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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 87 NE 8
Type of record:Monument
Name:Grain Fort and associated coastal artillery fortifications, Isle of Grain

Summary

Includes Grain Fort itself, constructed between 1861-8 (Building TQ 87 NE 1082), three batteries built around the fort in the later 19th century (Grain Battery, Wing Battery and Dummy Battery), Grain Tower, and associated infrastructure including roads, spigot mortar pedestals and defence electric light positions.


Grid Reference:TQ 8947 7622
Map Sheet:TQ87NE
Parish:ISLE OF GRAIN, MEDWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • FORT (Post Medieval to Modern - 1861 AD to 2050 AD (between))
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1303285: COASTAL ARTILLERY DEFENCES ON THE ISLE OF GRAIN, IMMEDIATELY EAST AND SOUTH EAST OF GRAIN VILLAGE

Full description

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(TQ 890767) Grain Fort (NAT) (1)

Grain Fort was heptagon-shaped with a D-shaped keep, completed in 1867. The whole fort was surrounded by a dry ditch which had both counterscarp galleries and carponiers (a small outwork jutting out from the main work to flank the ditch). It remained in use until 1956, the keep was knocked down shortly afterwards, and the front section of the ditch is being filled in (2).

Additional bibliography (3-6).

For reference of other historic military sites, see (7) and for reference of other defence sites in Kent, see (8).

Site photographs (9-12).

Grain Fort, built between 1861 and 1868, performed a central role in the Grain Fortifications; one of five artillery bastions built on the Isle of Grain from the mid 19th century onwards. The others were Grain Tower [TQ 87 NE 7], The Dummy Battery [TQ 87 NE 10], the Wing Battery [TQ 87 NE 9] and the Grain Battery [TQ 87 NE 1026]. Construction work on Grain Fort began after the 1860 Royal Commission into England's Coastal Defences. The report recommended that a large fort and auxiliary battery be built at Grain and that Grain Tower be strenghened and re-armed. Lack of funds left the Tower virtually unchanged.
The Fort was designed as a garrisoned and defensible semi-circular keep, surrounded by a polygonal earthwork, on top of which a 'terreplein' had gun emplacements. Behind the gun emplacements ran a fighting platform, while the main magazine for all the fortifications at Grain was located below the bank. The auxiliary battery built between 1867 and 1869 was named Grain battery and subsequently renamed Dummy Battery in 1901. It was linked to the Fort via a road carried in a cutting and a causeway [TQ 87 NE 118]. Grain Fort was rearmed at the turn of the twentieth century, when it formed part of the front line of defence for the Thames and Medway estuaries. It continued to serve as a heavy gun emplacement throughout the second world war. The military abandoned the site in 1956. Between 1961 and 1975 the apperance of the fort was substantially altered. The keep was completely removed and the site was partially infilled and levelled off. The field survey report uses original maps and on-site observations to detail the keep, the earthwork and the 'terreplein' and its emplacements [13].

Mentioned in Isle of Grain Historic Area Assessment conducted by English Heritage in 2014. Built between 1861 and 1868, it was "intended to command both rivers" (14).


Historic England, Archive material associated with Grain Tower, Isle of Grain (Archive). SKE54271.

<01> OS 25" 1933 (OS Card Reference). SKE48261.

<02> The Medway Forts 1976 22-3 (K R Gulvin) (OS Card Reference). SKE50423.

<03> A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 14 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE32805.

<04> Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 112-114 (IV Hogg) (OS Card Reference). SKE39033.

<05> Ant J 40 1960 153 172 (AD Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33186.

<06> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, Pers. comm. V. Smith- KCC, 27/5/94. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<07> Watson-Smyth, M. (ed.), 1993, Deserted Bastions - Historic Naval and Military Architecture (Monograph). SWX9394.

<08> Kent County Council, 1999, Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites, KD87 (Index). SWX11828.

<09> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10238.

<10> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10236.

<11> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10000.

<12> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9555.

<13> RCHME, 1998, Coastal Artillery Fortifications on the Isle of Grain, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12515.

<14> English Heritage, 2014, Isle of Grain, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Historic area assessment (Monograph). SKE29397.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Grain Tower, Isle of Grain.
<01>OS Card Reference: OS 25" 1933.
<02>OS Card Reference: The Medway Forts 1976 22-3 (K R Gulvin).
<03>OS Card Reference: A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 14 (D Bennett).
<04>OS Card Reference: Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 112-114 (IV Hogg).
<05>OS Card Reference: Ant J 40 1960 153 172 (AD Saunders).
<06>Miscellaneous Material: Not applicable. SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry. Pers. comm. V. Smith- KCC, 27/5/94..
<07>Monograph: Watson-Smyth, M. (ed.). 1993. Deserted Bastions - Historic Naval and Military Architecture.
<08>Index: Kent County Council. 1999. Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites. KD87.
<09>Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 59. print.
<10>Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 54. print.
<11>Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 32. print.
<12>Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4018. print.
<13>XYUnpublished document: RCHME. 1998. Coastal Artillery Fortifications on the Isle of Grain, Kent. [Mapped feature: #478 fort, ]
<14>Monograph: English Heritage. 2014. Isle of Grain, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Historic area assessment.

Related records

TQ 87 NE 1059Parent of: Anti-aircraft gun emplacement, Smithfield Marshes, Grain (Building)
TQ 87 NE 123Parent of: Base for a temporary structure associated with Grain Fort, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 1095Parent of: Defence Electric Light position (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 1082Parent of: Grain Fort, Isle of Grain (Building)
TQ 87 NE 1079Parent of: GRAIN TOWER, Isle of Grain (Listed Building)
TQ 87 NE 1091Parent of: Plinth for twin 6 pounder quick firing battery observation tower (Building)
TQ 87 NE 1026Parent of: Remains of Grain Battery, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 10Parent of: Remains of Grain battery, renamed Dummy Battery, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 9Parent of: Remains of wing battery, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 118Parent of: Road connecting Grain Fort and Dummy battery, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 112Parent of: Site of a Defence electric light, near Smithfield Marshes, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 125Parent of: Site of First World War Coast Artillery Searchlight serving Grain Fort, Isle of Grain (Monument)
TQ 87 NE 1092Parent of: Spigot Mortar Pedestal (Building)

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