CHATHAM—THE HILL HOUSE (1567-1805)
By FREDERICK CULL, F.R.I.CS.
Published with the permission of the Admiralty. Unpublished Crown-Copyright
material in the Public Record Office has been reproduced by permission of the Controller
of H.M. Stationery Office.
" 8th April. 1661. Then to the Hill House at Chatham where I
never was before, and I found a pretty, pleasant house, and am
pleased with the arms that hang up there. Here we supped very
merry and late to bed. Sir William (Batten) telling me that old
Edgeborrow, his predecessor, did die and waUr. in my chamber, did
make me somewhat afraid but not so much as for mirth sake I did
seem. So to bed in the Treasurer's chamber."
So wrote Samuel Pepys on an official visit to Chatham in 1661.
The Hill House at Chatham was the " Admiralty House " of its day.
It was occupied and used not only for administrative purposes by the
local naval authorities but also as lodgings for senior naval officers at
Chatham and important visiting officers such as Samuel Pepys, Secretary
of the Navy Board. Its use for naval purposes continued for a
period of over 150 years during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
terminating about the year 1720 after which it continued to be used for
a variety of other purposes before being finally demohshed early in the
nineteenth century to make way for the old Royal Marine Barracks
then to be erected.
The Hill House was situated on a promment site fronting the present
Dock Road, where the parade ground to the former Royal Marine
Barracks still stands and is now used for open storage purposes in connexion
with Messrs. Palfrey's, business of paper sack manufacture.
The Barracks were sold by the Admiralty, together with the adjoining
Gun Wharf to Messrs. Palfrey in 1959 and at the time of writing (1961)
are partly demohshed.
The plan attached as Fig. 1 is taken from the Ordnance Survey Sheet
for the district and indicates the buildings forming the old Barracks
together with the adjoining properties. The superimposed " hatched "
portion indicates the site according to Lempriere's Plan of 1719 (see
Fig 2) upon which the Hill House stood and the broken lines indicate
the boundaries of Hill House garden and field (sometimes referred to as
" Hill House meadow "). A block of property containing the old
95
a *s*cwi§
GRAND
p^Wlill!
F I G . 1. Part of O.S. Sheet T.Q. 7568, N.E. & S.E. showing the approximate site of the Hill House Garden and Field superimposed
over the later buildings of the Royal Marine Barracks (now partly demolished). The land fronting the River Medway comprises the
former Gun Wharf (shown as " Ordnance Wharfe " in Fig. 2). The buildings on which are also nearly all demolished.
CHATHAM—THE HILL HOUSE (1567-1805)
" Queen's Head " public house, a few small dwellings and other miscellaneous
buildings stood between the Hill House and St. Mary's Church
being separated from the House and garden by a narrow lane. It will
be seen from the plan that the Hill House, garden and field together
with the adjacent block of property referred to, cover the entire site of
the old Marine Barracks and have a total frontage to Dock Road of
approximately 660 feet extending from the churchyard boundary wall
as far as the lane leading to the old causeway on the River Medway.
The Hill House occupied a position at the top of what was once
known as Chatham Hill and from its rear looked north-westwards across
the old Dockyard (later the Gun Wharf), to the River Medway and
beyond. It was approached by the roadway leading from the old land
wall (now Globe Lane), northwards up the hill which in due course
became Dock Road, leading to the present main entrance to the
Dockyard.
What was its date of erection? According to the Victoria County
History of Kent a mast pond was made in 1570 and a house, " the Hill
House furnished for the use of the Lord Admiral and the Navy
Officers". The authority for this is presumably the Pipe Office
Account for the year 1569-701 which reads :
" Also the saide Accomptante is allowed for money by hym
paide within the tyme of this Accompte for the rente and hyere of
certaine storehouses and tymber yardes for the stowedge and safe
keping the provisions aforesaide and also for the rente of a house
wherein the Officers of the Marine Causes doe mete and confere
together of the weightie affaires of the said office viz. at JUhngham
7L. 18s. 4d. at Deptford Strond 8L. amounting in all as by the
saide books pubhshed as aforesaide may appear 15L. 18s. 4d."
An earher reference is made in the Pipe Office Account for 15672
(which is the earliest I have been able to trace), to what is possibly the
same house. It is described in similar terms as in the above excerpt
from the 1570 Pipe Office Account as a rented house " wherein the
officers of the Marine Couses doe mete etc. . . . " The term " Hill
House " appears to have come into use later, doubtless because of the
commanding position of the House at the top of Chatham Hill (as it was
then known). The date of erection therefore must have been some time
prior to 1567 but I have no information as to the person responsible for
its erection or its first occupant.
The site was the freehold property of the Dean and Chapter of
Rochester who owned other land in the vicinity which was purchased
for Dockyard Extension.
1 Pipe Office Account No. 2206.
2 Ibid., No. 2204.
97
CHATHAM—THE HILL HOUSE (1667-1805)
If
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