Fancy a Fort?
Grain Tower Battery in the River Medway Estuary
Issue: 2 Date: 3rd April 2019
A copy free feature of the Grain Tower Battery built in the 19th century on shingle off the foreshore of the Isle-of-Grain on the Hoo peninsular
Grain Tower Battery (September 2007)
The Artillery Tower was strategically placed at the Estuary of the confluence of the Rivers Medway and Thames to protect the important Sheerness & Chatham Docks during the Napoleonic Wars with France
| WW11
Crew Accommodation with blockhouse (left) |
WW11
Observation Tower |
The Grain Tower Battery around 1,600 feet offshore was based on the earlier design of the Martello Towers which are scattered along the south east and southern shores of the UK
Grain Battery Tower at full tide, beyond Kentish Flats Wind Farm
Where are we?
Location Grain Tower Battery
Grain Tower Battery
Causeway to Grain Tower Battery
Though firmly sited in the mouth of the River Medway the Tower boasts the address #1 The Thames, Sheerness, ME3
A muddy trek! (Photograph WT Architecture)
Sheerness
Docks, Garrison Point and the redundant Ferry Terminal
Constructed
of granite and brick, completed in 1855 (carved into stone above main entrance
door arch) it would have been armed with a 56lb and a pair of 32lb cannon Grain
Tower Battery from the Causeway Grain
Battery Steps Note the
heavy chain embedded into the circumference of the Fort base which formed part
of the Medway Chain Boom stretching across the mouth of the river to Garrison
Point Fort on the opposite bank Smashed
Urinal Modified
between 1910-1912 to take a pair of 4.7" QF (Quick Fire) guns, and again in
WW11 with the addition of Direction Finding equipment crew room, accommodation
block and a twin 6lb quick firing heavy gun What
a view! from top of observation tower (Photograph SWNS.Com) Decommissioned
in 1956 it's remained derelict With adventurous
ideas, the listed National Monument was purchased by Chatham born Simon Cooper
in 2004 from Crown Estates 6lb
twin gun mount and track View
towards Sheerness Docks Much like
notions for recreational use of the Maunsell Sea Forts Simon's plans came to
nothing Quick
firing 6lb Heavy Gun Mount Press
Report (16th May 2010) The Tower
was put on the market in 2010 and was still of sale priced at £500.000
(September 2014) Fisheye
view of the Grain Tower Battery and Grain Power Station (River Homes) N.B Power
station demolished at 11am 7th September 2016 Low
tide the Grain Tower Battery sits on a shingle bank about 1km offshore Note chains
again used to secure the western end of the boom which ran across the Medway
to Sheerness Evening
falls from the causeway Access can
be gained across a rutted and broken muddy causeway on foot at low tide, with
a climb Contemplate
a purchase? Estimates
in excess of £1 million are given to refurbish the Tower as a private
residence, an Offshore Hotel, outdoor pursuit centre, film location, nightclub,
casino (Where have we heard that before) Riverside
with WWII Observation Post and Blockhouse (13th August 2017) Upstream
slightly east of Tower, clearly shows WWII additions (13th August 2017) Close-up
of the Seabed Chain Boom which was pulled up from across the mouth of the River
to rip the hulls of wooden sailing vessels (13th August 2017) Unwelcome
neighbour; wreck of the SS Richard Montgomory Richard Montgomery on the edge
of the Nore (1985) Not for
the faint hearted, Grain Tower Battery has no power, running water, plumbing
or gas supply Additional
photographs are credited where available See the
features on all the Thames Estuary Towers in Fort
Fax
Blockhouse
Latrines
