Artefacts

These washmills are where large harrow-like implements churned the chalk to separate it from the flints and other impurities. The chalk was taken to the cement works, whilst the flints had to be removed by hand. Men were paid a few shillings a week for this work

The safety railings were installed by Friends of Berengrave in 2006. The railings not only prevent members of the public from falling into the washmills from the adjacent path, but also protect resident amphibians and their spawn from enthusiastic young boys with nets and glass jars!

This is the tunnel that used to take the 24 inch narrow gauge railway from the chalk pit to the cement works. For many years it has been blocked at it's northern end, which is on private land, but was used for the storage of tools and materials for use within the reserve. Due to persistant vandalism it was abandoned for this purpose. It was partially filled in when the local water authority used it to take a new main sewer under the road

In 2006, Friends of Berengrave provided the security grill with the intention of converting the tunnel into a sanctuary for bats and providing a hibernation habitat for insects and small mammals

Friends of Berengrave have recently unearthed this set of points from the 24 inch narrow gauge railway system

The points are a light-weight, moveable system, known as 'Jubilee' track. Permanent track would have been laid from the cement works, under the Lower Rainham Road, to permanent points such as the washmills. Nearer to the working chalk face the permanent track would have changed to portable Jubilee track. As chalk extraction progressed backwards and forwards along the chalk face and the chalk face itself advanced into the chalk deposits, this portable track would have been lifted and repositioned to wherever it was currently required

Regrettably, after over seventy years on the damp floor of the pit, covered for much of that time in soil and leaf mould, the points have proved to be too delicate to move to put on public display

During our research into the history of the site, Friends of Berengrave discoverd that a memorial plaque, to the men of the British Standard Cement Works who lost their lives in World War I, was being held in store by an adjacent council. Upon hearing of our interest in the plaque, this council kindly donated it to Friends of Berengrave so it could be returned to the area from whence it came and again be put on public display

Medway Council kindly agreed that we could permanently mount the plaque in the visitor centre at Riverside Country Park, Lower Rainham Road, Gillingham, where it was formally unveiled by the Mayors of Medway and Gravesham on 18th August, 2008

We are currently continuing our research into the history of the men mentioned on the plaque and eventually we will have a book containing all this information which will be available for viewing at Riverside Country Park visitor centre

(See bottom of this page for .pdf with list of names)

Although not strictly an artefact, Rainham Dock still exists, albeit without any of the structures associated with the workings of the dock or the cement works

This picture was taken towards the back end of 1929. The view is taken from the north side of the dock, with the dockhead on the left and open water to the River Medway to the right.

The three cylindrical structures, middle left of the picture, are the silos in which the cement was stored. The furnaces are the other side of the silos, to the left of the chimney. The large rectangular structure in the middle of the picture is believed to be a filter, which took airborne
                                                                                                       chalk dust from the furnaces and returned it to the
                                                                                                       production process

On 29 December 1929, soon after this photograph was taken, the barge 'Gloria', which can be seen moored at the dockhead, sailed in an overloaded condition and sank in Kethole Reach during a squall with the loss of both crew