A walk through Intra

Between Chatham and Rochester is a little known area, even to the people of Medway.

The area, known as Intra, is a haven from the busy shopping of Chatham and the pre-Covid tourist trap that Rochester could often be. Rich in heritage, with links going back 300 years to the local dockyards, the area is home to many historic buildings, including Master Brewer’s House, Hulks Lane Brewery, a very rare synagogue and several important, if currently dilapidated, examples of Victorian architecture.

For the last decade, local artists and designers have made some of the vacant shops their home and the area was recently awarded a grant to help improve this historically important area.

However, Intra is also home to the LGBTQ+ community and has sheltered us for hundreds of years. Local historian Rob Flood said: “If Chatham is the gay capital of Kent, then Intra is the crown jewel.

“Undoubtedly,” continues Rob “the dockyards brought the workers, and they in turn brought the prostitutes which would eventually lead to the LGBTQ+ community coming along. As far back as the 1850s court records detail a case where a black sailor wearing women’s clothing was arrested for ‘importuning’. In fact, importuning was the term given to men arrested for engaging in sexual acts with other men.”

The main building for the community in Intra is the Ship Inn, which is the oldest operating LGBTQ+ venue in Kent, with a long, sometimes potted but always fascinating history. With plenty of inside space and a courtyard area, the pub is home not just to the local gay and trans community but also to much of the local student population.

Just behind The Ship Inn is the ME1 gay sauna, offering a quiet, comfortable safe space for locals with large sauna and steam rooms, a hot tub, relaxation cabins and three lounge areas, in short what you would expect.

Nestled among hair salons, tattoo parlours and laser surgeries is Hilary’s Electrolysis, which is also home to the Medway Gender and Sexual Diversity Centre (MGSD). MGSD holds weekly support groups for all LGBTQ+ communities, including a support group for partners of trans people and another for parents of transgender youth. While Covid has forced most of the group activities online they have recently started monthly meet ups in the Ship Inn (where else?). It is the HQ of Medway Pride and the newly established Medway Pride Radio.

For more info on MGSD, visit: www.mgsd-centre.org