Hi there, first post, wooo!
These are photos I took in early February 2009 of the Victorian & WW2 defences of the then Royal Naval Dockyard:
Background
After Dutch Raid on the Medway Samuel Pepys orderd the construction of a new Naval Dockyard to be located at sheerness, Isle of Sheppy. Construction of the first drydock was completed in 1708 and from then to 1960 the base remained in Royal Naval ownership.
The dockyard expanded over the next 200 years and was a key base for the Navy's Nore Command right up until closure. With its commanding views over the River Medway, as well as the valuable asset that the dockyard was itself numerous defences were constructed. Ranging from a Star Fort, Victorian Gun batteries, two Victorian Artillery Forts (including a Martello tower) as well as later WW2 era bunkers, observation posts and a command building for the medway defences. In the event of a German invasion mines would be blown up across the entire width of the channel by remote control at sheerness.
The dockyard closed in 1960 and is now sheerness port which handles a large amount of international trade, particularly in automobiles. The site is currently owned by Medway Ports.
The Photos
17th Century Starfort remains
sane as above looking toward the martello towers & control tower.
Observation post for a long gone artillery piece
same post taken from the inside where the gun would have sat.
control room for the gun positions above, there are the remains of some sort of electrical board in the top left of the shot.
Victorian Martello tower with later WW2 observation post (or Gun Battery?)looking out into the channel
Same Martello tower as above with control tower behind it. its top stories (those visible from the sea) are made to look as if they were a small house, sneaky eh?
Control tower still in pretty good nick, from here hundreds of naval mines would have been detonated if the Germans tried to invade.
Victorian Martello tower with a later observation point added on top.
Looking out from a small concrete observation post toward the Medway\Thames Estuary
WW2 small gun position with original metal blinds that would originally have slid back for the gun to fire, now they are rusted solid and the place seems to have been used by a tramp as a squat at some point.
inside part of the Victorian defences, there are a number of solid brick bunkers and tunnels, I thought this might have been a store room?
Alas, I forgot my flashgun
so couldnt take any of the victorian magazines or the shell hoist still intact!
Hopefully I will be able to update this next month after I have gone back, flashgun in hand!
These are photos I took in early February 2009 of the Victorian & WW2 defences of the then Royal Naval Dockyard:
Background
After Dutch Raid on the Medway Samuel Pepys orderd the construction of a new Naval Dockyard to be located at sheerness, Isle of Sheppy. Construction of the first drydock was completed in 1708 and from then to 1960 the base remained in Royal Naval ownership.
The dockyard expanded over the next 200 years and was a key base for the Navy's Nore Command right up until closure. With its commanding views over the River Medway, as well as the valuable asset that the dockyard was itself numerous defences were constructed. Ranging from a Star Fort, Victorian Gun batteries, two Victorian Artillery Forts (including a Martello tower) as well as later WW2 era bunkers, observation posts and a command building for the medway defences. In the event of a German invasion mines would be blown up across the entire width of the channel by remote control at sheerness.
The dockyard closed in 1960 and is now sheerness port which handles a large amount of international trade, particularly in automobiles. The site is currently owned by Medway Ports.
The Photos
17th Century Starfort remains
sane as above looking toward the martello towers & control tower.
Observation post for a long gone artillery piece
same post taken from the inside where the gun would have sat.
control room for the gun positions above, there are the remains of some sort of electrical board in the top left of the shot.
Victorian Martello tower with later WW2 observation post (or Gun Battery?)looking out into the channel
Same Martello tower as above with control tower behind it. its top stories (those visible from the sea) are made to look as if they were a small house, sneaky eh?
Control tower still in pretty good nick, from here hundreds of naval mines would have been detonated if the Germans tried to invade.
Victorian Martello tower with a later observation point added on top.
Looking out from a small concrete observation post toward the Medway\Thames Estuary
WW2 small gun position with original metal blinds that would originally have slid back for the gun to fire, now they are rusted solid and the place seems to have been used by a tramp as a squat at some point.
inside part of the Victorian defences, there are a number of solid brick bunkers and tunnels, I thought this might have been a store room?
Alas, I forgot my flashgun
so couldnt take any of the victorian magazines or the shell hoist still intact!Hopefully I will be able to update this next month after I have gone back, flashgun in hand!
