THE CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD TRUST

Registered charity 292101 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM

The Trust's primary objectives are the presentation of The Historic Dockyard Chatham, the most complete 18th Century dockyard in the world, and the education of the public in its historical, architectural and arcaheological importance.

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£9.8m

Latest spending

£9.5m

Registered

1985

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Trust reported a net surplus of £225,600 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £9,759,615 against total expenditure of £9,531,585. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £1.15 million, which is below the stated policy minimum of £750,000 when including designated reserves, though the general reserve alone was £443,000. The trustees confirmed the charity is financially viable and prepared the accounts on a going concern basis.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: minimum sum of £750k and a maximum level of £1.6m (held: £1.1m)

“The policy of the Trust is to hold in free reserves a minimum sum of £750k and a maximum level of £1.6m.” — page 22

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: Chairman Sir Trevor Soar received remuneration of £27,805. No other trustees received emoluments.

“The Chairman’s emoluments for the year were £27,805 for Sir Trevor (2024 - £28,988 for Sir Trevor); this remuneration is not pensionable. The Trust chooses to pay the Chairman as the role significantly exceeds that of other Trustees. No other Trustees received emoluments.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The Trust paid £nil (2024: £4,400) to The True Leader Company Limited, a company which Admiral Sir Trevor Soar (Trustee) is a Director, for staff training.

“During the year, the Trust paid £nil (2024: £4,400) to The True Leader Company Limited, a company which Admiral Sir Trevor Soar (Trustee) is a Director, for staff training.” — page 68

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Azets Audit Services. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Historic Dockyard Chatham publishes economic impact report ukinbound.org · 20/03/2025
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust appoints three new Trustees ukinbound.org · 03/06/2024
Historic England chief executive to join Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust museumsandheritage.com · 10/05/2024
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust receives civic honour bbc.co.uk · 26/09/2023
A+E lab & numen/for use stretch giant cocoon-like installation across historic dockyard chatham designboom.com · 24/04/2023

Property (HM Land Registry)

4 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (3 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£9.8m

Total spending

£9.5m

Cost of raising funds

£2.1m

Reserves (reported)

£1.1m

Employees

150

Reported reserves equal ~1.4 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (66% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 21.5% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Admiral Sir Trevor Alan Soar OBEchair
Anthony David Jones · trustee of 1 other charity
Diane Elizabeth Lees · trustee of 1 other charity
Duncan Henry Wilson OBE
Harinder Singh Mahil
Paul David Hudson · trustee of 3 other charities
Robert John Allison · trustee of 3 other charities
Sarah Elizabeth Roots
William Anthony Corbett

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Medway

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£9.8m	£9.5m
31/03/2024	£9.6m	£9.5m
31/03/2023	£9.8m	£8.6m
31/03/2022	£6.8m	£7.8m
31/03/2021	£5.9m	£6.5m

Common questions

Is THE CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Trust reported a net surplus of £225,600 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £9,759,615 against total expenditure of £9,531,585. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £1.15 million, which is below the stated policy minimum of £750,000 when including designated reserves, though the general reserve alone was £443,000. The trustees confirmed the charity is financially viable and prepared the accounts on a going concern basis. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Azets Audit Services.

Who funds THE CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD TRUST as a grant recipient include THE MICHAEL UREN FOUNDATION, THE HEADLEY TRUST, THE PILGRIM TRUST, NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUND, THE WARDENS AND ASSISTANTS OF ROCHESTER BRIDGE IN THE COUNTY OF KENT.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE MICHAEL UREN FOUNDATION	FY2022	£60k	Historic Buildings
THE HEADLEY TRUST	FY2024	£30k	Towards refitting and upgrading the display, interpretation and collections of the Orientation Gallery of No. 1 Smithery.
THE PILGRIM TRUST	FY2025	£25k	Conservation of ‘Mars surrounded by an Assembly of Gods’ in The Commissioner’s House.
NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUND	FY2024	£21k	Chatham
THE WARDENS AND ASSISTANTS OF ROCHESTER BRIDGE IN THE COUNTY OF KENT	FY2022	£12k	grant in kind (surplus materials)
THE LECHE TRUST	FY2025	£5k	Historic Objects and Collections
JOHN SWIRE 1989 CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2021	£1k

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	05/03/2025	£245k	"Sustainable Future Use of The Commissioner’s House"
UK government	01/04/2019	£201k	Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust Grant 2016-2020
UK government	01/04/2019	£100k	Essential Enhancements to the Victorian Ropery Gallery and Visitor Experience
UK government	01/04/2019	£245k	Kent-Medway Museum Partnership
UK government	01/04/2018	£245k	Kent-Medway Museum Partnership
UK government	01/04/2018	£61k	Kent-Medway Museum Partnership
UK government	01/04/2018	£206k	Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust Grant 2016-2020
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	15/11/2016	£4.8m	"The Fitted Rigging House [FRH]: Unlocking a sustainable future for the Historic Dockyard Chatham"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	18/02/2016	£89k	"350th Anniversary of The Dutch Raid on the Medway (1667)"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	20/06/2014	£10k	"Commemoration of the Loss of the Three Cruisers (22nd September 1914)"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/07/2012	£5.0m	"Command of the Oceans"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	22/09/2006	£5.0m	"National Museums at Chatham - No 1 Smithery"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	18/10/2005	£50k	"Chatham Ropery - Enhancement of the historic Ropery facilities"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/03/2005	£3k	"The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust In Kent Have Been Awarded A Grant To Enable Them To Stage A Major Event Celebrating The 60th Anniversary"
The National Lottery Community Fund	24/02/2005	£20k	60th anniversary of VE Day celebration
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/09/2003	£50k	"Library and Archive Collections-Public Access Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	18/09/2002	£2.0m	"Chatham Dockyard - Building and Infrastructure Repair Programme - Phase 3"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	16/11/2001	£182k	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - No. 7 Slip Annexe"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	28/03/2001	£175k	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - Mast and Mould Loft"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	28/03/2001	£359k	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - Entrance and Car Park"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	26/09/2000	£118k	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - Ropery Adaptation"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/07/2000	£372k	"Chatham Dockyard - Electrical Infrastructure"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	20/06/2000	£578k	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - Backlog Maintenance Programme 2000"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	03/03/2000	£2.7m	"Chatham Dockyard - HMS Gannet Restoration"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	16/12/1999	£1.2m	"Chatham Historic Dockyard - Fitted Rigging House"

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE ROSE FOUNDATION	1	£33k
Norwich Freemen's Charity	1	£25k
THE GEOFFREY WATLING CHARITY	1	£10k
THE CHARLES SKEY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
ALAN BOSWELL GROUP CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k
SIR JEREMIAH COLMAN GIFT TRUST	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust.

Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust income £4.6m
ROYAL ALBERT DOCK TRUST income £903k
CHATHAM MARITIME TRUST income £2.1m
THE NORFOLK HERITAGE FLEET TRUST income £479k
ROYAL DOCKS TRUST (LONDON) income £281k
WHERRY YACHT CHARTER CHARITABLE TRUST income £136k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD TRUST	£9.8m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust FY2025	£4.6m	£90,001 - £100,000	—	above	—	no doubt
ROYAL ALBERT DOCK TRUST FY2025	£903k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CHATHAM MARITIME TRUST FY2025	£2.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE NORFOLK HERITAGE FLEET TRUST FY2025	£479k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL DOCKS TRUST (LONDON) FY2025	£281k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.