MEDWAY'S PAST IS BOTH FASCINATING AND CRUCIAL to the life of Great Britain. Some historians say the towns' expectations have risen and fallen with the fortunes of the empire.

Medway's past should be cherished in the hope that history can teach us to learn from our mistakes.

I have followed this principle over the past five years while writing the Memories page in the Medway News. In autumn 2006 Trinity Mirror, the huge publishing concern that owned the Kent newspaper group, dropped contributing Memories editors, denying loyal readers the chance to read my honeyed words every Friday. 

The News and its sister papers were sold to Northcliffe Media, part of the Daily Mail group, which has shut the office in New Road Avenue and moved operations to a business park in Gillingham, where it shares offices and an editor with its slightly older sister the East Kent Gazette.

This website includes a selection based on the features I wrote for the News Memories page. All the  material has been extensively revised with extra information and more images. Many of the features are new and exclusive to this site.

I shall add new pages as often as possible, so log on and enjoy ... and please write in by clicking here.

Stephen Rayner

This site is not affiliated to the Medway News, but we're related by marriage.

Click here for an index to the Chatham News 1895-1965