Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Wing Coastal Artillery Battery, built in 1895. Constructed to counter the threat from new fast-moving torpedo boats. It was not armed after the First World War. By 1966 the battery remains had become infilled or sealed.

Summary from record TQ 87 NE 1087:

Coastal artillery battery for 4.7" quick firing guns.

Monument Types

• BATTERY (Post Medieval to Modern - 1895 AD to 1966 AD?)
• COASTAL BATTERY (Destroyed 1962, Modern - 1905 AD? to 1918 AD?)
• SLIT TRENCH (Modern - 1914 AD to 1966 AD (at some time))

Full description

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[TQ 891764] Wing Battery (NAT) (1).

Wing Battery, 1890, to house rifled muzzle-loading guns, later resited for 4.6" breech-loading guns (2).

Site photographs (3-5).

References of other sites in the context of defence sites in Kent (6).

Built to counter a new threat from fast moving torpedo boats, this battery was armed with modern quick firing smaller calibre guns. Built on the south flank of Grain Fort [TQ 87 NE 8], it featured a low visibility design (to make the battery invisible from the sea) with mountings for two heavy calibre and two of the new smaller calibre guns. By 1911 the two smaller calibre guns had been moved to Grain Tower [TQ 87 NE 7]. Wing battery had no weaponry after the First World War. After the removal of the quick firing guns, the battery was occupied by infantry in temporary accomodation during World War One and the parapet between the emplacements converted into a series of breastworks. By 1966 the battery remains had become infilled or sealed. The field survey has recorded the surviving elements of the battery. Many of the principal features have survived, as the battery was only in service for a short time before becoming obsolete and was not significantly altered. It consisted of a large irregular hexagonal earthwork, defined by a ditch with an unclimable fence, surrounding a central linear hollow, dug into the hillside, for the emplacements, magazines and crew shelters. The report details the remains of these internal features, the battery command, range finding posts and emplacements. Slit trenches of first world war date were also recorded. [7].

Description from record TQ 87 NE 1087:
Former coastal defence battery, earth works mainly complete with some concrete structures still visible. Magazine level buried.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : Yes
How accessed for survey : Public open space.
Tourism Potential : Yes, as part of Grain heritage trail.
Condition : moderate
Date of visit : 14/01/07

Mentioned in Isle of Grain Historic Area Assessment conducted by English Heritage in 2014. Built in 1895, the second of three batteries built around Grain Fort, and "designed for faster-firing less conspicuous guns" (8).

Grain Wing Battery located at TQ 888 763. By December 1902 it was armed with two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns and two 11-inch rifle muzzle-loading weapons. (10-11)

Aerial photography from 1975 shows that the battery has been infilled and is in overgrown and poor condition. The defence electric light (DEL) is visible immediately to the north-east of the battery. (12)

The earthwork remains of this battery were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. The fort was built against the earlier military road built in the 1860s to link Grain Fort to the north and Grain/Dummy Battery to the south. The cutting for the road forms the western side of the battery. (13-15)

Additional bibliography (16)

War Department., 01/01/1909, Medway defence scheme. (Collection). Ske14371.

<1> OS 25" 1933 (OS Card Reference). SKE48261.

<2> Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 14 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43673.

<3> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9555.

<4> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9998.

<5> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10000.

<6> Kent County Council, 1999, Survey of Kent post-1500 defence sites, KD94 (Index). SWX11828.

<7> RCHME, 1998, Coastal Artillery Fortifications on the Isle of Grain, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12515.

<8> English Heritage, 2014, Isle of Grain, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Historic area assessment (Monograph). SKE29397.

<9> Kent Defence Research Group, c. 1993, Kent Defence Research Group 'Fort Logs' (Unpublished document). SKE52251.

<10> Dobinson, C., 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume 6.1. Coast Artillery, 1900-1956 (Monograph). SWX23710.

<11> Dobinson, C., 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume 6.1. Coast Artillery, 1900-1956 (Monograph). SWX23710.

<12> Anderton, Michael J., World War Two Coastal Batteries (Bibliographic reference). SKE13158.

<13> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (Photograph). SKE54273.

<14> MMRG, 07/01/14, Wing Battery (Photograph). SKE14629.

<15> MMRG, 07/01/14, Wing Battery (Photograph). Ske14629.

<16> War Department., 01/01/1909, Medway defence scheme. (Collection). SKE14371.

Sources and further reading

Related records