HelpHound

Situated in the heart of kent and is one of the largest towns of Medway.
Gillingham is an important retail centre serving a substantial part of Medway. It is twinned with the cities of Ito and Yokosuka in Japan, a relationship founded on its proud identity as the birthplace of Elizabethan adventurer Will Adams and even has a street and a roundabout named after him.
As one of Medway''s popular shopping centres, with around 200 shops, Gillingham has an excellent choice of brand names to choose from, including Woolworths, New Look, Boots, WH Smith, Somerfield, Aldi, Bon Marchh, Wilkinson and Iceland to name but a few.
These and many more specialist shops can be found in the pedestrianised High Street that offers shoppers an enjoyable experience in a traffic-free environment, complemented Shoppers can also enjoy traditional street markets that operate in the town centre every Saturday and Monday, offering a wide range of quality goods.
It has a very mixed population hence restaurants to suit every possible taste.
It has the Black Lion leisure centre, the strand riverside country park, a few farm shops and splashes the leisure swimming pool too.

Though resedential areas maynot be the safest places in the country.... its better to vist the area well before buying any houses/properties.

Famous also for its Marina which is situated on the south bank of the River Medway, only eight miles from Sheerness, the Marina lies below the Chatham Historic Dockyard in Gillingham Reach. Five miles downstream of Rochester Bridge, Gillingham Marina is an ideal base for both local cruising on the Medway and Thames or more extended voyages to the East Coast and to France.

Gillingham is not the greatest place in the world, however it has some redeeming features, these being the huge Ice bowl on the industrial park just off the A2 and the Jumpers Rebound Centre which is a huge trampolining centre of excellence.

The town itself is very meagre and has a few dirty looking pubs and shops, there are not many ''brand'' stores as most residents will travel to nearby Chatham or Maidstone for any quality shopping.

I like the type of houses that are here, mainly being older Victorian style terraces, these are surprisingly larger than you realise from the outside and there is a wonderful community feel about living in them. Parking is obviuosly an issue and there is residents parking near to the town which makes it easier for people that live in these roads, however slightly further out there isn''t any and that means theses streets get clogged up easily and If anyone is moving in, then the lorry will block the road!!.

The Strand leisure park is just outside Gillingham and has an outdoor pool, which the kids love when we actually get a summer!!

Gillingham is not for shopping, but its leisure facilities are great!

I have lived in Gillingham for 6 months now, I was not that keen to move here however i have been pleasantly surprised, the town area has inproved in the last couple of years since i first came to kent, however the market which runs on a Saturday and Monday has improved and is probably the only market still going in Medway as i believe the others have now shut, as for places to go in Gillingham these are restricted there is the strand which is down by the river medway, there is a park there and an open air swimming pool in the summer, it a pleasant place to go for a short walk when we have the weather, and plenty of room for small children to burn off their energy, ofcourse there is also Gillingham FC which haven''t been doing too well but they have seem to have started this season on the right foot. There are not that many places to eat out within the town centre however there is a good noodle house there which is reasonably priced. Gillingham also have a recreation centre which i believe is being extended for the olympics 2012. My general view of gillingham is that some places are ok others are really run down and need alot of attention, as with most towns these days.

gillingham is situated between chatham and grange,
gillingham hosts a lovely marina Situated on the south bank of the River Medway, only eight miles from Sheerness, the Marina lies below the Chatham Historic Dockyard in Gillingham. the historic dock yards also a main attraction of gillingham they hold fun days and events during school holidays i belive they also run out of school clubs down there, its a really lovely visit spot. there are many pubs/clubs , cinema and restrants in and around gillingham, there are some major chains there to like b&q .

Gillingham town center seems to be a little run down although there is a new JD sports and Wilkinsons that has opened at the top end of the high street. Saying that though for a small high street it still has a Peacocks, Iceland, New Look (that stocks male clothing), Woolworths, etc. Still not what i would call a nice place to go shopping when you have Bluewater just up the A2. One of the highlights of Gillingham is Priestfields Stadium which is the home of Gillingham Football Club. This tends to bring in visitors (although some unwanted) when the home matches are being played. There is also a large Tesco on the outskirts of town as well as a few buisness and industrial centers including a huge newly opened B&Q. Gillingham itself has its own train station which has direct trains running to and from London taking only an hour into the Capital. There are many bus routes running around Gillingham as it is quite a large spread out town, and lots of buses running into the neighbouring towns such as Chatham. Also just outside of the town itself isThe Strand, this is a water front area beside the Medway River with a large outside childrens play area, small toddler paddling pool, large outdoor swimming pool (charges apply for entry and times vary), Mini train, crazy and mini golf course. You can also follow a path for a nice walk along the water front which goes for as long as you can walk. There are also many large natural parks for the dog walkers or even ramblers out there. Gillingham has a nightlife but depending on what you like may be good or not. It has several pubs in the town center and a single nightclub with two different rooms with different styles of music. There are more pubs spread around the rest of the town so as your local will never actually be too far from your home.

Well Gillingham is not the best place to go and see if you are looking for culture. I used to play for the football team so i know the area quite well seeing as i came for training sessions twice a week. It reminds me quite alot of Maidstone. The inhabitants are of similar ilk, that is to say fairly rough and ready. There is a large ice skating rink which is one of the only redeeming features of this town. If you travel to the outskirts yo are in for quite a surprise as the surrounding areas are quite nice. There are plenty of parks and green area that relly are quite nice. I dont think that you would say that Gillingham is a nice place to be though. It does however have all the amenities that you would expect from a large town. There are cinemas and i am sure some lovely little places to eat and a few bars to while the hours away. I wouldnt come here on a big match day though as the supporters of the football team are not the nicestthe world has ever seen.