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Monument details

Summary

Slough Fort was constructed in the late 19th century as a result of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom of 1860. It is believed to be the smallest of the 76 built and was finally abandoned by the army in 1920. It is still complete and in good condition, although now used as a riding school.

The main building was Listed and the outerworks were Scheduled in 2009.

Monument Types

• FORT (Post Medieval to Modern - 1867 AD to 2050 AD)
• ZOO (Modern - 1929 AD to 1960 AD?)
• RIDING SCHOOL (Modern - 1960 AD? to 2050 AD)

Full description

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(TQ 837785) Slough Fort (NAT) (1) Slough Fort, which is believed to be the smallest of the 76 built as a result of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom of 1860, was finally abandoned by the army in 1920. It is still complete and in good condition, although now used as a riding school (2,3) Additional bibliography (4,5)

Listed Grade II* 12/11/2009

ALLHALLOWS

1797/0/10012 Slough Fort
12-NOV-09

GV II*
Royal Commission fort of 1867, major redevelopment and extension 1889-91. Further modifications during first two decades of C20.

MATERIALS: Kentish ragstone and brick with granite dressings. Brick and/or concrete for armament, range finding and control post positions.

PLAN: D-shaped plan with curved façade facing north to the coast surrounding an open stone-flagged parade. Ground floor and flat roof above. Ground floor: north range of seven casemates. South range: chambers flanking central fort entrance passage. Two stair turrets at south-east and south-west corners providing roof access. Roof level: north range with remnants of infantry fire step and access stairs of 1867; also (from west to east) post-1892 modified quick-firing gun emplacement with ammunition lockers and possible gun shelter to south; range finder position associated with wing batteries of 1889-91; further modified quick-firing gun emplacement (also post-1892). World War I Battery Command Post. South range: four parallel north-south walls of unknown function.

EXTERIOR: Principal elevation to south: rusticated Kentish ragstone with fine granite dressings to entrance gate. Sandstone lintels to windows and copings to parapet. Central projecting bay with pairs of windows flanking the central gate. Recessed bays to west and east with paired windows, further recessed bays to extreme west and east with single window and access doors to former ammunition stores. Infantry loopholes throughout. North elevation masked by earthwork of 1889-91. Internal (north) elevation of south range: stock brick in mainly English bond; gauged flat brick arches over windows (some now altered). South elevation of north range: combination of brick and iron arches with pillars to casemates reflecting late-C19 modifications. Original metal plated fort gates flanked by pulleys for raising former drawbridge.

INTERIOR: Ground floor, north range: seven casemates without embrasures (blocked 1889-91). Spiral stone staircases.

HISTORY: Built as a consequence of the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom in response to a perceived French threat. Positioned to link the Medway defences with other new forts in the Thames Estuary. Modified and extended in 1889-91 with the addition of two wing batteries each accommodating two 'disappearing' guns. Further modifications to the armaments in the early-C20 and the erection of a Battery Command Post on the fort roof during World War I to operate in conjunction with a Port War Signal Station to the east of Slough Fort. Army withdrew 1920 and fort sold 1929 when used to house a small zoo. Early 1960s change of use to stables. Modern stable buildings and modifications are not of special interest. Note: The listing relates to the main D-shaped fort only. The external earthwork defences, wing batteries, the well protecting wall and the probable gun detachment shelter are protected by scheduled monument status (reference SM 36202).

SOURCES:
Gulvin, K R, Medway Forts, (2000) pp16-17
Saunders, A & Smith, V, Kent's Defence Heritage. (2001 - Kent County Council & English Heritage)
Palmerston Forts Society website: http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk

MAPS AND PLANS:
WO78/4532, 24th August 1892 (National Archives)
160/97, 16th June 1897 (National Archives)
WO/78/4431, 1919 (National Archives)
2nd edition Ordnance Survey map (25": 1 mile) 1898, v/15
Ordnance Survey map (25": 1 mile) 1908, v/15

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
National Monuments Record no. TQ87NW14 (unique identifier 418721)
Kent Sites and Monuments Record no. TQ87NW14 ; KE3201
Armament returns and contemporary fort reports (National Archives)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: Slough Fort is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Embodies both technological developments in armaments and coastal defence during the late-C19 to early-C20 as well as the changing views of the perceived defensive need on the north Kent coast at this time.
* It is a well preserved and relatively intact structure which is unusual in both its original design and subsequent development, and is of more than special interest.

For a full history of the development of the fort and its uses see (6).

This feature is recorded in the English Heritage Historic Area Assessment for Allhallows parish. The report states: "In 1861, land at Slough was acquired for the construction of a fort as part of the major programme of new work initiated by the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom. The fortification at Slough linked the Medway defences, including Grain Fort, with new Thames side forts, such as those at Cliffe, Shornemead and East Tilbury. Built on the higher ground above the Thames foreshore, with sweeping views across the estuary, Slough Fort was completed in 1867. It contained seven gun casements, reflecting a new emphasis on ‘massive firepower and less on elaborate defence’. Innovations in warfare necessitated the construction of two new wing or flanking batteries between 1889 and 1891. These housed faster-firing, less conspicuous guns behind low emplacements, able to ‘pop-up’ when fired and were provided with underground magazines. A Battery Command Post was added to the fort in World War I, which remained in use until it was closed in 1920… Slough Fort and its associated features are in a relatively good state of preservation and have features of interest in their design and subsequent development, as was recognised by their designation in 2009…
The leisure park also contains a number of former military sites. Slough Fort, located to the north of the trackway known as the Brimp which historically linked Avery with Slough, is a two-storey D-shaped structure, built of Kentish ragstone and brick with granite dressings (listed grade II). Its external earthwork defences, wing batteries, well protecting wall, and probable gun detachment shelter are a scheduled monument. The relatively intact fort has had a chequered history since its closure in 1920, converted to a zoo in 1929 and a riding stables in the 1960s (which remains its present use)" (7-9)

<1> OS 1:10000 1972 (OS Card Reference). SKE48157.

<2> The Medway Forts 1976 21-2 (K R Gulvin) (OS Card Reference). SKE50422.

<3> Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 1977 2 21-2 (D Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE43676.

<4> Coast Defences of Eng and Wales 1856-1956 1974 110-12 (IV Hogg) (OS Card Reference). SKE39032.

<5> Ant J 40 1960 153 (AD Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33185.

<6> Victor Smith, 2012, From assertive visibility to concealment - Slough Fort, Allhallows-on-Sea, Kent: A conservation study (Unpublished document). SKE17792.

<7> historic england, 2014, Hoo Peninsula Outline Historic Area Assessment: Allhallows Parish. Research Report 11-2014 (Bibliographic reference). SKE31596.

<8> Kent Defence Research Group, c. 1993, Kent Defence Research Group 'Fort Logs' (Unpublished document). SKE52251.

<9> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Related thematic articles

• The Defence of Kent (Thematic Essay)