,000 square metres of commercial space and a new two-hectare site for Morgan's Timber, however there has been little to no provision for the subsequent increase in demand for local public services.

=== Medway Gate ===

right|thumb| A view of the Medway Gate development, April 2007.

This is not under the Medway waterfront scheme, but it is a major development under way in Strood between M2 junction 2.  Much of the development is inside a large unused chalk pit and requires massive landscaping efforts to make building possible.  A small field which was hidden from the main road has also been landscaped.  Many problems such as new schools and amenities to accommodate the new homes seem to be still unresolved.

== Medway unitary authority == 

=== Formation ===

Throughout the 19th century there had been proposals to join the Medway towns under a single authority.  By 1903 moves began to take place: that year saw the creation of the Borough of Gillingham, to which, in 1928, the adjoining parish of Rainham was added. 

In Local Government Boundary Commission recommended that the area become a "most purposes" county borough, but the recommendation was not carried out. In 1956 the Joint Amalgamation Committee decided in favour of the amalgamation and invited representatives from Strood Rural District Council to join the Committee.<ref>''Medway Towns Amalgamation &mdash; Favoured by three councils'', The Times, November 6, 1956</ref> In 1960 a proposal was made by Rochester Council that the merger be effected by the city absorbing the two other towns, in order to safeguard its ancient charters and city status. This led to Gillingham Council voting to leave the committee, as it believed the three towns should go forward as equal partners.<ref>''Gillingham leaving merger scheme'', The Times, February 3, 1960</ref> On March 9 the committee held its last meeting, with the Chatham representatives voting to dissolve the body and those from Rochester voting against.  The motion to disband was passed on the casting vote of the chairman, Alderman Semple from Chatham.<ref>''Medway Towns split over merger &mdash; Committee disbands'', The Times, March 10, 1960</ref>

Under the Borough of Medway, with Gillingham remaining separate. In 1982 the district was renamed Rochester-upon-Medway, and Rochester's city status was transferred to the district. In 1998 Gillingham and Rochester-upon-Medway were merged under the local government review, to form the Borough of Medway Towns (soon renamed the Borough of Medway), which became a city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions, but was unsuccessful.

Because of the abolition of Rochester-upon-Medway in 1998, and the decision not to appoint official cities.

The council currently comprises 55 councillors representing different wards.  The current political make-up of the Council (after the 2007 local elections) is;

* Conservative - 33
* Labour - 13
* Liberal Democrat - 8
* Independent - 1

Parts of the unitary authority are parished, chiefly the rural areas.  There are currently 11 parishes;

* Allhallows
* Cliffe and Cliffe Woods
* Cooling
* Cuxton
* Frindsbury  Extra
* Halling
* High Halstow
* Hoo St Werburgh
* St James Isle of Grain
* St Mary Hoo
* Stoke

== Demographics ==

* Population: the population of Medway as measured in the 2001 Census was 249,488, of which 49% are male and 51% female. Most of the population live in the Chatham and Gillingham areas: 70,540 in Chatham  and 99,773 in Gillingham.
* Unemployment: The closure of Chatham Dockyard cost some 20,000 jobs. In June 2005 local unemployment stood at 2.3% of the workforce, a total of 3,678 people. Many of the employed population of 160,000 people now work outside the district — especially in London, which has many transport links from Medway.

== Settlements ==

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="float: right; background:#ffffff; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 24em; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-collapse: collapse;"
!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Borough of Medway
|-
|colspan=2 align=center|175px|Medway
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Basisdaten
|-
|width="40%"|Status || Unitary Authority, Borough
|-
|Region || South East England
|-
|Zerem. Grafschaft || Kent
|-
|| [[Strood
|-
|Fläche || 192,03 km² <small>(192.)</small>
|-
|Einwohner <small>(2005)</small> || 251.100 <small>(38.)</small>
|-
|ONS-Code || 00LC
|-
|Website || [http://www.medway.gov.uk www.medway.gov.uk]
|}

thumb
Das Distrikten Grafschaft Region South East England.

Zum Gebiet von Medway gehören die '''Medway Towns''', ein urbanisiertes Gebiet, das aus den beidseits des Flusses Medway liegenden Städten Chatham, Rochester in Kent entstanden ist. 

==Geschichte==
Die Medway genannte Gegend blickt auf eine lange und wechselvolle Geschichte; es wurde zunächst von Rochester beherrscht, später von den militärischen Einrichtungen in Chatham. Rochester wurde von den Römern an einer schon zur Eisenzeit besiedelten Stelle gegründet, um die Kreuzung der römischen Straße Watling Street mit dem Fluss Medway kontrollieren zu können. Die erste Kathedrale wurde in den frühen 600er Jahren gebaut.

Im 16. Jahrhundert nahm die Royal Navy einen Marinestützpunkt in Betrieb, den sie bis 1984 nutzte. Der Stützpunkt wurde von mehreren Festungen geschützt (u.a. Fort Amhurst, Fort Pitt und Fort Borstal). Hier wurde Britianniens berühmtestes Schiff, die HMS Victory, das Flaggschiff von Admiral Nelson, gebaut.