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About
On Hitched.co.uk since 2022
Last update: March 2026
New for 2026:
This summer The Historic Dockyard begins a new chapter, reopening a spectacular venue for your wedding from July 2026.
Restored, Renewed. Ready for the love stories yet to be told, be one of the first couples to host your wedding at this brand new venue.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is an elegant wedding venue located in Kent. Celebrate your story surrounded by mid-18th-century design, adding a timeless lens to each part of your day. Whether you envision exchanging vows aboard a stately ship, enjoying an opulant dinner in The Orangery, or sharing drinks and canapes in the romantic Commissioner's Garden, The Historic Dockyard offers timeless elegance in spectacular setting.
Facilities and Capacity
The Historic Dockyard Chatham offers a choice ceremony venues and a reception setting, accommodating up to 120 seated guests, and 200 evening guests. The Commissioner's House is an elegant Georgian-style stately home, fresh from an extensive renovation. Every room, hallway and corner has been restored to warmly welcome new love stories to live alongside centuries of history. Why not explore our newest ceremony and reception venue, The Orangery. Set within the Gardens and wrapped in floor to ceiling glass, it’s filled with natural light and designed to let you shape the celebration in your own way. Wedding packages include exclusive use of The Commissioner's house, with the surrounding courtyard and garden provides the perfect setting for drinks and canapés. From period architecture and elegantly designed rooms to the distinctive backdrop of ships, gardens and dockyard, the setting feels timeless and entirely its own.
Food is at the heart of every celebration. The head chef brings creativity and craft to every menu, drawing on the best seasonal produce and taking influences from Britain’s rich culinary traditions. They take pride in supporting local suppliers, adding a true Kentish touch to the dishes offered. From refined canapés to indulgent feasts, your wedding breakfast will be shaped around your tastes and your story. Ahead of the day, you’ll enjoy a menu tasting, ensuring that every detail feels personal, celebratory, and unforgettable.
If you're looking for a truly unforgettable way to say 'I do,' you can embark on a journey aboard the magnificent and romantic Victorian sloop, HMS Gannet. Choose from the Commander's Cabin, the Quarterdeck or the main deck for you and your guests, then enjoy the evening at The Commissioner's House. You'll have access to the extensive historic site, allowing you to choose from a range of distinctive backdrops for your wedding album.
Services Offered
The team at The Historic Dockyard Chatham aims to provide as much support as possible throughout your planning journey. Beginning with an initial consultation and tour, their events team will walk you through their process, listening to your needs and aspirations. They love to create bespoke experiences for each happy couple. Their packages include the following:
- A Personalised service and packages shaped around you
- Access to the private estate for wedding photography
- Guidance from an experienced wedding team
- A dedicated Events Manager on the day
- Elegant get-ready suites for morning-of preparations
- In-House catering and menu tasting included within package price
- Support with Medway Registrars
- Garden games on the lawn
- Tables, chairs, linens, cutlery, crockery and glassware all provided
- Thoughtful touches including unlimited cordial for children, a postbox for cards and easel to display your table plan, table numbers or name holder, and a classic silver cake stand and knife.
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Contact The Historic Dockyard Chatham and their preferred suppliers
-
The Historic Dockyard Chatham -
James Ireland Photography -
Paul Fuller Kent Photography -
Coco & Bloom Ltd
Frequently asked questions
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Reviews for The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Fantastic service and venue!
Our initial plan was to get married on the HMS Gannet, but due to unpredictable weather we got married upstairs in the Sunne room instead. In the end it really worked out so much better as it is such an incredible and intimate space.
Both we and our guests were so happy with the commissioners house as a reception venue - the expanse of the ground floor made it so easy for people to find their space if they wanted to party in the ballroom or have a good conversation with relatives in the marquee further away from the music. We had around 90 people for the reception and it never felt crowded. It is such a lovely house and had the most incredible day, thank you!
Mr & Mrs Burrows
We were looked after so well and our wedding day was enjoyed so much by all our guests and ourselves and it’s a day that we will never forget.
Our Perfect Day
Perfect celebration !
Magical Wedding on HMS Gannet (Chatham Historic Dockyard)
But we have to make a special mention of Lisa, Alison and everyone else involved on the day. We cannot thank them enough for their calm presence, for catering for our every need, for making everything run so smoothly and for making our guests feel so relaxed and happy throughout the day. One of our guests said they would rate these guys as 10 stars out of 5 !
Alison was there early and was all setup before the hair and makeup and bridesmaids starting arriving early. She made sure we were all topped up with pastries/drinks/prosecco – and happily helped us with numerous questions, and hunting for safety pins when we needed them. She definitely set the tone of calm, quiet efficiency which helped the nervous bride.
When Lisa arrived, she helped us hugely with talking through details of the way things would unfold both on the ship and logistics of getting there etc. Lisa had this fantastic ability not only to make sure we had everything we wanted, but also to provide things we needed - before we even knew we needed them ! How does she even do that ? She is a real treasure ! Her calm manner continued into the evening, liaising not only with the caterers but also with the Band – it all ran so smoothly that I am sure there were many things she was doing that we were not even aware of. We really cannot thank her enough.
We would definitely recommend this venue to other couples.
Fantastic unique Historic Nautical wedding venue
Unique location steeped in Naval history offering an authentic unique wedding venue.
Facilities are all well looked after. Staff are very friendly and relaxed and extremely helpful. No pressure and they go over and beyond to make your day special and hassle free. They catered for all our requests and helped us with last minute things and emergencies.
Thank you so much to Chloe & Lisa and the rest of the team to making our day simply the best ever .
Thank you so much
Seb & Lisa
Perfect wedding day
Wedding Day Delight
We were absolutely thrilled with how beautiful the house and surroundings were. We booked our wedding for 30.07.2022.
From the very first email/booking we could not have been any happier and the responsiveness from Olivia, Chloe and their team was 100%. Our dreams and plans for our special day were met with the utmost importance. Anything we asked for or needed was dealt with and delivered without any problems or issues.
Our day was absolutely perfect and the Team were out of this world! Every single person who attended our wedding said how amazing the day was and how beautiful the venue was.
We can honestly put our hands on our hearts and recommend Commissioner's House and Chatham Dockyard to anyone and everyone who is considering their special day here.
Brilliant experience from start to finish
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The Historic Dockyard Chatham Real Weddings
Your events
Join us for our first wedding showcase following the extensive restoration our historic Kent venue, The Commissioner’s House and Gardens. Prior to our official opening date we’re inviting couples seeking to view our spectacular venue to join us on Saturday 13 June and Sunday 14 June for an exclusive pre-opening preview.
Step inside The Commissioner’s House; having held centuries of celebrations, laughter and love stories, it will be reopening its doors this summer for you to tell yours. Our meticulously restored house becomes your home for the day, offering an elegant canvas for each chapter of your wedding – whether you’re looking for an intimate ceremony, or a reception fit for a commissioner.
Be among the very first couples to experience our newly restored venue, gaining inspiration for your wedding day as you walk through our historic hallways – all brought beautifully to life with venue styling from Idyllic & Co. This event will give you the opportunity to chat with our team about your future plans and meet a selection of our recommended suppliers, alongside exploring everything The Commissioner’s House has to offer.
Saturday 13 June 2026
By appointment only: For couples who wish to book a private tour, please reserve one of our Saturday appointment slots. A member of our team will guide you through the venue, answering any questions and discussing your plans. To ensure a bespoke experience for each couple, we will be in touch upon appointment booking with a few short questions to help us guide your tour.
Offer: FREE couples mini shoot at The Historic Dockyard Chatham from recommended photographer Luke Granger Photography for all couples booking a Saturday tour.
Book your personal appointment
thedockyard.co.uk/events/wedding-showcase-weekend/
Join us for our first wedding showcase following the extensive restoration our historic Kent venue, The Commissioner’s House and Gardens. Prior to our official opening date we’re inviting couples seeking to view our spectacular venue to join us on Saturday 13 June and Sunday 14 June for an exclusive pre-opening preview.
Step inside The Commissioner’s House; having held centuries of celebrations, laughter and love stories, it will be reopening its doors this summer for you to tell yours. Our meticulously restored house becomes your home for the day, offering an elegant canvas for each chapter of your wedding – whether you’re looking for an intimate ceremony, or a reception fit for a commissioner.
Be among the very first couples to experience our newly restored venue, gaining inspiration for your wedding day as you walk through our historic hallways – all brought beautifully to life with venue styling from Idyllic & Co. This event will give you the opportunity to chat with our team about your future plans and meet a selection of our recommended suppliers, alongside exploring everything The Commissioner’s House has to offer.
Sunday 14 June 2026
Open House: Join us on Sunday 14 June for our open house, an informal event allowing couples a relaxed viewing of The Commissioner’s House. Explore the venue at your leisure, with our helpful team on hand to guide you through the rooms, explain our package offers and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to spend as much time discovering the house and gardens as you would like, but please indicate your expected arrival time so that we can anticipate the flow within the venue.
Our team will be available to answer questions about our venue and packages, however, if you feel you would benefit from a longer conversation, please book an appointment for our Saturday showcase.
thedockyard.co.uk/events/wedding-showcase-weekend/
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