No.3 Slip

I had a most enjoyable day out today with my friends Mary, Moira and Mark at the historic docks in Chatham [thedockyard.co.uk]. The dockyard was taken out of commission in 1984, although rope-making has continued onsite in the amazing quarter-mile long ropery. It reopened the following year as a tourist attraction and there's plenty to see, including historic naval ships and a submarine, rope-making in action and a large collection of lifeboats. However, the building that got my photographic juices going was No.3 Slip. This enormous structure was built in 1838 as a dry dock for building ships and is the last one of its kind in the dockyard. These days it's known as the ‘Big Space’ and houses a vast collection of naval and military vehicles of all types but it was the monumental structure that kept calling to me and my camera.