Tilbury and Coalhouse Forts 5Sep25 скачать в хорошем качестве

Tilbury and Coalhouse Forts 5Sep25

Tilbury and Coalhouse Forts 5 Sep 25 Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury, Essex, is a striking example of Victorian military architecture, built between 1861 and 1874 to defend the Thames against potential French invasion. Positioned strategically on the river’s north bank, it was part of a defensive triangle with Shornemead and Cliffe Forts across the water. Though its cutting-edge artillery and granite casemates were soon outpaced by rapid technological advances, the fort remained in military use through World War II before being decommissioned in 1949. Today, it stands as a heritage site, echoing centuries of coastal defence history dating back to Henry VIII’s blockhouses and earlier medieval ramparts. *Tilbury Fort, located on the north bank of the Thames in Essex, is one of England’s finest surviving examples of 17th-century military engineering. Originally built by Henry VIII as a blockhouse in the 1530s to defend London from naval attack, it was dramatically redesigned in the 1670s by Sir Bernard de Gomme into a star-shaped fortress with moats and angular bastions. The site played a symbolic role in 1588 when Queen Elizabeth I rallied her troops nearby to face the Spanish Armada. Though its defences were never tested in battle, Tilbury Fort remained active through both World Wars and now stands as a testament to centuries of coastal defence, managed by English Heritage.