Author: Philip MacDougall

A history of Chichester, one ofEngland's most ancient towns. Its starting point is the medieval core - the town that everybody recognises. Followin...

Chatham grew from a tiny, medieval fishing village into one of the nation’s most important military centres, but the arrival of the Army and Navy h...

Shows how extensive the naval power of Islamic states was, charts the rise and fall of Islamic navies, and outlines the various wars and campaigns ...

The dockyard at Portsmouth was founded by Henry VII, developing into a naval base that was essentially the nation’s most important military establi...

The town of Gillingham in Kent grew up around the Royal Navy’s Chatham Dockyard. By the River Medway, this had been an important maritime area for ...

Chatham, lying on the River Medway in Kent, grew up around its naval dockyard, various army barracks and fortifications. Over the years the face of...

The history of the Medway Towns is synonymous with the large-scale military industrial complex that was centred on the dockyard, military barracks ...

When Britain declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939, it did not come as a surprise. Hitler’s remilitarisation and repudiation of the Treaty of Versai...

The modern town of Gillingham grew up on the banks of the River Medway around the Royal Naval Dockyard of Chatham, most of which actually lay withi...

In these days of ubiquitous, non-stop media and information you would think that there were few secrets anywhere left to reveal, but when it comes ...

Dr Philip MacDougall, local historian, takes you on a journey through the City of Chichester revealing much of its lesser-known history. Here you w...

Chatham History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this historic Kentish town and its former dockyard, now a major tourist at...

Rochester in Kent has long been a strategically important town, guarding the lowest crossing of the River Medway. The diocese of Rochester dates ba...

Portsmouth Dockyard has a long and distinguished history. Functioning in a naval capacity since 1495, although more active as a dockyard from the V...

This illustrated history portrays one of England’s finest cities. It provides a nostalgic look at Portsmouth’s past and highlights the special char...

Portsmouth is synonymous with the Royal Navy. Its naval dockyard was at one time the world’s largest employer of a civilian workforce, and for many...

This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Chatham during the twentieth century...