Tilbury Fort

On the north bank of the River Thames, Tilbury Fort in Essex was once surrounded by bleak marshland, now almost entirely  replaced by commercial and industrial development. Henry VIII built the first fort here in 1539-40 and, in nearby West Tilbury, Elizabeth I rallied her makeshift army as it awaited the Armada in 1588. The present fort was begun in 1672 in the reign of Charles II. The fort's artillery was designed to stop warships getting up the river to Londonwhile its garrison was intended to prevent an attack by land. In 1716, two magazines were built to store vast quantities of government gunpowder, destined for the fighting forces of the emerging British Empire. After the failure of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, Scots prisoners were confined at Tilbury and are commemorated here. Long years of quiet garrison were succeeded by modernisation; in the 1870s for gigantic rifled guns capable of defending the river against ironclad warships; around 1902 for new artillery capable of fighting faster vessels. In the same period, the fort became an important supply base, containing equipment for a field army to fight any invader. The fort accommodated and supplied troops destined for the trenches in the First World War and remained in military hands until 1950.

 Work on improving the presentation of the site is continuing over the next year, with financial support from the European Community. Our field archaeologists are currently producing a new survey of the whole site to provide an up-to-date analysis of how the fort has developed and changed over time. This new information will contribute to new display panels which will enable visitors to gain a better understanding of what they see at Tilbury today.

At present, many of the fort's buildings are undergoing conservation work, while interpretation facilities are being improved for visitors. So far, we have installed new signs around the fort, commissioned a reconstruction painting of the fort as it would have appeared in 1904, produced a new guidebook and installed a new exhibition on site, all of which provide visitors with an insight to the life of the fort and its soldiers.  A new audio guide will be available soon.

To find out more about the English Heritage research, contact Paul Pattison in English Heritage's Cambridge Office on 01223 582776 or e-mail paul.pattison@english-heritage.org.uk.

Today, Tilbury Fort is looked after by English Heritage and is open to the public.