Fort Amherst
Encyclopedia
Fort Amherst, in Kent
, England
, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard
and the River Medway
against a French invasion. Part of it is now open to the public.
The primary purpose of all the Medway fortifications was the defence of the Naval Dockyard
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Land was acquired by two Acts of Parliament in 1708 and 1709. The land was surveyed in 1715 by the Duke of Marlborough
. The first plan of defences was an enceinte
, from Gun Wharf, Chatham, to north of the village of Brompton. It was designed by Capt. John Desmoretze in 1755 and consisted of a 9m wide ditch and a 3m parapet. The strongpoint of the design was the Amherst Redoubt
which became Fort Amherst. It was completed in 1758 and defended with 14 42-pounders, 10 9-pounders, 8 6-pounders and 2 4-pounder guns. These became known as the Cumberland lines, and were entered by four gateways with bridges.
In 1770 Lt General Skinner extended and strengthened the lines, the Amherst Redoubt was strengthened, further batteries added (such as the Cornwallis Battery) and the ditches revetted
(lined with brick).
During the Napoleonic Wars
the Chatham
defences were enlarged and strengthened considerably. In 1802-11 French prisoners of war were set to work on extending the tunnels and creating vast underground stores and shelters, new magazines, barracks
, gun batteries and guardrooms. More than 50 smooth-bore cannon were also mounted. The last building works were about 1820.
A maze of tunnels dug into the chalk cliffs were used to move ammunition around the fort.
A second gun battery, Townsend Redoubt, was built at the northeastern corner of the dockyard at the same time as Fort Amherst. Both forts were inside the 1756 brick-lined earthwork bastions known as the Cumberland Lines, which surrounded the whole east side of the dockyard down to St Mary's Island. These have now been built over.
Fort Clarence
in Rochester and Fort Pitt
, on the Rochester-Chatham borders, were built in 1805-15 to protect the southern approaches.
Fort Amherst has been described by English Heritage
as the most complete Napoleonic fortification in Britain and as such has great national historical significance.
The fort was still in use during the Second World War and restoration to make more areas open to the public is in progress.
Some of the cannons can be heard on Sundays throughout the year and periodically during school holidays.
Ghost tours traditionally take place one Friday evening a month and during the October school half-term.
On Sundays, during the summer 2008 season, the Fort was open to the public, without charge, to promote the future Great Lines Heritage Park and the proposed World Heritage Site
application for Chatham Dockyard and its Defences.
Fort Amherst is operated by charities. The Fort Amherst Heritage Trust and Medway Historical Ordnance.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
and the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
against a French invasion. Part of it is now open to the public.
The primary purpose of all the Medway fortifications was the defence of the Naval Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
.
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
. The first plan of defences was an enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
, from Gun Wharf, Chatham, to north of the village of Brompton. It was designed by Capt. John Desmoretze in 1755 and consisted of a 9m wide ditch and a 3m parapet. The strongpoint of the design was the Amherst Redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
which became Fort Amherst. It was completed in 1758 and defended with 14 42-pounders, 10 9-pounders, 8 6-pounders and 2 4-pounder guns. These became known as the Cumberland lines, and were entered by four gateways with bridges.
In 1770 Lt General Skinner extended and strengthened the lines, the Amherst Redoubt was strengthened, further batteries added (such as the Cornwallis Battery) and the ditches revetted
Revetment
Revetments, or revêtements , have a variety of meanings in architecture, engineering and art history. In stream restoration, river engineering or coastal management, they are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water...
(lined with brick).
During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
the Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
defences were enlarged and strengthened considerably. In 1802-11 French prisoners of war were set to work on extending the tunnels and creating vast underground stores and shelters, new magazines, barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, gun batteries and guardrooms. More than 50 smooth-bore cannon were also mounted. The last building works were about 1820.
- It is a common misconception that French prisoners of war were used. It has recently been discovered that there would have been maybe five French prisoners in the entire fortifications, and instead a lot of the work would have been done by British prisoners from Maidstone Gaol, and by Cornish and Welsh miners, as they had experience of digging tunnels, more so than any prisoner would have.
A maze of tunnels dug into the chalk cliffs were used to move ammunition around the fort.
A second gun battery, Townsend Redoubt, was built at the northeastern corner of the dockyard at the same time as Fort Amherst. Both forts were inside the 1756 brick-lined earthwork bastions known as the Cumberland Lines, which surrounded the whole east side of the dockyard down to St Mary's Island. These have now been built over.
Fort Clarence
Fort Clarence
Fort Clarence is a now defunct fortification that was located in Rochester, Kent, England.-History:The fort was built between 1808 and 1812 to prevent invaders gaining access from Maidstone Road to the River Medway. The work was composed of a long brick revetted dry ditch running between a...
in Rochester and Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt, Kent
Fort Pitt was a fort built between 1805 and 1819 on the high ground of the boundary between Chatham and Rochester, Kent. It did not last long, becoming a hospital for invalid soldiers in 1828, with an asylum added in 1849...
, on the Rochester-Chatham borders, were built in 1805-15 to protect the southern approaches.
Fort Amherst has been described by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as the most complete Napoleonic fortification in Britain and as such has great national historical significance.
The fort was still in use during the Second World War and restoration to make more areas open to the public is in progress.
Current Usage
Fort Amherst is managed by the Fort Amherst Heritage Trust who open the fort to visitors on Sundays between Easter and September and run a program of regular events including ghost tours and over night paranormal investigations through the tunnels. Halloween tours also take place, where guests make their way through the dark rooms and passages.Some of the cannons can be heard on Sundays throughout the year and periodically during school holidays.
Ghost tours traditionally take place one Friday evening a month and during the October school half-term.
On Sundays, during the summer 2008 season, the Fort was open to the public, without charge, to promote the future Great Lines Heritage Park and the proposed World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
application for Chatham Dockyard and its Defences.
Fort Amherst is operated by charities. The Fort Amherst Heritage Trust and Medway Historical Ordnance.