Hi all, first time posting here so please be kind! Also, apologies for not having the best quality photos, as the site was only accessible by kayak after a vigorous 25-minute paddle across tidal waters, I did not feel brave enough to take my nice camera.
The history – Fort Darnet is a military fort built in 1870 on a tiny island in the middle of the River Medway which formed part of Britain’s extensive coastal defence system upgrade in the 19th Century, known as “Palmerston’s Forts” named after the Prime Minster who commissioned them in 1859 (or less politely as Palmerston’s Follies given the large amount of money spent on them). The fort consists of 3 levels and was a circular, casemated battery, set within a large ditch and outer glacis which held 11 cannons and had a garrison of 100 men. The fort was never used in anger and was completely abandoned after WW2 during which it was used as a observation post. Since then, the fort has been left alone and as such is wonderfully preserved. More information on the fort can be found here.
As the fort is on its own island, it is only accessible by boat / kayak. The island is surrounded by a number of sunken barges which makes access trickier, but much more fun. There are a number of wrecked fishing boats as well surrounding the island but the tide did not allow me enough time to explore these on this trip unfortunately.
Access into the fort used to be thorugh the main gate, but since the fort was abandoned, the ditch has become flooded and the main gate is now only accessible at certain tidal times, with only the very top part still above the water. I was able to paddle underneath the rusting portcullis by laying completely flat in my kayak.
Once inside, the bottom layer of the fort, which were the living quarters, storage and the magazine areas, are partially submerged. This level is beautifuly preserved considering, with no graffiti, remnents of oriignal paint on the walls and evencoat hooks.
Going up the stairs, the main level of the fort is not flooded, and this is where the gun ports for the cannons are, with 11 of them looking out around the circumference of the fort. This is still nicely preserved, with hooks for lifting, trails for aiming cannons, chutes linking the cannons to the magazines underneath (see left side of photo below) and fireplaces.
Finally, the top level of the fort is the roof, from which you can look down into the rest of the fort. There are the remains of a pill box built during WW2 as an observation post as well at this level.
Unfortunately as the river is tidal, the journey back was a hard paddle against the ebbing tide, but well worth the effort.
Hope these photos are of interest
The history – Fort Darnet is a military fort built in 1870 on a tiny island in the middle of the River Medway which formed part of Britain’s extensive coastal defence system upgrade in the 19th Century, known as “Palmerston’s Forts” named after the Prime Minster who commissioned them in 1859 (or less politely as Palmerston’s Follies given the large amount of money spent on them). The fort consists of 3 levels and was a circular, casemated battery, set within a large ditch and outer glacis which held 11 cannons and had a garrison of 100 men. The fort was never used in anger and was completely abandoned after WW2 during which it was used as a observation post. Since then, the fort has been left alone and as such is wonderfully preserved. More information on the fort can be found here.
As the fort is on its own island, it is only accessible by boat / kayak. The island is surrounded by a number of sunken barges which makes access trickier, but much more fun. There are a number of wrecked fishing boats as well surrounding the island but the tide did not allow me enough time to explore these on this trip unfortunately.
Access into the fort used to be thorugh the main gate, but since the fort was abandoned, the ditch has become flooded and the main gate is now only accessible at certain tidal times, with only the very top part still above the water. I was able to paddle underneath the rusting portcullis by laying completely flat in my kayak.
Once inside, the bottom layer of the fort, which were the living quarters, storage and the magazine areas, are partially submerged. This level is beautifuly preserved considering, with no graffiti, remnents of oriignal paint on the walls and evencoat hooks.
Going up the stairs, the main level of the fort is not flooded, and this is where the gun ports for the cannons are, with 11 of them looking out around the circumference of the fort. This is still nicely preserved, with hooks for lifting, trails for aiming cannons, chutes linking the cannons to the magazines underneath (see left side of photo below) and fireplaces.
Finally, the top level of the fort is the roof, from which you can look down into the rest of the fort. There are the remains of a pill box built during WW2 as an observation post as well at this level.
Unfortunately as the river is tidal, the journey back was a hard paddle against the ebbing tide, but well worth the effort.
Hope these photos are of interest
: always been on my list forever it seems lol
