Great Lines Heritage Park

The Great Lines Heritage Park is a linked network of open spaces in Kent’s Medway Towns—Chatham, Gillingham, Brompton and the Historic Dockyard. Shaped by its military past, it encompasses Fort Amherst, the Chatham Lines, the Field of Fire (later known as the Great Lines), the Inner Lines, Lower Lines Park and Medway Park Sports Centre. Built during the Napoleonic era to guard Chatham Dockyard, these earthworks were never tested in battle; instead, they were kept as a clear defensive field, preventing development and preserving the land as open space. In 1989, Gillingham Borough Council installed a plaque commemorating the park’s acquisition for public use. Today, it offers year‑round pedestrian and cycle routes linking Chatham and Gillingham.