Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Continued use of the 1862 military Milton Rifle Range, on Eastcourt Marshes, east of Gravesend. It consists of a succession of low earthen mound firing points, a target mound and markers' gallery, as well as a weather shelter. The butts were modified in the 1890s and perhaps again later. It continued in use for military rifle training until around 1980 and perhaps afterwards, when there was certainly private use. It is now the firing range element of the Metropolitan Police Training Facility, with substantial survivals of the original structures.

Summary from record TQ 67 SE 208:

Firing range of 1862 on Eastcourt Marshes near Gravesend

Summary from record TQ 67 SE 1025:

Rectangular embankment surrounded by rectangular pits (part of TQ 67 SE 208?) part of firing range in Shorne Marshes

Monument Types

• FIRING RANGE (Post Medieval - 1862 AD? to 1862 AD)
• BUTTS (Earlier than 1870, Post Medieval - 1900 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

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Continued use of the 1862 military Milton Rifle Range, on Eastcourt Marshes, east of Gravesend. It consists of a succession of low earthen mound firing points, a target mound and markers' gallery, as well as a weather shelter. The butts were modified in the 1890s and perhaps afterwards. The markers gallery is protected by a gravel-covered steel mantlet behind which they operated the still extant steel taget frames, which were raised to expose a target. Along the gallery are telephone jack points, two steel target stores and a latrine. Between the gallery and the target mound was a light tramway (now covered with a concrete path), to take damaged targets to a now vanished target repair shop to the south of the butts. About 150 m. south of the southern extremity of the range is an east-west orientated brick building with a pitched roof, which originated in 1862 as a weather shelter. The range saw continuous use and was used intensively for rifle practice during the First and Second World Wars and during the Second World War, mortar firing practice was also carried out. It continued for military rifle training until around 1980 and perhaps afterwards, when there was certainly private use. The site is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds but It is now the firing range element of the Metropolitan Police Training Facility. Although the formation of the latter has involved some further modifications to the southern end of the butts and to some of the firing points, there are substantial survivals of the original range structures.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey : Inaccessible, within a Police security area but may be seen and appreciated from the riverside walk along the flood defence bank
Tourism Potential : It has potential as a point of interest along any riverside heritage/nature trail.
Condition : moderate
Date of visit : 01/02/06

Description from record TQ 67 SE 208:
Milton Firing Range, Eastcourt Marshes. Earthern butts N-S with 6 firing point facing it on its W side. An adjacent brick target shed with pitched tiled roof originated as a military range in 1862, still inuse for occasional military and civilian use. Visit by VTC Smith July 95. Marked on 1st ed OS map (1) and shown on site photographs (2-25).No access to the firing range it is still in use by the Metropolitan Police. The mantlet of the range established in the late 1980's is to be altered further as are butts and a shelter shed to accommodate the Police firing range, therefore some preservation has been requested of uneffected areas and photography (examples in figures of this source) and planning of areas to be developed (16).

Description from record TQ 67 SE 1025:
Rectangular embankment surrounded by rectangular pits (part of TQ 67 SE 208?), identified as the Butts of Eastcourt Rifle Range. Photographs (2-25) Still in use, no access onto the firing range during the 2005 coastal survey, but the butts are visible from outside the range

Victor Smith with Paul Hutchins, Milton Rifle range, Eastcourt Marshes, Near Gravesend (2003) (Unpublished document). SKE14010.

<1> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10284.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1858-73, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 1st Edition : 1872-1897 (Map). SWX11831.

<3> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10281.

<4> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9419.

<5> 1941, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10114.

<6> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9430.

<7> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10066.

<8> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9431.

<9> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10016.

<10> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9421.

<11> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10014.

<12> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9860.

<13> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9468.

<14> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9468.

<15> 1947, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9860.

<16> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9467.

<17> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10016.

<18> 1941, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10114.

<19> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9430.

<20> 1941, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10115.

<21> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9419.

<22> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10281.

<23> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9403.

<24> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10282.

<25> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9403.

<26> Wessex Archaeology, 2005, North Kent Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey: Phase ll: Field Assessment Year Two Report (Unpublished document). SWX12323.

<27> Victor Smith, Sandra Soder, An archaeological desk study of those parts of Eastcourt Marshes proposed for development as a Metropolitan Police Firearms and Public Order Training Centre and Firing Range (Unpublished document). SKE13483.

Sources and further reading