Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Public Park created In 2011 and comprising some of the field of fire from the Brompton Lines fortifications. Known as the Great Lines Heritage Park (2014) it is currently owned by Medway Council.

Monument Types

• FORTIFICATION (Post Medieval to Modern - 1755 AD to 1945 AD?)
• PARK (Modern - 2011 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Public Park created In 2011 and comprising some of the field of fire from the Brompton Lines fortifications. Known as the Great Lines Heritage Park (2014) it is currently owned by Medway Council.

The Field of Fire is an integral part of the Great Lines fortification. The Great Lines themselves are recognised as being the best-preserved defences for an C18 dockyard in Britain, providing an almost complete series of linear bastioned artillery fortifications including a field of fire.
The site itself demonstates an aspect of defensive warfare in Britain from the C17 to the mid C19, which is comprehensively recorded in both national archives and the local Royal Engineers Museum. On the site is also a nationally important maritime war memorial (listed grade II). At the south end, surrounding the Naval Memorial is a managed wildlife grassland area. This part of the park has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, for its chalk grassland flora and it has also been designated as a Local Wildlife Site.

In 2011, the site was developed into a park with the aid of Government and EU funding. Known as the Great Lines Heritage Park (2014) it is currently owned by Medway Council.

In 2015, the Kent Gardens Trust performed a review of historical information relating to The Great Lines: Field of Fire, Chatham and Gillingham.

Taken from the review:
"STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The Field of Fire is an integral part of the Great Lines fortifications, a locally-designated Heritage Park and potential World Heritage site. Its vast expanse of open ground is unique of its kind. It demonstrates an aspect of defensive warfare in Britain from the C17 to the mid C19, which is comprehensively recorded in both national archives and the local Royal Engineers Museum. It is valued as an open space with public access and its use for sports activities represents a continuum of historic association with that use by the military and civilians from the late C18. It has architectural interest as the site of a nationally important maritime war memorial (listed grade II) and historical association with four significant British architects and sculptors. It is a focus for both local and national commemorative occasions. The wide views it offers over Fort Amherst, Chatham town and the River Medway are of great landmark and scenic value.

Historical Summary:

The Field of Fire is so named for its role or providing a clear view of (and opportunity for shooting) potential enemies approaching from the river Medway and landward side of the fortifications.

Construction work for what became the Great Lines fortifications started in 1755 when there was a threat of French invasion during the Seven Years War. Temporary fortifications designed by Colonel Hugh Debbeig enclosed the dockyard and Ordnance Wharf taking advantage of the high ground above Chatham. The construction consisted of unrevetted dry ditches and earthen ramparts, supported and protected by wooden palisades. Encampments of troops were placed behind the lines to defend and counter invasion force.

A period of expansion involving rebuilding and extending the Lines started in 1779 under the threat of invasion during the America War of Independence followed by the Napoleonic Wars from about 1803. The ground originally established to provide accommodation for encampments of troops where they could live and have room to parade and practice manoeuvres had been neglected and damaged by grazing animals. In 1804 the last tranche of land was obtained by the military to extend the fortifications to the north to create The Lower Lines (q.v.) and consolidate the Field of Fire. Until 1815 when the wars against the French came to an end there was almost continuous improvement of the defences.

The 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map dated about 1885 shows the extent of the Field of Fire, which is largely unchanged today (2014). The whole system of defences became known as The Great Lines. They are recognised as being the best-preserved defences for an C18 dockyard in Britain, providing an almost complete series of linear bastioned artillery fortifications including a field of fire.

In 1922 Chatham Naval Memorial, commemorating the sailors of the two World Wars, was unveiled by the future King Edward VIII, the First World War section designed by Sir Robert Lorimer with sculptures by Henry Poole (The historical landscape - Great Lines City Park’ report, p 29 and photograph c.1960 Medway Archives). An extension commemorating sailors of the Second World War, designed by Sir Edward Maufe and with sculptures by Sir Charles Wheeler, was unveiled in 1952 by The Duke of Edinburgh.

Use as a public amenity space has continued since it ceased to be an open military area with football pitches created at the north end. However, since WWII part of the land has been built on by army housing at Sally Port and a school at King’s Bastion. A training College at the eastern boundary has also been constructed.

The Chatham dockyards closed in 1984 and in 1989 were acquired by the former Gillingham Borough Council. The combined elements, including the Field of Fire, were developed into a park in March 2011 with the aid of Government and EU funding. Known (2014) as the Great Lines Heritage Park it is currently owned by Medway Council and managed through a comprehensive management and maintenance plan drawn up in 2012. The Park is likely to play a major part in Chatham’s bid for World Heritage Status for the historic dockyard and its associated defences.

Site Description:

The Field of Fire, comprising c70 hectares,... is roughly triangular in shape and c1.68km in length. It lies between Brompton Road in the north and a ridge overlooking Chatham Town in the south. The western boundary follows the revetments of the Brompton Lines (part of the defensive earthworks and a scheduled ancient monument) and the eastern boundary abuts the residential edge of Gillingham.

...The Field of Fire is predominantly open, mown grassland creating open vistas. There are occasional lines of mixed native, predominantly deciduous trees, largely dating from the late C20 and trees acting as buffers at boundaries with roads…The division of the area from its original open character and function as a Field of Fire dates from its use for sporting activities, which began in the late C18 and C19 with cricket and horse-riding.

...At the south end, surrounding the Naval Memorial is a managed wildlife grassland area. This part of the park has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, for its chalk grassland flora and it has also been designated as a Local Wildlife Site.

...Chatham Naval Memorial (listed grade II) commemorating the sailors of the two World Wars stands at the southern end of the Field of Fire overlooking Chatham town. The First World War obelisk memorial, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer with sculptures by Henry Poole (and completed in 1922), has steps up to a plinth with inscription plaques, and projecting corners with reclining lions, beneath a stepped base to the obelisk, which has a stepped top to an elaborate finial with corner ships prows and bronze supports to a ball. It is enclosed on three sides by curved Portland stone walls displaying memorial plaques commemorating the fallen seamen of the Second World War. This extension to the memorial is by the architect Sir Edward Maufe with the additional sculpture by Charles Wheeler and William McMillan. On the south side is a paved terrace, which overlooks Chatham town." (1).

A report on evolution of the Spur Battery area of Chatham Lines from 1633 to the present day was produced by Historic England in 2016 to "assist in helping to understand how the place has developed and been used over the last 300 years" as works are planned "to return the site to a good condition and to beneficial use" (2)

"The first phase of the Chatham Lines as constructed during The Seven Years War (1756-63)". An 1786 "plan has the first use of the name Spur Battery here referring to the new length of fortification built between Prince of Wales bastion and Prince Williams bastion, sticking in out into the field of fire to form what is known as a spur." (2)

<1> Kent Gardens Trust, 2015, The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Medway: The Great Lines Field of Fire, Chatham and Gillingham (Unpublished document). SKE31412.

<2> historic england, 2016, The evolution of the Spur Battery area of Chatham Lines (Unpublished document). SKE31634.

Sources and further reading