Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1847 to 1945. Defensive tower, constructed between 1848 and 1855. It served as a coastal artillery battery until 1956. Situated in the Medway estuary on Grain Spit. Extensively altered during the second world war.

Summary from record TQ 87 NE 1097:

Victorian constructed coastal defence tower, converted to 4.7" quick fire battery World War I and twin-6 pounder quick firer battery World War II.

Monument Types

• TOWER (Post Medieval to Modern - 1847 AD to 2050 AD)
• COASTAL BATTERY (Post Medieval to Modern - 1856 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 87 NE 7:
(TQ 89867604) Grain Tower (NAT) (1)

Grain Tower situated where the Thames and Medway meet was originally constructed in the latter half of the 17th century. Rebuilt in 1860 of Portland stone it resembles the later Martello Towers, but the exterior was changed by brick additions to the main structure during the Second World War since when it has been disused (2).

Grain Tower, Isle of Grain CP. Grade II. Artillery tower. Late 1840s early 1850s, (dated 1855 on door to west). (For full description see list) (3).

Additional bibliography (4-7).

Site photographs (8-13).

For reference of other sites in the context defence sites in Kent (14).

Defensive tower, a derivative of the Martello Towers, it was constructed between 1848 and 1855. During the Second World War the tower was extensively altered to support new guns designed to counter the threat from new fast moving German torpedo boats. The military abandoned the site in 1956.
This report details the history of the tower, which was reached by a causeway or 'hard' rebuilt a number of times, most recently in 1915 (see TQ 87 NE 119). The history is split into sections on the original tower 1847-1910; the 1910-1912 remodelling, when new armaments were added and finally the twin 6 pounder gun phase, 1940-1956 (see above). The Coastal Artillery Searchlight Emplacement was also upgraded at this time and a Battery Observation Post and new Barrack Block added [15].

Description from record TQ 87 NE 1097:
World War II concrete structure super imposed on earlier Victorian stone structure.
Owner : Private
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential : Limited.
Condition : moderate
Date of visit : 07/01/14

Mentioned in Isle of Grain Historic Area Assessment conducted by English Heritage in 2014. Built in 1848-55 (16).

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
ISLE OF GRAIN CP TQ 87 NE 4/76 Grain Tower - II
Artillery tower. Late 1840's early 1850's, (dated 1855 on door to west), the upper part partially cut away on north-east quarter during 1939-45 war to become anti-aircraft tower, with various internal and external concrete additions. Coursed stone. 2 storeys, divided by projecting band with various openings on lower stage. Lower stage divided internally between accommodation and magazines, with some ammunition hoists still in situ. Follows Martello tower constructional practice, but anticipatory of the Solent/Spithead off-shore forts in siting (around 500 yards off-shore at the edge of the Medway deep channel). Listing NGR: TQ8795476408 (17)

Army., 01/01/41, Fixed Defences Thames and Medway. (Collection). SKE14370.

MMRG, 07/01/14, Grain Tower (Photograph). SKE14631.

<01> OS 1:1000 1971 (OS Card Reference). SKE48147.

<02> The Medway Forts 1976 23-4 (K R Gulvin) (OS Card Reference). SKE50424.

<03> DOE (HHR) City of Rochester Upon Medway 28 (1986) (OS Card Reference). SKE40176.

<04> Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 114-115 (IV Hogg) (OS Card Reference). SKE39035.

<05> A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 14 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE32805.

<06> Ant 5 40 1960 153 172 (AD Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33119.

<07> DOE (IAM) SAMS 1988 Kent (OS Card Reference). SKE40766.

<08> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9555.

<09> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9557.

<10> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9998.

<11> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9999.

<12> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10000.

<13> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10237.

<14> Kent County Council, 1999, Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites, KD96 (Index). SWX11828.

<15> RCHME, 1998, Coastal Artillery Fortifications on the Isle of Grain, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12515.

<16> English Heritage, 2014, Isle of Grain, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Historic area assessment (Monograph). SKE29397.

<17> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<18> Kent Defence Research Group, c. 1993, Kent Defence Research Group 'Fort Logs' (Unpublished document). SKE52251.

<19> Historic England, Archive material associated with Grain Tower, Isle of Grain (Archive). SKE54271.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Related thematic articles

• The Defence of Kent (Thematic Essay)