Hoo Fort

Hoo Fort, like Fort Darnet, was built on the recommendations of the 1859 Royal Commission. It is located on Hoo Island covering Pinup Reach, the inner navigable channel of the River Medway. Hoo Island sits to the south of the Hoo Peninsula and is within the parish of Hoo, Kent. The fort can be viewed from along the Saxon Shore Way, accessible from Vicarage Lane in Hoo.

Hoo Fort
Rochester, Kent, England
Hoo Fort in the River Medway
Hoo Fort
Coordinates51°24′12″N 00°34′53″E
Site information
OwnerMedway Ports
ConditionIntact
Site history
Built19th century
Built byCaptain Siborne, R.E.,[1]
MaterialsConcrete skirts and brickwork
EventsNever used
Official nameHoo Fort
Designated1 November 1963
Reference no.1019643

History
Hoo Fort with Hoo behind

Originally designed for two tiers of guns mounted in a circle, with a boom strung between Hoo Fort and Fort Darnet, there were many problems with subsidence, and after extensive cost overruns the forts were completed in 1871 with a single tier of eleven 9-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns, and no boom.[2] Each gun was mounted in an individual casemate with heavily armoured firing port.[1]

The forts were decommissioned before the First World War. In the Second World War, the fort was used as an observation post, with platforms and pillboxes built on top. The fort is still in fair condition. It is a Scheduled Monument[3] and is owned by Medway Ports.[1]

References
  1. "Site Name: Hoo Fort". subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  2. "Exploring Kent's past - Hoo Fort". Kent County Council. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  3. "Hoo Fort". Historic England. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
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