Medway
§ This page gives an overview of the Medway local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Medway in north Kent is centred on the towns of Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Strood, and Rainham. Rochester is famed for its cathedral and castle, Chatham for its historic dockyard, and Gillingham for its riverside heritage. The River Medway runs through, forming a wide estuary with marshes, reserves, and maritime scenery. The district blends urban centres, historic landmarks, and natural estuarine landscapes.
Medway Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Medway local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Medway can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Medway.
Key Facts about Medway
What region is Medway in? Medway is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Medway in? Medway is in the county of Kent.
Is Medway a city? No, Medway is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Medway? The local government for this district is: Medway Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Medway Council 🔗 medway.gov.uk
Which police force covers Medway? Policing in Medway is provided by Kent Police 🔗 kent.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Ashford ⁞ Canterbury ⁞ Dartford ⁞ Dover ⁞ Folkestone and Hythe ⁞ Gravesham ⁞ Maidstone ⁞ Medway ⁞ Sevenoaks ⁞ Swale ⁞ Thanet ⁞ Tonbridge and Malling ⁞ Tunbridge Wells.
Medway in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Medway is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) South East
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Kent
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Medway
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Medway
Medway is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Medway
Medway is divided into 24 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- All Saints
- Chatham Central & Brompton
- Cuxton, Halling & Riverside
- Fort Horsted
- Fort Pitt
- Gillingham North
- Gillingham South
- Hempstead & Wigmore
- Hoo St Werburgh & High Halstow
- Lordswood & Walderslade
- Luton
- Princes Park
- Rainham North
- Rainham South East
- Rainham South West
- Rochester East & Warren Wood
- Rochester West & Borstal
- St Mary's Island
- Strood North & Frindsbury
- Strood Rural
- Strood West
- Twydall
- Watling
- Wayfield & Weeds Wood
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Medway
Medway is part-parished: 11 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 3 unparished areas.
- Allhallows
- Cliffe and Cliffe Woods
- Cooling
- Cuxton
- Frindsbury Extra
- Halling
- High Halstow
- Hoo St. Werburgh
- Isle of Grain
- St. Mary Hoo
- Stoke
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Medway
Below is a list of post towns in Medway, grouped by postcode area:
- ME ▸ Chatham (ME4 / ME5) ⁞ Gillingham (ME7 / ME8) ⁞ Rochester (ME1 / ME2 / ME3)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Medway
Medway covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Allhallows
- Chatham *
- Chattenden
- Cliffe (Medway)
- Cliffe Woods *
- Cuxton
- Gillingham (Medway) *
- Grain
- Halling
- Ham Green
- High Halstow
- Hoo St Werburgh
- Kingsnorth (Medway)
- Lower Upnor
- Rochester *
- Snodland *
- Wallend
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Medway.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Medway
Medway is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Medway Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Southeastern ▸ Gillingham (Kent) (ME7 1XE) ⁞ Chatham (ME4 6PN) ⁞ Rochester (ME1 1NH) ⁞ Rainham (Kent) (ME8 7SF) ⁞ Strood (Kent) (ME2 4DR) ⁞ Halling (ME1 1BN) ⁞ Cuxton (ME2 1AB)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Medway compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Medway compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Medway has 24 electoral wards.
Medway has a population of 292,655 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Medway
This chart shows the population trend for Medway from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Medway can be found on the ONS statistics for Medway.