The Brook Theatre

Following the incorporation of Chatham as a municipal borough on 22 November 1890, civic leaders decided to procure a dedicated town hall: the site they selected was a plot of vacant land, which was owned by the War Office, located just to the south east of what was then a military storehouse. The site was acquired and construction of the new building started in 1898. It was designed by George Edward Bond in the Renaissance style and opened on 23 January 1900 by Lord Rosebery. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto The Brook; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured four round headed widows on the ground floor, the…

In May 1987, under the promotional motto "Putting The Arts Back Into The Medway," the building was repurposed as the Medway Arts Centre, hosting a variety of performances, including a concert by My Bloody Valentine in January 1988. A decade later, in April 1997, it was relaunched as the Brook Theatre, with a focus on children's theatre productions. By the early 2000s, the Brook Theatre had evolved into a mixed-use arts venue, featuring a 400-seat main auditorium, a 60-seat studio, and spaces for workshops and community events. The Summer 2005 season included performances by StopGAP and Earthfall, music from Ko, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Mrs. Ackroyd Band, as well as theatre, comedy,…