A View of Chatham
Ramsay Richard Reinagle, c1800
A panoramic view of Chatham and the River Medway is the subject of this large-scale painting attributed to Ramsay Richard Reinagle.
The scene, which is viewed from fields above Rochester, shows the Royal Navy shipbuilding yards around the time of the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars. Local landmarks such as Brompton Barracks, Fort Amherst and St Mary’s Church can all be seen.
Reinagle, a child prodigy, trained under his father and first exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts at the age of 13. He later studied in Italy and Holland before establishing his career in London as a successful landscape and portrait painter.
Founded in 1567, Chatham Dockyard had grown by the time of Reinagle’s painting to cover more than 95 acres, with six shipbuilding slips and 1,664 officers and other men working on site. Vessels built at the yard include Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, launched in 1765.
The dockyard continued to expand and remained in operation until 1984. The 18th-century core of the site is now a museum, where this painting joins the collection of more than 300 artworks
More information
Title of artwork, date
A View of Chatham, c1800
Date supported
2025
Medium and material
Oil on panel
Dimensions
65 x 106cm
Grant
21,000
Total cost
32,000
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