Cliffe Fort - Aug 24

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BikinGlynn

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Cliffe Fort

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Sticking with the fort theme but Im afraid we didn't do it as well as the french as in my prev report.
Cliffe Fort is a artillery fort built in the 1860s to guard the entrance to the River Thames from seaborne attack. Constructed during a period of tension with France, it stands on the south bank of the river at the entrance to Cliffe Creek in the Cliffe marshes on the Hoo Peninsula in North Kent, England.

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Its location on marshy ground caused problems from the start and necessitated changes to its design after the structure begin to crack and subside during construction. The fort was equipped with a variety of large-calibre artillery guns which were intended to support two other nearby Thamesside forts

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A launcher for the Brennan torpedo—which has been described as the world's first practical guided missile—was installed there at the end of the 19th century but was only in active use for a few years.

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Cliffe Fort saw about 60 years of usage as an artillery fort, from its completion in 1870 to its disarmament in 1927. It was repurposed during World War II to serve as an anti-aircraft battery on the approaches to London. The fort's military career ended when it was sold off after the war to the owners of a neighbouring aggregates works. Today it lies derelict, overgrown and heavily flooded. It is not accessible to the public and is in a poor and slowly deteriorating condition which has led it to be listed as an "at risk" heritage asset.

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A pleasant solo visit here while at the local reserve on one of my many weekend road trips. pretty much the same as most of the coastal forts but hasn't been posted for a while so thought Id share.


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thanks For Looking
 
Good work, doesn't seem much has changed over the years. The flooded courtyard is photogenic and it's quite sheltered so it would make a good camping spot in summer.

We went here a few years ago just before we headed to Thamessteel, got the heads up that Tarmac or Brett security sometimes drove up and down the access road from the bird reserve, but didn't see them so we had a climb on the jetty and conveyor bridge afterwards.
 
I went there in 1968 with a school pal, interesting site and was more accessible then. My pal's dad was a manager at the cement works, he dropped us off for a few hours exploration!
 

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