Medway has a reputation, probably for a reason, but frankly this video feels like you're reaching to find bad stuff. Bit of flytipping, some crumbling render. You'll see that everywhere. I'm Gillingham born and bred and I could have shown you a whole other side of the town. The High street is dying like they all are, but Watling Street has tons of independent stores that are doing well. Looks like you walked right past my house actually, come say hi next time, I'll show you some real hidden sights!
It’s sad they have become this way I moved to Sittingbourne 25 years ago and Sittingbourne or the Medway towns were not the way they are now or the seaside towns it’s really sad to see Many places need more love and care Definitely needs more investment in infrastructure and a clean up
I was beaten and left for dead at night on the road I live on by strangers in Gillingham. They didn't even try to mug me. They just thought is was fun. I was more surprised by a single stranger, a middle aged woman, that dared come out of their house to scare them away. That really humbled me. I wish this story wasn't true.
went to Chatham for the first time in my life two years. It was like I was dropped into a different world. however, through the poverty there is a sense of community. Something other places in the UK doesn't have.
Surprised you didnt have a walk around the streets behind the football ground or luton (inbetween chatham and gillingham) if you wanted to have a look at the more run down area of gillingham. Also chav is a gypsy word for child which is more likely where the term came from, "alright there chavy boi?"
@@harveycolven6540 ahhh yeah I heard the Luton area was a bit rough! Tbh I was gunna check it out but ran out of time me before I had to head to Gillingham haha. Cheers for the insight mate
I grew up among the Medway towns during the 1970s and 80s. Chatham High Street was a marvellous shopping centre and it had some good night life spots too. This video makes me sad to see the decay there now. The word 'dystopian' was used appropriately in this video.
I was born in Chatham in 1973, moved to Gillingham in 1974 and then to Rainham in 1982. Luckily I moved out of the area completely in 1988 and have only been back a few times, the last time in 2013. It's quite different from what I remember, but my views are clouded with me being a child at the time of living there. It always had a rough edge, but seems to be both rougher and poorer now. Thanks for the video, though: it brought back quite a few memories. And of course, for locals, it's Cha-um, never Chat-ham!
Medway isn't great but it's like everywhere nowadays I guess but places like Hempstead, Wigmore, Upchurch, Upnor, St Mary's Island are nice. Everytime I'm in Gillingham or Chatham I don't feel unsafe during the day but different story at night. Areas I'd avoid from personal experience are Brompton, Strood, Twydall, Luton, Delce Road area of Rochester, Cliffe and the town centres however, apart from that it's not the worst.
This commentary about the deprivation of towns, you will witness empty cans and disregarded shopping trolleys in any town in the UK. The problem is that this country has no backing for the potential workforce it has.
Interesting video , I actually used to study in the university years ago it was fairly rough back then and it's only gotten worse, some general observations during my time were that like a lot of British towns it's in decline and that one of the reasons it is so rough is that there is a lot of unemployment , there are a lot of trainee soldiers also called "squaddies" who generally can be a bit rowdy also the universities have made the place a lot more multicultural a lot of students come in from London which is generally more multicultural and there are a lot of international students who eventually settle down in the area, and whilst I 'am opposed to racism and think people should get along, I feel there are some places where it has caused racial tension and I think with the universities coming in and some students having a demand for certain illegal substances has contributed somewhat to the drug problem but I think it would still exist if the universities were not there. I do understand you were a bit constrained for time but there are other areas if you walked through the universities which was the old HMS Pembroke which was a training base for sailors you would see some more developed areas such the Dockside and St Mary's Island as a result of the universities coming in and some of the staff wanting to live in a nicer area and also the old dockyard is where they filmed some of the Les Misérables movie , also Rochester is quite historic the siege of Rochester Castle was instrumental in getting the Magna Carta signed, so there is the odd nice place here and there but yeah apart from that can be quite rough.
@@Rch7780 thanks so much for the well thought out comment! I really enjoy reading ones like this. And thanks for watching the whole video, means a lot to me 😁
@ 13:40 thats a decent Wetherspoons conversion. Opened and very much welcomed in early 2017 I recall. I was actually in there today before 12.00, waiting for a bus, when the heavens opened. The first floor had to be shut as the rain was seeping in and pouring through the celing lights by the stairs! They didnt close though. Carried on regardless! 🍺🍺🍺💯🇬🇧👍😉
I always enjoyed being in Gillingham when visiting relatives over the last twenty years. Its a working class town and generally I found the folk are down to earth. I've never experienced anything bad there, mind you I haven't gone wandering at night except to the takeaway or the local offy. It's got good history though if you talk to older people who worked in the factories or the docks back in it's heyday in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Like a lot of towns though, the messed up economy takes it's toll and the cov lockdowns were especially devastating to small businesses in these towns. Just imagine living there during the war, those people were on the frontline of the German bombing raids, and still working and keeping things running. There's also a lot of new cars in Gillingham so there's definitely money about which is a good thing. The successive governments and councils can take a lot of blame for the run down nature of a lot of British towns, and civic pride is sadly a thing of the past.
According to local stories (I'm from Medway btw), the word "chav" originally meant "to steal" e.g. "someone just chaved my car" or "can I chav a cigarette?" In time, someone who habitually stole things became known as a chavie or a chaver or just simply a chav e.g. "don't trust that guy, he's a total chav." Eventually, we come to the modern usage of the word - which is a derogatory term for a poor/working-class person from Britain - which starts to appear in the late 90's/early 00's. As far as I know, the stories about the origins of the word are true and, regardless, the people who live here believe it anyway. I can say that, the stereotype of the chav (Burberry clothing, knock-off designer brands, sovereign rings etc.) was definitely commonplace in Chatham and Medway around the time that the word gained prevalence. (Just a little local knowledge after watching this incredibly depressing, but honest, look at my hometown)
Great video mate. If you want to visit the edgiest areas of London, I’d recommend Deptford or Thamesmead (I speak from experience, having been to all the notorious areas South of the river…).
@@EdBrinton No worries mate! I enjoy partaking in similar ventures to the ones you’ve been doing off camera so it’s great to see someone interested in the same niche. Thamesmead is a fascinating town built off a failed utopian sustainable housing project in the 1960s. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many tower blocks in close proximity. There’s some very nice parks (Southmere, the Gallions Reach viewpoint, and Birchmere Lakes) but danger is never too far away. It has a lot of history when it comes to WW2, racial tensions, and architecture style. It has a lot of issues with knife crime around Titmuss Avenue (I saw a bunch of people in balaclavas last time I went there) and the locals I know said that they never go out past 7pm. The town centre square with the clock tower was also slightly edgy. Nearby Woolwich has also had up to 10+ stabbings and 3-4 shootings in one month alone. I think it’d be a great video and it’d be good to raise awareness of the damage of building towns without scaling up local services and accessible railway links (they’re still waiting on the DLR extension- Abbey Wood is the nearest station). Deptford for me is the roughest part of London (far more dangerous to outsiders than Peckham, Hackney, Brixton, Tulse Hill, Croydon, Thornton Heath, and South Lewisham). The first time I ran through there (when the streets weren’t shut off like they are for the London half marathon), a shooting took place nearby and there were police cars on every corner of Deptford green where the Woodpecker estate is (the infamous orange tower block you can see from the train which was home to the “ghetto boys” gang in the days of Peckham vs Lewisham). The second time I went “crime exploring” with a mate, we were immediately identified as outsiders as soon as we veered off the High Street (which was sadly quite run down) onto one of the housing estates. There were a lot of eyes on us and people in tracksuits and balaclavas on a hot summers day- most people living in Deptford have said that Deptford makes Peckham and Croydon look tame- I’d have to agree based on my experiences and the crime stats. You can see a big contrast between the tall skyscrapers they’ve built in central Lewisham (which still has areas to be weary of) and the housing estates around Deptford and New Cross. I look forward to seeing more content 👊🏽.
Hi Ed,I've just come across your channel 👍 At 16m in your video,the new development over the road is called Chatham Waters. Some flats there are being advertised in Hong Kong as buy to let investment property. The Medway Queen is moored there,and there's a pub,'The Mast and Rigging' on a green. To the right is a green ASDA sign,contaminated tools and clothing from the dockyard are buried there,and there's a bridge to the right of that that was the old Gillingham to Chatham dockyard railway line,Government money was applied for to open it up as a cycle/walkway,but it failed. About a mile further to the right is the Strand,there is something famous about the open air swimming pool there,but I can't remember what it is lol,there's a miniature railway,public tennis courts,cafe and some sort of golf,maybe pitch and putt. Out the back of the Strand starts Riverside country park,there is too much to say about it here,walking around parts there people think they are looking at the river Medway,it is in the distance,what they are looking at was caused by Medway Muddies,they would dig the mud to make the worlds first Portland cement. About a mile going left from Chatham Waters is St Marys Island,after 30 years the housing development there has just finished,again,there is too much history to post here,dead bodies and 1.3 million tonnes of contaminated soil were removed. I will edit and upload a 2m video of Chatham Waters from June this year so you can get an idea of how it looks there.
@@EdBrinton Done,and posted 3 days ago,but I can't see my own posts for some reason lol. Trying again without the link,video is called-'Chatham Waters-Kent.'
A lot of the things you show are down to low life’s not caring about rubbish or disrepair. The high street is struggling and businesses rates need to be addressed. 👍
I am a student at Greenwich uni at medway, to be honest Gillingham is a nice and quite place if you want to retire and stuff but yeah I would say it is not the best place but not the worst
Best thing in Chatham is the Museum of the Royal Engineers regiment. I visited when researching my fathers army career. Could not find any other reason to stay longer.
Fascinating walk. Funny how the main Chatham in the US, which is on Cape Cod is one of the poshest towns on the East Coast. Totally perfect resort town with a 5 star hotel in the middle. We also have a Camden in New Jersey which is the worst city in the US and another Camden in Maine which is super nice.
@@EdBrinton As someone else has said, it does have a sense of 'community' as a town, and, under a rough surface, there is a bit of Art and Culture if you look for it.
Was interesting to see the contrast between Chatham and Gillingham. Chatham clearly has much more investment but also felt much less safe. Gillingham had more of a smaller feel despite having a similar population. As always good and bad everywhere. I hope this video proves that. Cheers!
I first had the great displeasure of having to visit Chatham back in the late 90's and it was horrible back then, my last visit was in 2017 and it's just the most god awful place, it will never be fixed until they swarm it with even more police 24/7 and beat the politeness back into the place.
@@EdBrintonMy guess is that issue has come from the DFL's. It was also pretty bad for County Lines activity. In 2000, when I lived there, it seemed to be the unemployed, alcoholics and homeless people that were mostly visible. And nearly every town has the same issues sadly. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
I was born in Chatham and have lived in and around the area my whole life. Whilst you are correct to point out the high street is dying (as is the case a across the country) and there are clearly some areas of disrepair, you seemed to have spent your time missing almost all of the positives. Your quick visit to fort armhurst didn't do it justice as this is regarded as the best preserved Napoleon fort in Europe.(Didn't mentioned that), you briefly mention the dockyard but did t visit the attraction of take time to visit the dockyard itself which is amazing. You didn't mention that TV and Hollywood film studios have filmed multiple scenes from blockbuster movies there or mention that A list stars can be seen there during filming No mention of the town having two theatres? The good people of Chatham don't appreciate being 'mugged off" or people highlighting the many shortcomings or the town without taking time to promote the positives, shame on you.
@@Steamytrainlee sorry mate I don't know the ins and outs like the locals as I was only there for a morning. I don't get paid to do these videos so I have no motivation to make anything nasty about a town. Just showing what I had time to show and what I knew on the day mate. Sorry if you didn't enjoy my video, I spent a lot of money to get there
@@EdBrinton I understand, spending money to travel to an area only missed out on better content for you video which was only a Google search away. It is what it is I guess
@@Lechonberryph true, I always get a few comments like this on every single video, even if I say good and bad of a place. Not phased mate, it's inevitable. 😊
Medway Towns are all just one big Circuit. It goes Dock Road, Chatham Hill, Canterbury Street. That's it. I've lived in all 3 Medway Towns. I agree Gillingham is certainly "The Roughest" but Luton (on though the Arches) is a "Nasty" little place. Get to Historic Rochester to safety as fast as you can!
@EdBrinton It's very, very Different! Lovely and Upper Class and somewhat "Airy". Breath of fresh air Mate. Lovely Cathedral. Dickens Festival best time to visit.
@@EdBrinton hahaha, that's good but the main food of Uganda is matoke ( banana). and the popular street food in Uganda we have have Rolex, or rolled eggs, chapati , muchomo( roasted meat).
@@louisescore3376 I filmed the town centre and spent much more time in the town actually. Didn't film too much because it felt a bit sketchy at the time. Hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for the comment ☺️
Good video. You hit most of the low spots and saw some good bits, but with your car and more time you would have seen much more nicer and desirable parts away from the centre. Central Gillingham I'd say was far shabbier and rundown than Chatham, the latest riverside developments are literally pouring in £m's. 👍💯🇬🇧
@@EdBrintonMost of the comments call it right. It's a fair size area with a lot more quite desirable and decent parts to it. You won't find the shabbiness or the lowlife in the better parts, same as any town. Just seems to me, wherever there is a concentration of the kind of shops featured, takeaways, booze, vapes, cigs, ect, they're like a magnet for the poorest, and the litter is never far away. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
@@EdBrintonI'd add again, the list of decent parts to visit, far outweigh the crap in the centre. Where you was standing, by the Riverside, it will be called Chatham Waters, that whole area is being rebuilt with residential blocks. Look across the river and you'll see the industrial and commercial Medway City Estate, that employs a fair few. Just along from there is Upnor Castle and its quaint little, and traffic free village. Hoo Marina is next to this, the Hoo Peninsula beyond, stretching right out to the Isle of Grain, via the districts of Stoke, Allhallows. The Grain Coastal Park and Yantlet Beach are up there, all a world away from the grime of the centre. Looking towards Rochester, the former industrial Riverside area has all been reclaimed and a whole new residential area sprung up. Look towards the Historic Dockyard, and you'll find the Dockside Outlet, retail and leisure area, with plenty of new restaurants and shops to choose from. The Ship & Trades is a huge Shepherd Neame pub and restaurant, in a rebuilt Dockyard building, well worth a visit. Overlooking all this are two more impressive apartment blocks. Next door is St Mary's Island, another large reclaimed piece of industrial wasteland. That has taken nearly 20 years to complete, all residential, with plenty of properties having stunning views of the river. Its very clean over there, because there are no takeaways! Nearby again is The Royal Engineers Museum in Brompton. Well worth a wander. The commercial Chatham Dockyard between St Mary's Island and Gillingham is still very much active. I speak as I've found too, as all these nicer parts I only discovered after I moved to the area. It was good for me when I moved there in 2000, and if I had another chance I would have moved to a better area than the Shipwrights Estate, but my work took me away to nearby Maidstone around 18 months later, so I moved on. I still visit the area a few times a year for different events, as its so quick and easy to get to on the 101 bus. And there are still plenty more places in the area to visit that I've missed. Like I said, I think there's far more good than bad in these 'crap towns', and most people dismiss the rubbish that's written on that Kent Live website lol! Keep it up. ✔👍💯🇬🇧😉
The office block above the Pentagon Centre is called Mountbatten House, built in 1975 and empty for more than half its life. It was last occupied by Scottish Widows insurance as a call centre in 2007. There were plans to it into flats(obviously) but that seems to have fallen by the wayside. I grew up in the area and during the 80's as a kid, I remember the shopping was fantastic. C & A, Marks, BHS, Allders. Even into the 90's it was half decent. Don't live there anymore and you couldn't drag me back, quite frankly.
@ 8:32 Thats Anchorage House, another ex office block converted to residential. I believe one London borough took a lease on the lot. Good or bad? Its going on everywhere it seems. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
That local is talking rubbish! Shootings 😂, been 1! He showed you a college but not the naval museum, football ground or the lines! Get a better local next time lol
Bro at the end of the day not everything gets reported on the news 😂 but yeah should of showed him the football ground I lived here for ages don't know why I didn't
My job takes me all over Kent and Chatham is the absolute worst. The high street is a third world hell-hole. Plenty of - ahem - characters. Usually homeless and living in a tent outside McDonalds. The prescence of a really nice Waterstones is peculier. The shopping centre has a certain vibrancy.
Stereotypical and biased - the best you can find is a couple of bricks missing from a wall and some rubbish on a site just about to be developed...let's visit any town in the UK and find the same or worse.
@@Debbie-c3y nah Chatham is one of the most dangerous and deprived areas in the country. Not biased. If you watch my other videos you will learn I am always looking for the good and bad. I even mentioned good in this video. If you don't like the video leave a dislike and then leave the video, I will carry on as normal :) thanks for commenting though I appreciate the insight
@@JohnSmith-zi3tb not really, as I said Gillingham had a nice vibe too it and friendly people. Obviously I don't live in Chatham so when I visit I just show you through my eyes what I see on one day. What I saw was what I showed. Chatham is generally considered one of the most dangerous and most deprived areas of England, not me saying that either. I'm sorry if the video upset you. Only wish the best for Chatham and the people of chatham
I lev in rainham kent but have to go to Chatham as my local natwest closed along with 6 other banks all in Chatham what a crap hole was a great place when the docks were working now full of londons overspill druggie and alcoholics I'm afraid hate the place😮
I recall it well...👍💯🇬🇧😎 "C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from The Gentle Touch, and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police force to join an all-female private detective agency called "Eyes", based in Kent, that is a front for a Home Office team called C.A.T.S. (Covert Activities Thames Section). C.A.T.S. Eyes was shown on Friday nights during the first series, before moving to a Saturday night slot for the second and third series. The series was a ratings success, regularly in the top twenty most-watched programmes each week of broadcast."
I used to drink around there in the noughties, but the Caulkers, and the even worse White Hart were avoided! The Command House, near the Waterfront/Bus stop area is not bad. I did it in the summer. The Wetherspoons and the one opposite it are both fine. The KGV in Brompton, might be gone now, was a decent gbg pub. The few others worth visiting are in the High St heading towards Rochester, including a microbar or two. ✔👍🇬🇧
Great place to people watch chavs buy the why😅😅I'm a london cabbie and I've seen it all but nowhere is like Chatham your the first youtuber to dare film well ✔️ 😅😅
@@EdBrintonI.i.r.c, the infamous Chav derived from Chatham. The girls always wore huge earrings, and your Chathamese if you were born there. Most locals will deny all of this lol! 😅✔💯🇬🇧
@@EdBrinton council spread many out over the medway towns, and we received loads of londoners, more black people in kent/ gravesend than ever has been over the last 30 years , thats because they offered people whose areas got new developments knockdown old 19.50s stocks and, new builds many took them but had to wait and many didnt take them and they spread them out housing is issues everywhere and then the crack heads well many would have been all over from margate to gravesend,many have had a home and not changed there ways
Medway has a reputation, probably for a reason, but frankly this video feels like you're reaching to find bad stuff. Bit of flytipping, some crumbling render. You'll see that everywhere. I'm Gillingham born and bred and I could have shown you a whole other side of the town. The High street is dying like they all are, but Watling Street has tons of independent stores that are doing well. Looks like you walked right past my house actually, come say hi next time, I'll show you some real hidden sights!
@@wildheart192 cheers mate and yeah sounds good to me! Thanks for you comment also I appreciate you
The dockyard closing in the early 80's was the start of the decline for the area.
@@GrahamWoodward-ww1zf yes mate, seems to be a pattern, when the docks or mines shut. The town falls. Sad to see
@@EdBrinton Forty years ago this year it was. The towns have never really recovered. 👍🤔
It’s sad they have become this way I moved to Sittingbourne 25 years ago and Sittingbourne or the Medway towns were not the way they are now or the seaside towns it’s really sad to see
Many places need more love and care
Definitely needs more investment in infrastructure and a clean up
I agree, thanks for your comment:)
I was beaten and left for dead at night on the road I live on by strangers in Gillingham. They didn't even try to mug me. They just thought is was fun. I was more surprised by a single stranger, a middle aged woman, that dared come out of their house to scare them away. That really humbled me. I wish this story wasn't true.
@@IAMDonk Christ mate I'm so sorry to hear that
went to Chatham for the first time in my life two years. It was like I was dropped into a different world. however, through the poverty there is a sense of community. Something other places in the UK doesn't have.
@@liamBrady-t5q that's true, jaywick is similar actually
Chatham is scary
Surprised you didnt have a walk around the streets behind the football ground or luton (inbetween chatham and gillingham) if you wanted to have a look at the more run down area of gillingham.
Also chav is a gypsy word for child which is more likely where the term came from, "alright there chavy boi?"
@@harveycolven6540 ahhh yeah I heard the Luton area was a bit rough! Tbh I was gunna check it out but ran out of time me before I had to head to Gillingham haha. Cheers for the insight mate
@@James-m9k4w Gills has higher crime rates it's known for a lot of stabbings but it depends on ur view
@harveycolven6540 my late cousin bless her booked a flight to tenerith from Luton airport not knowing there was another Luton far away
I grew up among the Medway towns during the 1970s and 80s. Chatham High Street was a marvellous shopping centre and it had some good night life spots too. This video makes me sad to see the decay there now. The word 'dystopian' was used appropriately in this video.
@@bowtiebetty820 I wonder how Rochester compares? Would love to visit sometime
I was born in Chatham in 1973, moved to Gillingham in 1974 and then to Rainham in 1982. Luckily I moved out of the area completely in 1988 and have only been back a few times, the last time in 2013. It's quite different from what I remember, but my views are clouded with me being a child at the time of living there. It always had a rough edge, but seems to be both rougher and poorer now. Thanks for the video, though: it brought back quite a few memories. And of course, for locals, it's Cha-um, never Chat-ham!
@@MattJMcDade haha love the pronunciation mate and thanks so much I appreciate you brother
Its a dump, but it's our dump! Everyone's a crackhead 😂
@@adtreads84 all here for it mate 😂💪
@@EdBrinton you ain't been chatham without bumping into Bill the Quid
@@adtreads84 haha who's that
Medway isn't great but it's like everywhere nowadays I guess but places like Hempstead, Wigmore, Upchurch, Upnor, St Mary's Island are nice. Everytime I'm in Gillingham or Chatham I don't feel unsafe during the day but different story at night. Areas I'd avoid from personal experience are Brompton, Strood, Twydall, Luton, Delce Road area of Rochester, Cliffe and the town centres however, apart from that it's not the worst.
@@will_n775 yeah especially Chatham actually I'd say Chatham felt less safe than Gillingham despite Gillingham being more deprived
@@EdBrintonYeah 100% it's just more neglected I guess
@@will_n775 I'm off to Poland tomorrow so will be interesting to see how one of the cleanest and safest countries in Europe compared
@@EdBrinton Yeah that will be interesting
These migrants walk around after the pubs and clubs shut,you hear them in the parks talking foreign.
This commentary about the deprivation of towns, you will witness empty cans and disregarded shopping trolleys in any town in the UK. The problem is that this country has no backing for the potential workforce it has.
@@brickie59 thanks mate
Interesting video , I actually used to study in the university years ago it was fairly rough back then and it's only gotten worse, some general observations during my time were that like a lot of British towns it's in decline and that one of the reasons it is so rough is that there is a lot of unemployment , there are a lot of trainee soldiers also called "squaddies" who generally can be a bit rowdy also the universities have made the place a lot more multicultural a lot of students come in from London which is generally more multicultural and there are a lot of international students who eventually settle down in the area, and whilst I 'am opposed to racism and think people should get along, I feel there are some places where it has caused racial tension and I think with the universities coming in and some students having a demand for certain illegal substances has contributed somewhat to the drug problem but I think it would still exist if the universities were not there.
I do understand you were a bit constrained for time but there are other areas if you walked through the universities which was the old HMS Pembroke which was a training base for sailors you would see some more developed areas such the Dockside and St Mary's Island as a result of the universities coming in and some of the staff wanting to live in a nicer area and also the old dockyard is where they filmed some of the Les Misérables movie , also Rochester is quite historic the siege of Rochester Castle was instrumental in getting the Magna Carta signed, so there is the odd nice place here and there but yeah apart from that can be quite rough.
@@Rch7780 thanks so much for the well thought out comment! I really enjoy reading ones like this. And thanks for watching the whole video, means a lot to me 😁
@@EdBrinton no problem, was a good video
@@Rch7780 thanks brother! More to come from Poland this week
@ 13:40 thats a decent Wetherspoons conversion. Opened and very much welcomed in early 2017 I recall. I was actually in there today before 12.00, waiting for a bus, when the heavens opened. The first floor had to be shut as the rain was seeping in and pouring through the celing lights by the stairs! They didnt close though. Carried on regardless! 🍺🍺🍺💯🇬🇧👍😉
I always enjoyed being in Gillingham when visiting relatives over the last twenty years. Its a working class town and generally I found the folk are down to earth. I've never experienced anything bad there, mind you I haven't gone wandering at night except to the takeaway or the local offy. It's got good history though if you talk to older people who worked in the factories or the docks back in it's heyday in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Like a lot of towns though, the messed up economy takes it's toll and the cov lockdowns were especially devastating to small businesses in these towns. Just imagine living there during the war, those people were on the frontline of the German bombing raids, and still working and keeping things running. There's also a lot of new cars in Gillingham so there's definitely money about which is a good thing. The successive governments and councils can take a lot of blame for the run down nature of a lot of British towns, and civic pride is sadly a thing of the past.
Gillingham is nice yeah!
According to local stories (I'm from Medway btw), the word "chav" originally meant "to steal" e.g. "someone just chaved my car" or "can I chav a cigarette?"
In time, someone who habitually stole things became known as a chavie or a chaver or just simply a chav e.g. "don't trust that guy, he's a total chav."
Eventually, we come to the modern usage of the word - which is a derogatory term for a poor/working-class person from Britain - which starts to appear in the late 90's/early 00's.
As far as I know, the stories about the origins of the word are true and, regardless, the people who live here believe it anyway.
I can say that, the stereotype of the chav (Burberry clothing, knock-off designer brands, sovereign rings etc.) was definitely commonplace in Chatham and Medway around the time that the word gained prevalence.
(Just a little local knowledge after watching this incredibly depressing, but honest, look at my hometown)
@@CrazyChiv intriguing comment to read! Thanks mate
Great video mate. If you want to visit the edgiest areas of London, I’d recommend Deptford or Thamesmead (I speak from experience, having been to all the notorious areas South of the river…).
@@jakemears cheers mate, glad you enjoyed. Not a bad shout mate at all
@@EdBrinton No worries mate! I enjoy partaking in similar ventures to the ones you’ve been doing off camera so it’s great to see someone interested in the same niche.
Thamesmead is a fascinating town built off a failed utopian sustainable housing project in the 1960s. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many tower blocks in close proximity. There’s some very nice parks (Southmere, the Gallions Reach viewpoint, and Birchmere Lakes) but danger is never too far away. It has a lot of history when it comes to WW2, racial tensions, and architecture style. It has a lot of issues with knife crime around Titmuss Avenue (I saw a bunch of people in balaclavas last time I went there) and the locals I know said that they never go out past 7pm. The town centre square with the clock tower was also slightly edgy. Nearby Woolwich has also had up to 10+ stabbings and 3-4 shootings in one month alone. I think it’d be a great video and it’d be good to raise awareness of the damage of building towns without scaling up local services and accessible railway links (they’re still waiting on the DLR extension- Abbey Wood is the nearest station).
Deptford for me is the roughest part of London (far more dangerous to outsiders than Peckham, Hackney, Brixton, Tulse Hill, Croydon, Thornton Heath, and South Lewisham). The first time I ran through there (when the streets weren’t shut off like they are for the London half marathon), a shooting took place nearby and there were police cars on every corner of Deptford green where the Woodpecker estate is (the infamous orange tower block you can see from the train which was home to the “ghetto boys” gang in the days of Peckham vs Lewisham).
The second time I went “crime exploring” with a mate, we were immediately identified as outsiders as soon as we veered off the High Street (which was sadly quite run down) onto one of the housing estates. There were a lot of eyes on us and people in tracksuits and balaclavas on a hot summers day- most people living in Deptford have said that Deptford makes Peckham and Croydon look tame- I’d have to agree based on my experiences and the crime stats. You can see a big contrast between the tall skyscrapers they’ve built in central Lewisham (which still has areas to be weary of) and the housing estates around Deptford and New Cross.
I look forward to seeing more content 👊🏽.
@@jakemears all super good ideas, if I forget to do them remind me bro! Currently in the mountains of Poland solo rn so will do when I'm back :)
@@jakemearsGood comment. I knew it was bad in the 80's, and little improvement today it seems. 👍💯🇬🇧
Hi Ed,I've just come across your channel 👍
At 16m in your video,the new development over the road is called Chatham Waters.
Some flats there are being advertised in Hong Kong as buy to let investment property.
The Medway Queen is moored there,and there's a pub,'The Mast and Rigging' on a green.
To the right is a green ASDA sign,contaminated tools and clothing from the dockyard are buried there,and there's a bridge to the right of that that was the old Gillingham to Chatham dockyard railway line,Government money was applied for to open it up as a cycle/walkway,but it failed.
About a mile further to the right is the Strand,there is something famous about the open air swimming pool there,but I can't remember what it is lol,there's a miniature railway,public tennis courts,cafe and some sort of golf,maybe pitch and putt.
Out the back of the Strand starts Riverside country park,there is too much to say about it here,walking around parts there people think they are looking at the river Medway,it is in the distance,what they are looking at was caused by Medway Muddies,they would dig the mud to make the worlds first Portland cement.
About a mile going left from Chatham Waters is St Marys Island,after 30 years the housing development there has just finished,again,there is too much history to post here,dead bodies and 1.3 million tonnes of contaminated soil were removed.
I will edit and upload a 2m video of Chatham Waters from June this year so you can get an idea of how it looks there.
Thanks brother I appreciate that let me know!
@@EdBrinton Done 👍
Chatham Waters.
th-cam.com/video/V4IBr2TIdC0/w-d-xo.html
@@EdBrinton Done,and posted 3 days ago,but I can't see my own posts for some reason lol.
Trying again without the link,video is called-'Chatham Waters-Kent.'
A lot of the things you show are down to low life’s not caring about rubbish or disrepair. The high street is struggling and businesses rates need to be addressed. 👍
Exactly this mate, it's a shame more people don't share the same opinions we have
I am a student at Greenwich uni at medway, to be honest Gillingham is a nice and quite place if you want to retire and stuff but yeah I would say it is not the best place but not the worst
@@laumashsharma8134 agreed Indeed, thanks for your comment!
Your Channel is Dope. Subbed!
@@Mr.D.Michael thanks brother I really appreciate you. Videos from mysterious Laos coming soon
Best thing in Chatham is the Museum of the Royal Engineers regiment. I visited when researching my fathers army career. Could not find any other reason to stay longer.
@@MENSA.lady2 I missed the museum, shame because I love a good museum!
@@EdBrinton I try to help. It's worth a visit if your in the area.
@@MENSA.lady2 thank you 😊 next time I am in Kent I'll try to visit
gotta say, that's not in chatham. It's Gillingham, Brompton if you're being finicky. The Mrs works there, we live just down the road.
Fascinating walk. Funny how the main Chatham in the US, which is on Cape Cod is one of the poshest towns on the East Coast. Totally perfect resort town with a 5 star hotel in the middle.
We also have a Camden in New Jersey which is the worst city in the US and another Camden in Maine which is super nice.
@@StevePinkus thank you brother I appreciate you :)
"main Chatham that is in the US Cape Cod" bro are you serious right now
Rather negative video:- regarding our lovely town. (Chatham -upon-Medway).
Out of curiosity what makes you like Chatham mate? Also thanks for your comment brother
It's not called Chatham upon medway
@@mandymclan Chatham on a whole has a much better community and isn't as bad as the rep.
@@EdBrinton As someone else has said, it does have a sense of 'community' as a town, and, under a rough surface, there is a bit of Art and Culture if you look for it.
@@JohnSmith-zi3tb yeah Gillingham definitely felt like that when the market was one. Didn't feel dangerous there either
Maidstone is worse than all of them
@@spleeeen4it really? What's Maidstone like? Id be keen to visit :)
Maidstone is not worse trust me
Like everywhere else it has it's good and bad but on a whole Maidstone is decent
Doesn't it have a glass Wetherspoons @@21BonittoJ
Worse than Chatham.... you must off your meds mate.
Was interesting to see the contrast between Chatham and Gillingham. Chatham clearly has much more investment but also felt much less safe. Gillingham had more of a smaller feel despite having a similar population. As always good and bad everywhere. I hope this video proves that. Cheers!
I first had the great displeasure of having to visit Chatham back in the late 90's and it was horrible back then, my last visit was in 2017 and it's just the most god awful place, it will never be fixed until they swarm it with even more police 24/7 and beat the politeness back into the place.
@@Anon-mk4ms yeah it was genuinely 50 percent crack heads in the main town centre
@@EdBrintonMy guess is that issue has come from the DFL's. It was also pretty bad for County Lines activity.
In 2000, when I lived there, it seemed to be the unemployed, alcoholics and homeless people that were mostly visible. And nearly every town has the same issues sadly. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
Great video both of you!
@Lechonberryph Appreciate dat bro
@@21BonittoJ chad
Cheers 🍻
These have always been tough naval towns just like Pompey 🇬🇧
@@Wot008 exactly this mate, unfortunately it's been left to fend for itself:(
@@EdBrintonYes. Portsmouth and Plymouth may be much larger than Chatham, but still worthy comparisons. 👍💯🇬🇧
@@InvictaView yeah the north of Portsmouth is sketchyyy
Chatham Kent home of the great Billy Childish
@@garyrigby21 yes hahah
I was born in Chatham and have lived in and around the area my whole life. Whilst you are correct to point out the high street is dying (as is the case a across the country) and there are clearly some areas of disrepair, you seemed to have spent your time missing almost all of the positives. Your quick visit to fort armhurst didn't do it justice as this is regarded as the best preserved Napoleon fort in Europe.(Didn't mentioned that), you briefly mention the dockyard but did t visit the attraction of take time to visit the dockyard itself which is amazing. You didn't mention that TV and Hollywood film studios have filmed multiple scenes from blockbuster movies there or mention that A list stars can be seen there during filming No mention of the town having two theatres? The good people of Chatham don't appreciate being 'mugged off" or people highlighting the many shortcomings or the town without taking time to promote the positives, shame on you.
@@Steamytrainlee sorry mate I don't know the ins and outs like the locals as I was only there for a morning. I don't get paid to do these videos so I have no motivation to make anything nasty about a town. Just showing what I had time to show and what I knew on the day mate. Sorry if you didn't enjoy my video, I spent a lot of money to get there
@@EdBrinton I understand, spending money to travel to an area only missed out on better content for you video which was only a Google search away. It is what it is I guess
@@Steamytrainlee definitely mate, always next time I'll be back
Truth always offends people. It's a fact.
@@Lechonberryph true, I always get a few comments like this on every single video, even if I say good and bad of a place. Not phased mate, it's inevitable. 😊
So crazy I walked past then tents couple of hours ago😅
They're still there?
Looks grumpy and lonely. No traffic as compared to major towns. In the US gentrification is the order of the day.
@@edd60 Yeah it was mid afternoon when we filmed also. Thanks for the support as always!
Medway Towns are all just one big Circuit. It goes Dock Road, Chatham Hill, Canterbury Street. That's it. I've lived in all 3 Medway Towns. I agree Gillingham is certainly "The Roughest" but Luton (on though the Arches) is a "Nasty" little place. Get to Historic Rochester to safety as fast as you can!
@@Mr.D.Michael I'll have to check Rochester out actually!
@EdBrinton It's very, very Different! Lovely and Upper Class and somewhat "Airy". Breath of fresh air Mate. Lovely Cathedral. Dickens Festival best time to visit.
@BudgieFan101 I wonder if it's worth making a video there?
@@EdBrinton I definitely would. Rochester is in a class of it's own!
@BudgieFan101 I'll see if I can go next week. Or sheerness perhaps
Chatham looks very busy nice videos well done
@@simonmakuro69 thanks so much, I appreciate you!
The market is well organized 👍
@@KadondiAngel it was so cool, I think they actually had Ugandan food there also 😍
@@EdBrinton hahaha, that's good but the main food of Uganda is matoke ( banana). and the popular street food in Uganda we have have Rolex, or rolled eggs, chapati , muchomo( roasted meat).
@@KadondiAngel that's so good I wanna try it all!
You haven't even shown the proper town only side streets. You're not showing the proper Chatham.
You can walk to Gillingham too, it's not that far
@@louisescore3376 I filmed the town centre and spent much more time in the town actually. Didn't film too much because it felt a bit sketchy at the time. Hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for the comment ☺️
Good video. You hit most of the low spots and saw some good bits, but with your car and more time you would have seen much more nicer and desirable parts away from the centre.
Central Gillingham I'd say was far shabbier and rundown than Chatham, the latest riverside developments are literally pouring in £m's. 👍💯🇬🇧
@@InvictaView intriguing mate I'll need to go back soon
@@EdBrintonMost of the comments call it right. It's a fair size area with a lot more quite desirable and decent parts to it. You won't find the shabbiness or the lowlife in the better parts, same as any town. Just seems to me, wherever there is a concentration of the kind of shops featured, takeaways, booze, vapes, cigs, ect, they're like a magnet for the poorest, and the litter is never far away. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
@@EdBrintonI'd add again, the list of decent parts to visit, far outweigh the crap in the centre.
Where you was standing, by the Riverside, it will be called Chatham Waters, that whole area is being rebuilt with residential blocks. Look across the river and you'll see the industrial and commercial Medway City Estate, that employs a fair few. Just along from there is Upnor Castle and its quaint little, and traffic free village. Hoo Marina is next to this, the Hoo Peninsula beyond, stretching right out to the Isle of Grain, via the districts of Stoke, Allhallows. The Grain Coastal Park and Yantlet Beach are up there, all a world away from the grime of the centre.
Looking towards Rochester, the former industrial Riverside area has all been reclaimed and a whole new residential area sprung up. Look towards the Historic Dockyard, and you'll find the Dockside Outlet, retail and leisure area, with plenty of new restaurants and shops to choose from. The Ship & Trades is a huge Shepherd Neame pub and restaurant, in a rebuilt Dockyard building, well worth a visit. Overlooking all this are two more impressive apartment blocks.
Next door is St Mary's Island, another large reclaimed piece of industrial wasteland. That has taken nearly 20 years to complete, all residential, with plenty of properties having stunning views of the river. Its very clean over there, because there are no takeaways!
Nearby again is The Royal Engineers Museum in Brompton. Well worth a wander.
The commercial Chatham Dockyard between St Mary's Island and Gillingham is still very much active.
I speak as I've found too, as all these nicer parts I only discovered after I moved to the area.
It was good for me when I moved there in 2000, and if I had another chance I would have moved to a better area than the Shipwrights Estate, but my work took me away to nearby Maidstone around 18 months later, so I moved on.
I still visit the area a few times a year for different events, as its so quick and easy to get to on the 101 bus. And there are still plenty more places in the area to visit that I've missed.
Like I said, I think there's far more good than bad in these 'crap towns', and most people dismiss the rubbish that's written on that Kent Live website lol!
Keep it up.
✔👍💯🇬🇧😉
@@InvictaView yeah I think Rochester actually looks pretty cool also!!
The office block above the Pentagon Centre is called Mountbatten House, built in 1975 and empty for more than half its life. It was last occupied by Scottish Widows insurance as a call centre in 2007. There were plans to it into flats(obviously) but that seems to have fallen by the wayside. I grew up in the area and during the 80's as a kid, I remember the shopping was fantastic. C & A, Marks, BHS, Allders. Even into the 90's it was half decent. Don't live there anymore and you couldn't drag me back, quite frankly.
@@russellhunter8378 very interesting 🤔 thanks for the comment mate
I used to work in there and was made redundant. It was bought up to be turned into flats - lies
I live in medway in in strood rn live near strood academy and just got back from the pentagon in chatham
I’m going to kent next week canterbury
@@Trey12392 Canterbury is pretty nice mate, beautiful canals
Don't go Westgate g
@Trey12392 Canterbury is lovely a bit run down but I'd move there great place
@@ianplatt1375 me too
@Trey12392 great place I house setted there for 4 months I didn't whant to leave back to South London
Watched the whole damn thing was good to compsre chatham to gills BIG UP GILLS
Mate that means so much, watching to the end is literally the easiest way to support very small TH-camrs ❤️❤️
Yes, I always watch til' the end, skip the ads, then thumbs up, then comment! 👍✔🇬🇧💯😉
I know they call Gillingham FC the Gills, but I never heard the town called Gills, nor Rochester call Roch! ✌
@@InvictaView chad, what a legend mate
@@EdBrinton Chav Central was the other one lol! 👍😉
Did Rochester get a mentioned anywhere in this video? All the worst things were cherrypicked, the most historic things were missed out.
@@timothyjennings4311 I didn't go to Rochester mate 😂
You got proof he was cherry picking? No. So shut up.
Congratulations on visiting the town where Wendall refuses to tread
Thanks mate I appreciate you
@ 8:32 Thats Anchorage House, another ex office block converted to residential. I believe one London borough took a lease on the lot. Good or bad? Its going on everywhere it seems. 🤔👍💯🇬🇧
Where is worst town or area you been too
@@simonmakuro69 1) Tilbury 2) Luton 3) Harlow
@@EdBrinton thank you so much
i live in chatham and tbh wanna leave
Born in Luton, Chatham was fine up untill forty five years ago...................
@@duncanmurrant731 I wonder what made it change so much
@@EdBrinton chavs
Ed Ive liked and subscribed "of course" How couldnt I ?
Cheers mate I appreciate you!
Went to Chatham about 15 years ago on a Saturday afternoon, awful. I recall pit bulls and drunken women, that’s it. Great video.
@@andrewjones4006 thank you mate as always I appreciate the support. And yeah that's the general thing I saw too
Chatham is hell on earth
That local is talking rubbish! Shootings 😂, been 1! He showed you a college but not the naval museum, football ground or the lines! Get a better local next time lol
Bro at the end of the day not everything gets reported on the news 😂 but yeah should of showed him the football ground I lived here for ages don't know why I didn't
Currently, only 41 likes from 159 comments and 1194 views! People forgetting to tap the like button lol? ✔💯🇬🇧😂
It's weird because it's the best performing video for watch time yet TH-cam isn't showing it to many anymore hahaha
My job takes me all over Kent and Chatham is the absolute worst. The high street is a third world hell-hole. Plenty of - ahem - characters. Usually homeless and living in a tent outside McDonalds. The prescence of a really nice Waterstones is peculier. The shopping centre has a certain vibrancy.
@@normanwood1994 agreed, definitely the worst town I've been too in Kent.
Did you meet Billy the quid ?
@@danielfisher6501 who's that mate
❤❤❤❤❤
@@LARACATANA91 ❤️❤️❤️
Stereotypical and biased - the best you can find is a couple of bricks missing from a wall and some rubbish on a site just about to be developed...let's visit any town in the UK and find the same or worse.
@@Debbie-c3y nah Chatham is one of the most dangerous and deprived areas in the country. Not biased. If you watch my other videos you will learn I am always looking for the good and bad. I even mentioned good in this video. If you don't like the video leave a dislike and then leave the video, I will carry on as normal :) thanks for commenting though I appreciate the insight
Gills is more deprived honestly
@@21BonittoJ I wonder how roch compares
exactly- mr doom monger.
@@JohnSmith-zi3tb not really, as I said Gillingham had a nice vibe too it and friendly people. Obviously I don't live in Chatham so when I visit I just show you through my eyes what I see on one day. What I saw was what I showed. Chatham is generally considered one of the most dangerous and most deprived areas of England, not me saying that either. I'm sorry if the video upset you. Only wish the best for Chatham and the people of chatham
Ed you are a Wanker but well done probably oNe of the best reviews of my home The Medway Towns that I have encountered thus far .As they say, X
A wanker? And cheers I guess? 😭🤣
Poor old place. ❤
@@andyfredericks6205 I know:(
Ed ?
Do you live in medway or kent
I live in Kent yes
I lev in rainham kent but have to go to Chatham as my local natwest closed along with 6 other banks all in Chatham what a crap hole was a great place when the docks were working now full of londons overspill druggie and alcoholics I'm afraid hate the place😮
@@ianplatt1375 thanks for your comment brother, I appreciate you. And yeah lots of these towns have been damaged by the London overspill
They filmed CATS eyes round there
I recall it well...👍💯🇬🇧😎
"C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from The Gentle Touch, and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police force to join an all-female private detective agency called "Eyes", based in Kent, that is a front for a Home Office team called C.A.T.S. (Covert Activities Thames Section). C.A.T.S. Eyes was shown on Friday nights during the first series, before moving to a Saturday night slot for the second and third series. The series was a ratings success, regularly in the top twenty most-watched programmes each week of broadcast."
No way mate!?
@@EdBrinton You weren't born lol! 👍😆🇬🇧
@@EdBrinton But you might recall the remake of the Sweeney film? That was shot on the Isle of Sheppey, which you're going to visit one day! 😉👍💯🇬🇧✔️
@@InvictaView that explains that mate ahahah
Don't go to any pubs😮😮😮😮
@@ianplatt1375 I want a beer now lol
@@ianplatt1375 how are they mate
@EdBrinton jolly corkers in Chatham high street I'm not a local so everyone stairs at ya
@@ianplatt1375 bet that's a scary experience brother
I used to drink around there in the noughties, but the Caulkers, and the even worse White Hart were avoided! The Command House, near the Waterfront/Bus stop area is not bad. I did it in the summer. The Wetherspoons and the one opposite it are both fine.
The KGV in Brompton, might be gone now, was a decent gbg pub. The few others worth visiting are in the High St heading towards Rochester, including a microbar or two. ✔👍🇬🇧
oh dear !
I live in Gillingham
Great place to people watch chavs buy the why😅😅I'm a london cabbie and I've seen it all but nowhere is like Chatham your the first youtuber to dare film well ✔️ 😅😅
@@ianplatt1375 thanks mate tbh I didn't even know I was the first. I appreciate that cheers mate
@@EdBrintonI.i.r.c, the infamous Chav derived from Chatham. The girls always wore huge earrings, and your Chathamese if you were born there. Most locals will deny all of this lol! 😅✔💯🇬🇧
Sounds like you're breaking wind mate
@@Gibbo1 wdym!
@EdBrinton it's Chatham speak for ytooya
@@Gibbo1 ytooya?
@@EdBrintonYou're talking out of your a__e
@Gibbo1 am I?
Adverts = thumb down every time
All TH-cam videos have adverts, I don't actually get paid for them either. And the thumbs down boosts the algorithm for myself also
TH-cam always has ads 🤣🤣🤣
@@mandymclan only if you monetise your channel.
@@EdBrintonIndeed. We really like YT ads a lot lol! 👎👎👎
lmao very causal i go that Weatherspoon's once a month in chatham , you went to the strand nice in the summer
@@Rob-el8ti it was a really good spoons man
you should ask them where many come from i will give you a hint Gillingham and chatham many came from gravesend
Intriguing mate I wonder why that is
@@EdBrinton council spread many out over the medway towns, and we received loads of londoners, more black people in kent/ gravesend than ever has been over the last 30 years , thats because they offered people whose areas got new developments knockdown old 19.50s stocks and, new builds many took them but had to wait and many didnt take them and they spread them out housing is issues everywhere
and then the crack heads well many would have been all over from margate to gravesend,many have had a home and not changed there ways