Garrison Point Fort - 2017
The fort was constructed in response to a naval arms race between Britain and France. Britain's coastal defences had not been substantially upgraded since the Napoleonic Wars. The Thames was seen as particularly vulnerable.
Garrison Point Fort was initially armed with 9-inch and 10-inch rifled muzzle loader (RML) guns. By 1880 its armament had been expanded to include 9-inch, 10-inch, 11-inch and 12.5-inch RMLs. A Brennan torpedo station, used to launch wire-guided torpedoes, was added to the fort's structure in 1884 and remained in use until around 1906. The RMLs were obsolete by the end of the 19th century and had been removed by 1896, when the casemates were all converted to barracks and stores. In 1909 two 6-inch Mk. VII breech-loading guns were mounted on the fort's roof and four 12-pdr. quick-firing guns were installed in a lower tier of the casemates.
A coastal artillery searchlight and concrete magazine were constructed to the east of the fort during the First World War, along with a machine-gun pillbox that no longer survives. Garrison Point Fort remained in service through the Second World War and was re-armed with two twin 6-pounder Quick Firing (QF) guns to defend against fast-moving attackers such as E-boats and destroyers.
After the war, the fort was used by the Royal Navy Auxiliary Service as an emergency port control centre in the event of a nuclear war. Part of the fort's disused magazine was converted into a bunker housing nuclear defence officials. The fort was decommissioned in 1956.
The fort has been a Grade II listed building since 1977 and is part of the wider system of the Sheerness defences, listed as a scheduled monument.It is owned by the operators of the Sheerness Docks, and is not publicly accessible as it lies within the port area. It was used for a time in the 1980s as a terminal for a now-defunct ferry service to the Continent. A navigational radar control tower was installed on the fort's roof in 1962.
Garrison Point Fort is reportedly in a state of "slow decay" which has led it to be listed on the Heritage At Risk Register.
Garrison Point Fort was initially armed with 9-inch and 10-inch rifled muzzle loader (RML) guns. By 1880 its armament had been expanded to include 9-inch, 10-inch, 11-inch and 12.5-inch RMLs. A Brennan torpedo station, used to launch wire-guided torpedoes, was added to the fort's structure in 1884 and remained in use until around 1906. The RMLs were obsolete by the end of the 19th century and had been removed by 1896, when the casemates were all converted to barracks and stores. In 1909 two 6-inch Mk. VII breech-loading guns were mounted on the fort's roof and four 12-pdr. quick-firing guns were installed in a lower tier of the casemates.
A coastal artillery searchlight and concrete magazine were constructed to the east of the fort during the First World War, along with a machine-gun pillbox that no longer survives. Garrison Point Fort remained in service through the Second World War and was re-armed with two twin 6-pounder Quick Firing (QF) guns to defend against fast-moving attackers such as E-boats and destroyers.
After the war, the fort was used by the Royal Navy Auxiliary Service as an emergency port control centre in the event of a nuclear war. Part of the fort's disused magazine was converted into a bunker housing nuclear defence officials. The fort was decommissioned in 1956.
The fort has been a Grade II listed building since 1977 and is part of the wider system of the Sheerness defences, listed as a scheduled monument.It is owned by the operators of the Sheerness Docks, and is not publicly accessible as it lies within the port area. It was used for a time in the 1980s as a terminal for a now-defunct ferry service to the Continent. A navigational radar control tower was installed on the fort's roof in 1962.
Garrison Point Fort is reportedly in a state of "slow decay" which has led it to be listed on the Heritage At Risk Register.