Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Georgian in date Fort Moncrieff battery. Built in 1798 it was a self-contained triangular fort on a small scale, similar to the Dungeness batteries. The terreplein, slightly raised to give command of the sea, accommodated eight 24-pounders, and a brick loop-holed wall 3.5 metres high extended from the corners of the terreplein to form a sharp point at the rear. The main entrance, guardroom and ancillary buildings were spaced along the exterior walls. It was undermined by the sea by 1870 and washed away shortly after. No earthwork features were visible on the available historical aerial photographs but the fort is shown as an outline on the Ordnance Survey Map (1873-1881).

Monument Types

• COASTAL BATTERY (Post Medieval - 1714 AD to 1836 AD)

Full description

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TR 141340. Fort Moncrieff Battery. 1798, having 8 x 24 pounders. (1)

The battery of 1798 was a self-contained triangular fort on a small scale, similar to the Dungeness batteries. The terreplein, slightly raised to give command of the sea, accomodated eight 24-pounders, and a brick loop-holed wall 3.5 metres high extended from the corners of the terreplein to form a sharp point at the rear. The main entrance, guardroom and ancillary buildings were spaced along the exterior walls. Undermined by the sea by 1870 and washed away shortly after. (2)

The Fort Moncrieff battery referred to above (Soucres 1-2) is shown on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map (1873-1881) located at TR 1404 3300 and as a sketched outline on the north side. No earthwork features were visible on the available historical aerial photographs, but an upstanding building, possibly part of the east wing (Source 5) is visible on the 1940s aerial photographs. These photos were viewed and the building mapped as part of the South East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment NMP. The building appears on recent aerial photographs, to have been demolished. The area around the battery was altered to accommodate later firing ranges, which is part of the Hythe Firing ranges (Monument Number 1531850). (3-5)

<1> Bennett, D., 1977, A Handbook of Kent's Defences 1540-1945 (Monograph). SKE7811.

<2> Fortress Study Group, Fort : the international journal of fortification and military architecture, 16, 1988 pp 93 (Serial). SWX23586.

<3> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date) (Unspecified Type). SWX23640.

<4> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (Unspecified Type). SWX23852.

<5> Externally held archive reference (Unspecified Type). SWX23572.

Sources and further reading