Across the river from Tilbury is Gravesend where Henry the eighth's new fort called NEW INN was built to create traverse fire between Tilbury and itself to stop enemy vessels entering the Thames . These guns are from the 2nd world war but the system was one that really worked and is the same system as that of the "roads" in Falmouth.
it was henry 8th who built it on the site of a hermitage in 1539. It was intended to provide cross fire with New Tavern on the other side of the river in Gravesend.
The fort was held for Parliament during the English Civil War and despite suffering from neglect was never attacked by the Royalists. In 1651 its garrison was a governor, a lieutenant, an ensign, four corporals, one drummer, a master gunner, 16 matrosses (gunner's mates) and 44 soldiers. After the English Civil war Charles II was exiled in Holland, where he was influenced by European advances in military architecture. Following the disastrous 1667 Dutch attack on the English fleet moored on the nearby Medway, Charles II set in motion the re-fortification of the site by employing Dutchman Sir Bernard de Gomme, who had been engineer in the Royalist army during the civil war and who followed Charles into exile.Work started on the current fort in 1670 but was conducted slowly, often with the use of pressed labour from nearby towns, and was still continuing in the 1680s.
new tavern
De Gomme's plan was for a pentagon with projecting bastions facing west, north west, north east and east and a planned river bastion facing directly south. Henry VIII's blockhouse was retained. Major features such as the imposing Water Gate were not complete until about 1682. The river bastion never materialised The resulting structure was "a nationally important example of angular bastioned defences and is the best preserved example" of de Gomme's work.Sir Bernard de Gomme
Bernard de Gomme was responsible for the majority of fortification works undertaken by Charles II of England. Having served under Charles I in the Civil War, de Gomme was knighted and given a promotion when the monarchy was restored in 1660.
gosport
'to strengthen the fortifications of Portsmouth. De Gomme is responsible for the first major fortifications at Gosport.
charles 2
His initial plans (see top map) revolved around three strong points; Blockhouse Point, where there was to be a battery, Gosport Hard and Burrow Island, which were to be the sites of two strong towers. There was a small bastionedA bastion is a pentagonal work that projects outwards from the main wall. Cannon in the flanks could cover the curtain wall and the faces of the adjacent bastions.
gosport fort
'trace protecting Gosport. In de Gomme's later plans the town of Gosport was treated more like a fortified town (see the second map).
gosport
The fort on Blockhouse Point consisted of a tower surrounded by a powerful seaward battery. Its landward approach was protected by a simple redanA crude triangular work protruding from the wall - the precursor to the bastion. Redans were commonly used in earthwork fortifications during the English Civil War and in fortified camps.
de gommes gosport
. The strength of this position lay in the single approach along a narrow spit of land.
gosport
The tower on Burrow Island, called James Fort, was built to prevent an enemy from using the island to bombard the dockyard opposite or the town of Gosport, both of which were within easy range.
The small fort consisted of a tower, 6 metres in height, surrounded by an outer wall at sea level. Inside the tower there were living quarters for the garrison and storerooms. James Fort probably mounted up to 20 cannon in the outer walls and on the tower's roof.
The purpose of Charles Fort, the "Great Redoubt" on the quay in Gosport, is less obvious, since it is within the fortified town of Gosport (so it could not guard against a land-based attack) and any enemy ship would already had to pass the massed firepower of the guns in Portsmouth and on Blockhouse Point (so it would of little value against ships). Perhaps de Gomme felt that it would provide protection against a surprise attack along the beach at low tide.
stokes bay longest shingle beach in england they say.near gosport
Charles Fort was larger than James Fort, being 9m in height and having its outer walls farther from the tower. Charles Fort may have mounted up to 30 cannon, with guns on the tower roof as well as the lower battery.
Both towers (James Fort and Charles Fort) were constructed relatively quickly and were complete by 1679. The towers themselves were built of stone but the outer walls were probably earthwork parapets, although they may have been faced with stone.
De Gomme's fortifications of the town of Gosport consisted of a crownAn outwork with two flanks and a front consisting of a bastion and two demi-bastions.
'facing west, with simpler defences along its flanks, where the approaches were mostly underwater. There were two wet ditchesA wide trench in front of the walls that stopped attackers from reaching the walls easily. Sometimes flooded.
, two demi-lunes and a covered way.
At the extreme north and south ends of the outworks there were two lunettesA triangular work placed forward of the main defences, sometimes to protect a demi-lune.
'protecting the north and south demi-bastionsA half-bastion, which one face and one flank. A hornwork is made up of two demi-bastions.
. Interestingly it seems that these were the only part of the Gosport defences that were revetted in stone (the rest were earthworks), possibly because they were the most exposed to weathering and erosion. There were pallisades running from the town across Oyster Pool Lake (now called Haslar Lake) to Blockhouse Point and across Forton Lake to Burrow Island. These pallisades were put in place to dissuade an enemy from using these routes at low tide as a way of attacking the town. Work on the fortifications designed by de Gomme was carried out in the 1670s, although the outworks were never built.
In the early 1700s during the War of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was fought over who would inherit the Spanish throne. France favoured the Bourbons, but the United Provinces, Britain and Austria favoured the Habsburgs. In the end the war petered out and Philip (a Bourbon) became king of Spain, but he had to renounce his rights to the French throne.
'Fort Blockhouse was inspected and found to be in poor condition. From 1708-1714 it was completely rebuilt with a land front of two demi-bastions, a demi-lune and a deep ditch. The new fort mounted 21 guns facing out over the sea, ready to turn back any enemy ship attempting to enter the harbour.
Besides as the brick fort, there was an earth and brick gunline along the river bank. In 1715 there were 31 demi-cannon and one culverin in the East Gun Line and 17 demi cannon and 26 culverins in the West Gun Line. Two huge powder magazines [housing 3,600 barrels each] were built in the centre of the fort in 1716, but the same year many of the 161 guns surveyed were declared unserviceable and the effective strength was found to be just 60 pieces. In 1724 Daniel Defoe estimated there were 100 guns ranging from 24-pounder to 46-pounder: "A battery so terrible as well imports the consequence of the place".
The guns facing the riverThere is a memorial to the Highland prisoners captured after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 who were held at Tilbury. A cricket match in 1776 between men from the Kent and Essex sides of the Thames allegedly ended in bloodshed when guns were seized from the guardroom; it was reported that an Essex man was shot dead, an elderly invalid was bayonetted and a sergeant was shot trying to quell the riot, but this account is disputed. The Napoleonic invasion scare of 1803 saw the Royal Trinity House Volunteer Artillery manning 10 armed hulks across the Thames at Tilbury.
Nineteenth century improvements in metallurgy and artillery firepower saw extensive re-design and re-modelling along the fort's riverside, much of it overseen by Captain Charles Gordon [1833-85], later known as 'Chinese Gordon or Gordon of Khartoum'. The 17th century walls were reinforced and earth was embanked on the outside to protect the brickwork from the effect of modern high velocity guns. Emplacements were built for 9-inch muzzle-loaders on top of the bastions and these new works became the primary gunline angled more to the south east to engage ships well down stream. The Henry VIII blockhouse was demolished around 1867.
The ravelin outside the Land GateThe Victorian modernisation was, in due course, partly built over again prior to the First World War and it is these later concrete emplacements and expense magazines which visitors see today on the south-east curtain. ravelin (below
The fort's sole military success was during the First World War, when anti-aircraft guns on the parade ground shot down a Zeppelin airship. Bombing damage in the Second World War destroyed the 18th century soldiers' barrack block, but the officers' terrace still survives. De-mobilised in 1950 and placed in the care of the Ministry of Public Building and Works and opened to the public, the site is now cared for by English Heritage.
The fort has several interesting features. The Water Gate, circa 1682, is an ornate opening in the south wall allowing access to the quay on the river. The outer defences consist of two wet moats, a ravelin and a redan.
As a result of the 17th century rebuilding, part of the fort was in the parish of West Tilbury and part in the parish of Chadwell St Mary. The officers quarters were in West Tilbury and the other ranks quarters were in Chadwell. Consequently, officers that died were buried in West Tilbury and other ranks in Chadwell[6].
pub cut off at high tide in the area
Surrounding area
great card models abound to create your own tilbury
The fort lies between the World's End public house (formerly the ferry house) to the west and Bill Meroy Creek to the east. There is a separate fort at Coalhouse, East Tilbury, which has a Napoleonic and Victorian history. As part of the Tilbury Riverside project, a pathway has been developed between Coalhouse and Tilbury Fort passing along the river bank and past Tilbury Power Station. This is known as the Two Forts Way. The path is just over three miles and is described as "a challenging route suitable for able bodied walkers and experienced cyclists".
it was henry 8th who built it on the site of a hermitage in 1539. It was intended to provide cross fire with New Tavern on the other side of the river in Gravesend.The fort was held for Parliament during the English Civil War and despite suffering from neglect was never attacked by the Royalists. In 1651 its garrison was a governor, a lieutenant, an ensign, four corporals, one drummer, a master gunner, 16 matrosses (gunner's mates) and 44 soldiers. After the English Civil war Charles II was exiled in Holland, where he was influenced by European advances in military architecture. Following the disastrous 1667 Dutch attack on the English fleet moored on the nearby Medway, Charles II set in motion the re-fortification of the site by employing Dutchman Sir Bernard de Gomme, who had been engineer in the Royalist army during the civil war and who followed Charles into exile.Work started on the current fort in 1670 but was conducted slowly, often with the use of pressed labour from nearby towns, and was still continuing in the 1680s.
new tavern
De Gomme's plan was for a pentagon with projecting bastions facing west, north west, north east and east and a planned river bastion facing directly south. Henry VIII's blockhouse was retained. Major features such as the imposing Water Gate were not complete until about 1682. The river bastion never materialised The resulting structure was "a nationally important example of angular bastioned defences and is the best preserved example" of de Gomme's work.Sir Bernard de Gomme
Bernard de Gomme was responsible for the majority of fortification works undertaken by Charles II of England. Having served under Charles I in the Civil War, de Gomme was knighted and given a promotion when the monarchy was restored in 1660.
gosport'to strengthen the fortifications of Portsmouth. De Gomme is responsible for the first major fortifications at Gosport.
charles 2His initial plans (see top map) revolved around three strong points; Blockhouse Point, where there was to be a battery, Gosport Hard and Burrow Island, which were to be the sites of two strong towers. There was a small bastionedA bastion is a pentagonal work that projects outwards from the main wall. Cannon in the flanks could cover the curtain wall and the faces of the adjacent bastions.
gosport fort
'trace protecting Gosport. In de Gomme's later plans the town of Gosport was treated more like a fortified town (see the second map).
gosportThe fort on Blockhouse Point consisted of a tower surrounded by a powerful seaward battery. Its landward approach was protected by a simple redanA crude triangular work protruding from the wall - the precursor to the bastion. Redans were commonly used in earthwork fortifications during the English Civil War and in fortified camps.
de gommes gosport
. The strength of this position lay in the single approach along a narrow spit of land.
gosportThe tower on Burrow Island, called James Fort, was built to prevent an enemy from using the island to bombard the dockyard opposite or the town of Gosport, both of which were within easy range.
The small fort consisted of a tower, 6 metres in height, surrounded by an outer wall at sea level. Inside the tower there were living quarters for the garrison and storerooms. James Fort probably mounted up to 20 cannon in the outer walls and on the tower's roof.
The purpose of Charles Fort, the "Great Redoubt" on the quay in Gosport, is less obvious, since it is within the fortified town of Gosport (so it could not guard against a land-based attack) and any enemy ship would already had to pass the massed firepower of the guns in Portsmouth and on Blockhouse Point (so it would of little value against ships). Perhaps de Gomme felt that it would provide protection against a surprise attack along the beach at low tide.
stokes bay longest shingle beach in england they say.near gosportCharles Fort was larger than James Fort, being 9m in height and having its outer walls farther from the tower. Charles Fort may have mounted up to 30 cannon, with guns on the tower roof as well as the lower battery.
Both towers (James Fort and Charles Fort) were constructed relatively quickly and were complete by 1679. The towers themselves were built of stone but the outer walls were probably earthwork parapets, although they may have been faced with stone.
De Gomme's fortifications of the town of Gosport consisted of a crownAn outwork with two flanks and a front consisting of a bastion and two demi-bastions.
'facing west, with simpler defences along its flanks, where the approaches were mostly underwater. There were two wet ditchesA wide trench in front of the walls that stopped attackers from reaching the walls easily. Sometimes flooded.
, two demi-lunes and a covered way.
At the extreme north and south ends of the outworks there were two lunettesA triangular work placed forward of the main defences, sometimes to protect a demi-lune.
'protecting the north and south demi-bastionsA half-bastion, which one face and one flank. A hornwork is made up of two demi-bastions.
. Interestingly it seems that these were the only part of the Gosport defences that were revetted in stone (the rest were earthworks), possibly because they were the most exposed to weathering and erosion. There were pallisades running from the town across Oyster Pool Lake (now called Haslar Lake) to Blockhouse Point and across Forton Lake to Burrow Island. These pallisades were put in place to dissuade an enemy from using these routes at low tide as a way of attacking the town. Work on the fortifications designed by de Gomme was carried out in the 1670s, although the outworks were never built.
In the early 1700s during the War of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was fought over who would inherit the Spanish throne. France favoured the Bourbons, but the United Provinces, Britain and Austria favoured the Habsburgs. In the end the war petered out and Philip (a Bourbon) became king of Spain, but he had to renounce his rights to the French throne.
'Fort Blockhouse was inspected and found to be in poor condition. From 1708-1714 it was completely rebuilt with a land front of two demi-bastions, a demi-lune and a deep ditch. The new fort mounted 21 guns facing out over the sea, ready to turn back any enemy ship attempting to enter the harbour.
Besides as the brick fort, there was an earth and brick gunline along the river bank. In 1715 there were 31 demi-cannon and one culverin in the East Gun Line and 17 demi cannon and 26 culverins in the West Gun Line. Two huge powder magazines [housing 3,600 barrels each] were built in the centre of the fort in 1716, but the same year many of the 161 guns surveyed were declared unserviceable and the effective strength was found to be just 60 pieces. In 1724 Daniel Defoe estimated there were 100 guns ranging from 24-pounder to 46-pounder: "A battery so terrible as well imports the consequence of the place".
The guns facing the riverThere is a memorial to the Highland prisoners captured after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 who were held at Tilbury. A cricket match in 1776 between men from the Kent and Essex sides of the Thames allegedly ended in bloodshed when guns were seized from the guardroom; it was reported that an Essex man was shot dead, an elderly invalid was bayonetted and a sergeant was shot trying to quell the riot, but this account is disputed. The Napoleonic invasion scare of 1803 saw the Royal Trinity House Volunteer Artillery manning 10 armed hulks across the Thames at Tilbury.
Nineteenth century improvements in metallurgy and artillery firepower saw extensive re-design and re-modelling along the fort's riverside, much of it overseen by Captain Charles Gordon [1833-85], later known as 'Chinese Gordon or Gordon of Khartoum'. The 17th century walls were reinforced and earth was embanked on the outside to protect the brickwork from the effect of modern high velocity guns. Emplacements were built for 9-inch muzzle-loaders on top of the bastions and these new works became the primary gunline angled more to the south east to engage ships well down stream. The Henry VIII blockhouse was demolished around 1867.
The fort's sole military success was during the First World War, when anti-aircraft guns on the parade ground shot down a Zeppelin airship. Bombing damage in the Second World War destroyed the 18th century soldiers' barrack block, but the officers' terrace still survives. De-mobilised in 1950 and placed in the care of the Ministry of Public Building and Works and opened to the public, the site is now cared for by English Heritage.
The fort has several interesting features. The Water Gate, circa 1682, is an ornate opening in the south wall allowing access to the quay on the river. The outer defences consist of two wet moats, a ravelin and a redan.
As a result of the 17th century rebuilding, part of the fort was in the parish of West Tilbury and part in the parish of Chadwell St Mary. The officers quarters were in West Tilbury and the other ranks quarters were in Chadwell. Consequently, officers that died were buried in West Tilbury and other ranks in Chadwell[6].
pub cut off at high tide in the areaSurrounding area
great card models abound to create your own tilburyThe fort lies between the World's End public house (formerly the ferry house) to the west and Bill Meroy Creek to the east. There is a separate fort at Coalhouse, East Tilbury, which has a Napoleonic and Victorian history. As part of the Tilbury Riverside project, a pathway has been developed between Coalhouse and Tilbury Fort passing along the river bank and past Tilbury Power Station. This is known as the Two Forts Way. The path is just over three miles and is described as "a challenging route suitable for able bodied walkers and experienced cyclists".
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