Appeal for volunteers for a survey of the later defences of the Thames and Medway

The Thames and Medway contain a rich variety of later defense heritage sites. These allow us to trace the evolution of the defensive systems for these strategically important rivers in response to international tensions and developments in weapons technology over more than 500 years. This period spans the first and tentative adaptation of castle walls for firearms in the later medieval era to the sophisticated coastal artillery and anti-aircraft defense systems of the mid-twentieth century and a miscellany of other military and civil defense sites, such as pillboxes, anti-tank obstacles, defense-related industries, air-raid shelters and even posts to monitor radioactive fallout from nuclear attack. The variety is astonishing.

Following earlier studies, more detailed identification and recording has been undertaken since 1994. This work has a particular imperative given the inclusion of the lower stretches of the two rivers and their hinterland within the Government's East Thames Corridor or Thames Gateway economic development zone. The existence of this zone may put a number of sites at risk from demolition, to join those which have disappeared since the 1960s. It is vital to record such sites now and to work to save those for which retention seems justified, either because of their value as representative examples or to preserve cases of rarity.

Already, more than 300 sites have been identified in the Kentish part of the Thames Gateway. From this result and earlier research, three evaluations of the defense heritage asset within the Gateway have been provided at the request of county and national organizations. In addition, two documentary studies have been published in Arch. Cant., another general study by the RCHME and two further reports have been prepared for publication. It is expected that there will be many more publications, including those deriving from major studies just started of the Cold War defenses of Kent and the defenses of Sheerness. As well as this publication activity, accounts of the progress with discovery have been given to some local historical societies. It is hoped that further steps can be taken to sensitize the public and relevant organizations to the importance of the defense heritage asset.

The work is contributing valuable new information to our understanding of the patterns of defense systems, particularly those of the 20th century and is suggesting sites which might justify statutory protection. Moreover, the gradual inclusion of discoveries in the Sites and Monuments Record for Kent provides an invaluable alert to the existence of sites for the purposes of the local authority consideration of planning applications. A Cold War bunker revealed during the summer at Gravesend is the subject of a current conservation initiative. (KAS Newsletter No. 32).

A great deal more work needs to be done in exploring the ground to find further sites and to follow-up clues from documentary research and the results of various newspaper appeals for information. If you like fighting your way through the brambles and clambering over a wide variety of sometimes enigmatic structures - or maybe just delving into the records to unlock some of the mysteries of our defensive past, then this is for you. Any readers interested in taking part in this activity are invited to contact the writer at 65 Stonebridge Road, Northfleet DA11 9BA (Tel: 01474 323415).

Victor Smith
Fighting Your Way