Tilbury Fort

The artillery fort at Tilbury on the Thames estuary protected London's seaward approach from the 16th century through to World War II. Henry VIII built the first fort here, and Queen Elizabeth famously rallied her army nearby to face the threat of the Armada. The present fort was begun in 1672 under Charles II: it is much the best example of its type in England, with its complete circuit of moats and bastioned outworks still substantially surviving. The fort mounted powerful artillery to command the river, as well as landward defences. Later, two magazines were constructed to store vast quantities of gunpowder. In one of these a new exhibition traces the role of the fort in the defence of London. Perhaps because of its strength, Tilbury Fort has never been involved in the kind of action for which it was designed. The worst bloodshed within the fort occurred in 1776, when a fight following a Kent-Essex cricket match left a cricketer and the fort's sergeant dead.

Visitors can now enter one of Tilbury's 19th-century magazines through dark and atmospheric passages in the north-east bastion. For those with an interest in military history there are new displays of guns and gunpowder barrels, and information on advances in military engineering.

The recently revised audio tour includes Elizabeth I's Armada speech, and a description of life at the fort by Nathan Makepiece, the fort's Master Gunner.

The recently installed interpretation scheme in the north-east bastion magazine passages, and an interactive oral history programme, provide every visitor with a fascinating new insight into Tilbury.

filming at this site includes Sharpe, the TV historical drama set during the Napoleonic Wars.