A
brief history of the fort
A raid on Chatham Dockyard by a Dutch fleet in 1667 led to
a review of the defences of the South Coast and the Royal
Dockyard at Chatham (known today as the Historic Dockyard.)
Amongst the recommendations eventually implemented in the
1750s was the building of defensive fortifications around
the area known as the Great Lines (to be called in later times
Fort Amherst). These fortifications were designed to protect
the Dockyard from a landward attack and to protect the route
to London (since an invader marching from the Kent Coast could
not afford to leave such a stronghold to threaten its supply
routes). The fort was built on the ditch and rampart principle
as were many others of the period.
The major difference however is the underground tunnel system
(built between 1776 and 1805) linking many areas of the fort
which would provide protection in the event of a siege. At
its peak the garrison had a complement of 125 guns (mainly
24 pounders)
A system of three
defended gateways with ditches (at Chatham, Brompton &
Gillingham) meant that the Dockyard and the other military
barracks of the time could be isolated from the surrounding
towns and countryside.
Today only the Chatham Gatehouse with its reconstruction of
the Napoleonic barracks survive. Unlike many other forts of
the period, Fort Amherst was not modified during Victorian
times and is therefore probably the best surviving example
of Georgian military architecture.
As we know, the
fortifications were never put to the test. However, after
the fort was declared defensively obsolete in 1820, annual
training exercises called the Great Siege Operations were
held at the fort up until the early 1900s. A visit to these
exercise in described in Charles Dickens's Pickwick Papers.
The protection offered by the tunnel system led to their use
during WW II as the local Civil Defence HQ and by the anti
invasion planning unit. There is a reconstruction of the Civil
Defence control room as it was in 1940. It was finally vacated
by the Civil Defence in 1956.
The site was purchased from the M.O.D by Fort Amherst &
Lines Trust in 1980 and opened to the public a couple of years
later. Of the original 142 acres the Trust owns about 20 acres
with half currently being open to the public.
Restored areas
include the tunnels, Gatehouse, Great Barrier Ditch, Haxo
casemate and main magazine as well as many of the original
gun batteries.
There is also a
Civil Defence museum with artifacts from WW II & the Cold
War period and a memorial Garden for the local AA Gunners.
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