Great Lines Heritage Park Latest
2nd July 2010
Work is almost complete at the Field of Fire. The gabion wall has been installed, and entrance features are nearly finished. The new path network awaits its top coat (once the bird-nesting season is over) and seats, bins and signage will soon be installed. The new entrance opposite Medway Park will soon be open, and already residents and visitors are making good use of the newly-opened five hectares of open space that this entrance leads through.
1st June 2010
Saturday saw the official opening of the Lower Lines Park. Admiral Sir Ian Garnett cut the ribbon and thanked the assembled guests for coming to celebrate the transformation of previously inaccessible land into Medway's newest park . John Spence, Chair of the Lower Lines Trust, added his thanks to the Admiral's, and spoke of the park's great future, as part of the Great Lines Heritage Park and the proposed World Heritage Site. Particular thanks were expressed to Mid Kent College who have funded and overseen the park's development, and continue to assist with its maintenance and upkeep.
The Lower Lines Park is next to the new Mid Kent College campus on Medway Road - why not pay a visit, if you haven't already?
17th February 2010
Book your place for a guided tour of the Lower Lines Park!
The Lower Lines Park opened to the public in January, and you can join the first ever guided tours on Saturday, 27th February between 12 noon and 4pm. Tours are free and will commence inside the gate on Medway Road. They will be led by members of the Friends group which has supported the park throughout its development.
Places on the guided tours should be booked by contacting Adam Price, Secretary of Friends of the Admiral's Gardens on 01634 571426, or by email: aprice_nthgill@hotmail.com. You can also contact Adam to find out more about the Friends group.
Situated next to the new MidKent College campus, the park occupies a historic location. The 5 1/2 hectare community gardens were once the site of a large house, built for the Commander in Chief at the Nore (the oldest naval command in Britain), which included landscaped gardens, traces of which still remain. The park includes a section of the Chatham Lines, the defensive ditch which joined Fort Amherst in defending Chatham Dockyard from landward attack. It also has woodlands and an adventure play area.
14th January 2010
Work is underway to transform the Great Lines into the Great Lines Heritage Park, following extensive consultation throughout 2008, and a £2m grant from government.
The first phase of works will see a brand new entrance to the Park from Gillingham (opposite Medway Park) and new footpaths connecting Gillingham and Chatham. Around four hectares of previously fenced-off land will become permanently open to the public.
Work begins on the new pathway connecting Gillingham and Chatham.
The site team review one part of the gabion wall, which will replace the mix of fencing styles between the Great Lines Heritage Park and Gillingham.
Old-style fencing, to be replaced.
Also underway is:
- the removal of the park’s boundary in Gillingham – the mixed styles of fence, hedge and wall are being replaced with a low gabion wall. This will reflect Medway’s long military history, and increase the openness to the Great Lines - a key part of the site’s heritage.
- Scrub clearance to the escarpment area - removing cover for anti-social behaviour, and opening up walking routes.
- A lighting scheme to illuminate Fort Amherst and the Naval War Memorial.
- New seats, bins and signage.
Artist's Impression of Fort Amherst at night (c) Sutton Vane Associates.
More works will follow next year, including a pedestrian bridge into Fort Amherst from the Naval War Memorial, and further new paths. As part of these works, Fort Amherst will become a free-to-enter public park from spring 2011. A summary of all the works to be delivered can be found here.
11th January 2010
The Lower Lines Park is now officially open to the public.
Local resident Mervyn Lamb has kindly shared his photos of Medway's newest park, taken during recent snowfalls.
The Lower Lines Park makes public for the first time some 5 1/2 hectares of the Chatham Lines and the Field of Fire. It features woodland areas, an adventure playground, and a bridge over the defensive ditch. A sculpture park will be added later this year.
The Lower Lines Park has been funded by MidKent College as part of their move to their new campus next door to the park. It will be managed and maintained by an independent Trust.
A Friends group exists to support the Trust, and to help promote the Park to residents from across Medway. The "Friends of the Admirals Gardens" meets every six weeks, and always welcomes news members. To find out more, e-mail the group's secretary, Adam Price, or visit www.foag.org.uk.
10th June 2009
Details of the Great Lines Heritage Park of the future were presented by the new Great Lines Heritage Park project officer Nicola Moy at a meeting of the Chatham World Heritage Partnership yesterday, held in No 3 Slip, Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Nicola - who started in the role just two days previously - detailed how the £2.1m investment from central government will be spent over the next two years. Particular highlights include two new entrances to the park, from Gillingham and Brompton, and a pedestrian bridge crossing to provide a direct route between Fort Amherst and the Naval War Memorial. A summary of all the works to be delivered can be found here.
Nicola can be reached via 01634 334319 or chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk.
26th January 2009
The first phase of the Great Lines Heritage Park - at the Lower Lines - will open to the public this winter. 5.5 hectares of open land are being revitalised as a public park thanks to investment from MidKent College, linked to their new campus. The park will also feature a significant restored section of the Chatham Lines - the defensive ditch, which joined Fort Amherst in protecting Chatham Dockyard from landward attack.
The Friends of the Admiral's Gardens are a voluntary group committed to supporting the development of the park to bring maximum benefit to the local community. Linda Miller, Chair of the Friends group expains: "Our group has been meeting regularly and welcoming an increasing number of local residents and others interested in the park. We try to spread the word through our leaflets and having a presence at local events, which helps to bring in new members. Soon we’ll also have our own website; we’ve been able to push ahead with this thanks to a grant from the Chatham World Heritage Partnership Fund to support our activities.
"As well as growing numbers of community members, we have the benefit of sustained interest from: the MidKent College project team; Medway Council; local councillors; community police and community safety teams, all who frequently join our meetings.
"Since they took over developing the park, friends from MidKent College have been bringing us up to date at each meeting with progress on the new buildings, as well as the park. They arranged a consultation on an enhanced plan for the park (presented by their appointed landscape architects) for the group and other interested members of the public. Later, those plans had to be revised; but members viewing the revised plan at a recent meeting were broadly happy to see something more like the original simpler plan, which had incorporated Friends’ visions and suggestions for the park.
"The College has been making appointments to the trust which will control the park once it is completed. They advertised for a trustee from the local community, and we were very pleased to hear that Adam Price - our secretary and a key member - was selected as the community trustee; so Friends will have a powerful voice on the trust".
To find out more about the work of the Friends, e-mail the group's secretary, Adam Price, or download the Friends' leaflet here.
The plan for the park is below. Click to enlarge.
