Garrison Point Fort | |
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Sheerness, Kent, England | |
Coordinates | 51°26′49″N 0°44′40″E / 51.4469°N 0.74441°E |
Type | Fortification |
Site information | |
Owner | Medway Ports Ltd |
Condition | Intact |
Site history | |
Built | 1861–72 |
Built by | United Kingdom |
In use | 1872–1956 |
Materials | Concrete, granite, brick |
Garrison Point Fort is a former artillery fort situated at the end of the Garrison Point peninsula at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Built in the 1860s in response to concerns about a possible French invasion, it was the last in a series of artillery batteries that had existed on the site since the mid-16th century. The fort's position enabled it to guard the strategic point where the River Medway meets the Thames. It is a rare example of a two-tiered casemated fort – one of only two of that era in the country – with a design that is otherwise similar to that of several of the other forts along the lower Thames.[1] It remained operational until 1956 and is now used by the Sheerness Docks as a port installation.