Gillingham began its life as an agricultural and fishing parish on the banks of the River Medway in Kent. From the late seventeenth century, the township of Brompton grew due to the expansion of the nearby Chatham Dockyard. Further development of the yard in the nineteenth century led to the creation of New Brompton. This was one of the fastest growing communities of the Victorian period. When it became incorporated in 1903, the township took the name of Gillingham. In the twentieth century, Gillingham expanded to include the village of Rainham and developed suburbs such as Wigmore and Twydall.

Using a unique collection of photographs, prints and postcards, Brian Joyce and Sophie Miller explore the evolution of the parish of Gillingham from rural backwater to thriving industrial town. Well-researched and informative, Gillingham & Around From Old Photographs reveals the area’s dramatic changes over the centuries as well as providing a fascinating insight into the town’s history.