Fort Horsted

En un regard

Le château en bref

Fort Horsted, in the valley of the same name south of Chatham, is the largest of the ring of land forts which, in the late 19th century, was intended to protect the Chatham naval dockyard against an attack from inland. Proposed as early as the 1860 Royal Commission report but postponed for budgetary reasons, it was built between 1879 and 1889 by convicts from Borstal prison. The Kent HER describes it as the last major work of traditional fortification in the country. Built almost entirely of concrete and then covered with chalk and earth, the fort reveals its structure only at the gorge. Its regular pentagonal plan is surrounded by a ditch defended by three counterscarp galleries linked by tunnels. Originally designed for fixed guns, it was ultimately intended for mobile artillery. Considered obsolete around 1910, it remained part of the Chatham defences during both World Wars (a pillbox and anti-aircraft guns in 1914-1918, an anti-aircraft battery and depot in 1939-1945). Protected as a scheduled monument, it is relatively well preserved despite alterations linked to its current commercial use, which have removed some of the original features.