Gillingham (/ˈdʒɪlɪŋəm/ ⓘ JIL-ing-əm) is a town in Kent, England, which forms a conurbation with neighbouring Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham.

[3] Gillingham became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, gaining municipal borough status in 1903.

Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became a non-metropolitan district which also covered Hempstead, Wigmore and Rainham.

[7] The Lord Mayor was received at Gillingham Railway Station by a guard of honour of boys of HMS Arethusa.

In about 1953, beneath part of the car park, Gillingham Borough Control Centre was built underground.

Later, Medway Council then moved into the former Lloyd's of London headquarters at Chatham Gun Wharf, and the Municipal Buildings were considered surplus to requirements.

[8] The town grew along the road from Brompton on the great lines (military barracks), to the railway station.

Close by was the road along the shore line, linking The Strand, and the tiny village of Gillingham Green.

Later, communities developed along the top road - Watling Street – turnpike linking Chatham with Dover.

Due to its southerly, sheltered, marine position near the European continent the climate is among the warmest in the whole of England.

[citation needed] He was a notable man in Kent history as he led his warriors into battle screaming and shouting.

At the time of the Norman Conquest, Gillingham was given to the half-brother of William I of England, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who rebuilt the parish church at Gillingham and constructed an Archbishop's Palace on land bordered by Grange Road, the ruins of which could still be seen in the last century.

In medieval times the part of Gillingham known as Grange was a limb of the Cinque Ports[12] and the maritime importance of the area continued until the late 1940s.

The main source of employment was at Chatham Dockyard, two-thirds of which lay within the boundaries of Gillingham.

[18] The Roman road now known as Watling Street passes through Gillingham; and until the opening of the Medway Towns bypass (the M2 motorway) in the mid-1960s the same route was followed by the traffic on the A2 to Dover.

Services improved significantly when in July 1939,[19] Gillingham became the terminus of the electrified system of the Southern Railway.

Gillingham was served by an electric tram system operated by the Chatham and District Light Railways Company from 1902 to 1930.

There is an outdoors sporting centre located at the Strand which provides sailing and motor boat courses for both adults and children.

[22] The Medway Park leisure centre (formerly the Black Lion) hosted the Modern Pentathlon World Cup.

[24] In the Men's Final, it was won by Ádám Marosi of Hungary, Ondrej Polivka (Czech Republic) got Silver and Alexander Lesun (Russia) claimed the Bronze.

[26] In the Women's Final, Lena Schoneborn (of Germany) got Gold, Adrienn Tóth (of Hungary) got Silver and Victoria Tereshuk (of Ukraine) claimed Bronze.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian from the Bluebell Hill TV transmitter.

Local newspapers for Gillingham include the Medway Messenger, published by the KM Group.

The local commercial radio station for Gillingham is KMFM Medway, owned by the KM Group.

[29] Edward Hasted refers to it in 1798, 'three isles and three chancels, with a handsome tower steeple at the west end'.

In 1868, architect Sir Arthur Blomfield restored the church and tower and to mark the completion of the restoration, the firm of Heaton, Butler and Bayne replaced the stained glass in the east window,[29] based on a design by Henry Holiday.

The tower was painted by Tristram Hillier in 1937 as part of a series of posters for Royal Dutch Shell.