Evidence of Stone Age activity has been found in Rainham Dock East. It also contains a Roman burial ground and it is believed that the area was used by the Romans for both cement and pottery production

When the Romans left Britain the Ancient Britons , after so many years of relying upon the Romans for defence, lacked the martial skills to defend themselves and the country was left open to invasion. They therefore invited the Jutes , a tribe from middle Germany which originated in Jutland , now part of Denmark , to come and help with defence. The Franks , from the middle region of the Rhine , got in on the act and came over with the Jutes. In payment for their services, the Franks were given part of what is now Hampshire , the Isle of Wight and, in what is now Kent , the Isle of Thanet

Not being content with the Isle of Thanet, the Franks slowly spread westward and held at a line which runs approximately north-south through a point, known as Rainham Mark, approximately 2 kilometres (1-1/4 miles) west of where Berengrave LNR now is. The Berengrave area  therefore came under the control of the Franks

Note: To this day, those born to the west of this line are known as 'Kentish Men' (or Maids), whilst those born to the east are known as 'Men (or Maids) of Kent'

In the 13th century, the land was owned by Queen Eleanor of Provence (Queen Consort of King Henry III)

It was then gifted to St Katherine's by the Tower (of London)

The church and hospital were pulled down in 1825 to make way for the building of St. Katherine's Docks. The Queen Consorts of England were by law the perpetual patronesses of this hospital, with unlimited power.

With a short gap, which is still being researched, the Friends of Berengrave have records of land ownership right up to present times

It is known that by the end of the 19th century the land was arable land, but in 1901 it was leased to the barge company of E.J&W Goldsmith for the purpose of chalk extraction. Between 1901 and 1912, the chalk from Rainham Chalk Pit was shipped by barge from Rainhan Dock to local cement works on the River Medway

Chalk from Rainham Chalk Pit was used in the manufacture of cement that was used, among other things, in the building of the rapidly expanding London suburbs of the early 1900's and in the reconstruction of San Francisco following the great earthquake of 1906

The picture on the right shows some of the chalk pit workers in the early 1900's standing in front of the tunnel which took the narrow gauge railway under the Lower Rainham Road

Chalk was taken by this railway to Rainham Dock. When it reached the cement works it was mixed with mud, collected from the river by 'Muddies', then baked to produce the cement

In the early 1900's, the increasing demand for cement meant that smaller cement manufacturing and chalk extraction companies could no longer compete with the larger ones and started forming into combines. E.J&W Goldsmith's became part of the British Standard Cement Company

In 1912 this company opened its new cement works in what is now known as Rainham Dock East.

Click HERE for a description of the cement works

Until 1929 Rainham was part of Milton Regis Rural District Council (now Swale District Council), but in that year borough boundaries were changed to put Rainham into the Borough of Gillingham. Historical records of the area were apparently never handed over and these now seem to have been lost

Cement production at this works continued until 1931 when, due to falling demand, the works was closed and the site became derelict

Anecdotal information informs us that during World War II the chalk pit was used by the Home Guard for training and exercises

Local residents used part of the pit for growing vegetables to suplement their meagre rations

It is also believed that local residents intended using the pit for protection in the event of air raids in the area

Nature obviously continued to make inroads into the area, but nothing much happened until 1962, when Gillingham Borough Council bought the chalk pit for £7,000 with the intention of using it as a rubbish dump. (Now euphemistically called 'Land Fill'). Luckily, it was never used for this purpose

In 1974, the Kent Wildlife Trust   undertook a survey of flora and fauna in the chalk pit and discovered the presence of round-leaved-wintergreen, a rare plant, and rare orchids. They recommended to Gillingham Borough Council that, in order to protect these rare species and to preserve the area for wildlife and the benefit of the public, the chalk pit should be registered as a Nature Reserve

More than half a century after chalk extraction ceased, 22 years after the council bought the area as a rubbish dump and 10 years after the recommendation was first made that it should be registered as a nature reserve, the chalk pit finally became an official Local Nature Reserve in 1984

In the same year, the first Ranger was appointed. (Picture left?)

Between 1984 and 2001 the site underwent slow, but continuous development. A management plan was drawn up, path clearance and the construction of steps and revetments commenced, willow coppicing and other tree management was undertaken

2001 was a devastating year for the reserve. In common with all other public land, the reserve had been closed to the public during the Foot & Mouth crisis . Before it could be reopened a very wet winter caused flooding across the whole floor of the chalk pit. This caused the death of trees, undergrowth and rare plant species. The flooding was followed by severe storms which brought down more trees. Steps, paths and revetments were eroded by the water and paths were blocked by fallen trees. For the safety of the public, the reserve had to remain closed

With no maintenance being undertaken, vegetation soon ran riot and some areas of the reserve became impenetrable. Although officially closed, access was still possible to those who were intent on so doing. The more agile of the younger generations could access areas that others could not. Anti-social elements took over, holding all-night parties and leaving vast amounts of litter. Malicious damage took place, campsites were built and fires were lit. The area became a haven for drug taking, underage drinking and various other disreputable night-time activities

In July of 2003, Medway Council (which had superseded Gillingham Borough Council) called a meeting of local residents to canvass opinion on what should happen to the reserve

This group of people, about 50 in number, became known as the 'Friends of Berengrave'. Initially just a group of interested people whom the council called to meetings to discuss various aspects of the reserve, the organisation was formalised with it's own committee and constitution in June 2005

Between the autumn of 2003 and the spring of 2006, there was a vast amount of work undertaken within the reserve. The council installed a new SusTrans (SUStainable TRANSport) path down the western side of the reserve. Medway Towns Conservation Volunteers (MTCV) and other voluntary groups cleared the overgrown vegetation from the paths. Council Rangers from Riverside and Capstone Farm Country Parks cleared fallen and dangerous trees, whilst contractors installed new steps and boardwalks to raise the paths on the eastern side above normal flood levels

After five long years of being closed, Berengrave Local Nature Reserve was once again opened to the public by The Worshipful the Mayor of Medway, Councillor Ken Webber, on 24th April 2006