A bit of history first:
Grain Tower battery off the Isle of Grain in Kent, was built around 1855 as a Martello Tower type structure in the Thames Estuary close to the mouth of the River Medway. It’s original purpose was to serve as a key military installation, protecting Chatham and Sheerness dockyards as well as The Thames. The intention was to close the Medway to hostile shipping by providing a firebase that would work in conjunction with the fortifications at Sheerness. Due to the instability of the spot chosen for the fort, over 200 timber piles of around 30 feet in length were driven into the sand with stone paving laid over it for the foundations. At low tide, the tower can be reached by a causeway, but at high tide it is completely surrounded by water.
Originally the tower was armed with cannons mounted on the roof and barrack accommodation and magazines below. Over the years, it was added to and modified, and significant upgrades were made during the first half of the 20th Century. A vast chain was wrapped around the base of the Grain Tower to which boom lines were fixed, the idea being to block the passage of enemy vessels (including WW1 German U-boats) passing up the river. Later additions to the armaments include two Quick-firing guns, followed by major improvements during WW2 which included a two-storey adjoining accommodation block, two six-pounder guns, and a three-storey Observation Post built on top of the tower. The tower was manned until the 1950s, and was eventually sold after falling into disrepair.
The tower survives as an interesting example of how advances in artillery resulted in adaptation of a defence structure, and significant features still remain, such as the machinery for the shell hoist. The tower is currently up for sale again and its future remains uncertain.
The trip
There have been a few reports of this place but I’ve not seen much recent which led me to believe that it was now less accessible. It's only an hour from London though so I decided it was worth a shot and armed with some wellies and a tide table I set out for the barren industrial wastelands of the Thames Estuary.
The location is pretty much miles from anywhere so aside from the occasional dog walker this stretch of coast is more or less deserted. At low tide, the fort is accessible by a 500 metre walk along a brick causeway that’s definitely seen better days so I was definitely glad of my boots.. I was sinking in to the mud almost a foot at some points! Entry was even easier than I’d hoped thanks to the efforts of a previous (more official?) visitor… the recent looking addition in the form of a ladder up into the structure making things easy.
Inside, the fort is a wicked little explore, with various rooms, staircases, nooks and crannies all haphazardly arranged, leading ultimately to a deck where the heavy artillery was originally mounted, and a lookout/gun room even higher with erm.. 'great' views over the Isles of Grain and Sheppey. Most of the rooms are totally stripped back, though there are still a few fixtures in place. For me though the main appeal of this site is the sheer random location and atmosphere when sitting on an 80 year old gun encasement half a kilometre from dry land...
I’d started early but the tide was already racing back in, so after 90 minutes I packed up my little picnic and headed back to shore.
Here are some pics:
Cheers for looking
A few more here......
Grain Tower Battery Photos by Pek_Ing | Photobucket
Grain Tower battery off the Isle of Grain in Kent, was built around 1855 as a Martello Tower type structure in the Thames Estuary close to the mouth of the River Medway. It’s original purpose was to serve as a key military installation, protecting Chatham and Sheerness dockyards as well as The Thames. The intention was to close the Medway to hostile shipping by providing a firebase that would work in conjunction with the fortifications at Sheerness. Due to the instability of the spot chosen for the fort, over 200 timber piles of around 30 feet in length were driven into the sand with stone paving laid over it for the foundations. At low tide, the tower can be reached by a causeway, but at high tide it is completely surrounded by water.
Originally the tower was armed with cannons mounted on the roof and barrack accommodation and magazines below. Over the years, it was added to and modified, and significant upgrades were made during the first half of the 20th Century. A vast chain was wrapped around the base of the Grain Tower to which boom lines were fixed, the idea being to block the passage of enemy vessels (including WW1 German U-boats) passing up the river. Later additions to the armaments include two Quick-firing guns, followed by major improvements during WW2 which included a two-storey adjoining accommodation block, two six-pounder guns, and a three-storey Observation Post built on top of the tower. The tower was manned until the 1950s, and was eventually sold after falling into disrepair.
The tower survives as an interesting example of how advances in artillery resulted in adaptation of a defence structure, and significant features still remain, such as the machinery for the shell hoist. The tower is currently up for sale again and its future remains uncertain.
The trip
There have been a few reports of this place but I’ve not seen much recent which led me to believe that it was now less accessible. It's only an hour from London though so I decided it was worth a shot and armed with some wellies and a tide table I set out for the barren industrial wastelands of the Thames Estuary.
The location is pretty much miles from anywhere so aside from the occasional dog walker this stretch of coast is more or less deserted. At low tide, the fort is accessible by a 500 metre walk along a brick causeway that’s definitely seen better days so I was definitely glad of my boots.. I was sinking in to the mud almost a foot at some points! Entry was even easier than I’d hoped thanks to the efforts of a previous (more official?) visitor… the recent looking addition in the form of a ladder up into the structure making things easy.
Inside, the fort is a wicked little explore, with various rooms, staircases, nooks and crannies all haphazardly arranged, leading ultimately to a deck where the heavy artillery was originally mounted, and a lookout/gun room even higher with erm.. 'great' views over the Isles of Grain and Sheppey. Most of the rooms are totally stripped back, though there are still a few fixtures in place. For me though the main appeal of this site is the sheer random location and atmosphere when sitting on an 80 year old gun encasement half a kilometre from dry land...
I’d started early but the tide was already racing back in, so after 90 minutes I packed up my little picnic and headed back to shore.
Here are some pics:
Cheers for looking
A few more here......Grain Tower Battery Photos by Pek_Ing | Photobucket
