Fort Amherst's History

Early History

The early settlement of Chatham was huddled around what we now know as St Mary’s church, looking out over the River Medway. Early records indicate a settlement here as far back as the Stone Age over 3,000 years ago! Evidence of Prehistoric, Roman, Jutish and Saxon activity was found during the building of the Chatham Lines and Fort Amherst.

Command of the Oceans

Imagine a time when Britain’s power lay in its dominance of the oceans.

Since Tudor times (over 400 years ago!) Chatham Dockyard built, repaired and maintained Britain’s warships. From the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 to the 20th Century Cold War, Chatham played a vital role.

Britain began to build up its navy during the 17th and 18th centuries. But in June 1667, the Dutch, another strong sea-faring nation, launched an attack up the River Medway. England suffered a terrible naval defeat – with 13 ships destroyed and the fleet’s flagship (The Royal Charles) humiliatingly taken.

Command of the Heights

Immediately the seaward defences were strengthened. However, some people believed that the docks could also be attacked from the landward side – and that the high land around Chatham should be strategically used to protect them.

Land to build fortifications was compulsorily purchased in the early 1700s, but it took an invasion scare by the French in 1756 for work to actually begin. These first ‘Chatham Lines’ built around the dockyard were ditches, earth ramparts and timber revetments.

Unfortunately, the people and buildings of the ancient town of Chatham were in the way. The old town was demolished and rebuilt on the marshland at the bottom of the hill where modern day Chatham is now.

Napoleon: Preparing for War

Napoleonic Wars - 1799 to 1815

The Napoleonic wars were a series of conflicts between European nations and the French Republic, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was ambitious for power. He had risen from the post of artillery officer during the French revolution to become ‘First Emperor of the French’ in 1804. It was vital that Britain was prepared for attack!

During this time, Britain’s navy and soldiers were as well trained as possible; Fort Amherst and the people of Chatham would have been on constant high alert, ever ready for a land-based attack. A British fleet, under Admiral Lord Nelson, fought and defeated the French Navy at sea in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). However, the wars continued until Napoleon was defeated at The Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 by a combined European army commanded by the Duke of Wellington.

Preparation

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Lower Lines were built. Fort Amherst was strengthened with the addition of Spur Battery and Prince William’s Battery (at Chatham’s highest point) and a Horn Work (an Italian style of fortification). The Guardhouse and bridge that protected the roads was also rebuilt. Cannon were placed around what was now commonly known as the Chatham Lines. Cannon must have dry gunpowder - so the Fort Amherst Grand Magazine was built as the main powder store.

Tunnels

Part of the site included a chalk pit with caves. These caves were extended between 1776 and 1805, creating underground tunnels and gun positions that would be well protected in the event of a siege – and allow the enemy to be fired on without being seen. The tunnels were equipped with a well, privies (toilets), gun positions, musket galleries and defendable gateways.

Soldiers Life

Fort Amherst was on high alert. Army life was harsh, and the pay was low, at one shilling a day for a private soldier: not an attractive job! There was no forced enlistment, and most soldiers signed up for the ‘bounty’ of £23 17s 6d. They were expected to get up early, do a variety of jobs and train to fight. The Duke of Wellington famously declared his men to be ‘the scum of the earth’ – adding however, that ‘it is wonderful that we should have made them to the fine fellows they are’. Married soldiers received only a half ration extra of food, but not all wives could stay at the fort with their husbands.

Training ground

After victory at Waterloo, technology quickly changed. Guns were developed with a greater firing range, and in 1820 Chatham’s once ‘state of the art’ defences were declared obsolete.

However, during Victorian times, the entire fortifications were used as a training ground for the British army. In fact, for entertainment, thousands of people descended on Chatham to view these practice sieges, which are described in detail in Charles Dickens’ book, The Pickwick Papers.

World War I & World War II

World War I

The world’s first anti-aircraft guns were mounted here to protect the Dockyard from aircraft and Zeppelins (airships). Fort Amherst and the Chatham Lines were used to train Royal Engineers and other soldiers for battle in France.

World War II

Winston Churchill declared the Chatham area to be a ‘Nodal Point’ to be defended at all costs. The Chatham Lines were adapted to form anti-tank ditches. Antiaircraft guns were installed at Fort Amherst - and used! The tunnels became a civil defence control centre, and a military anti-invasion HQ.

The ARP Role

The Fort Amherst tunnels were adapted for Civil Defence coordination for the North Kent region.

ARP (Air Raid Precautions) was operated by Medway Group Control. Messages were taken by phone, usually by women, and emergency services given instructions of where help was required during an attack. Today, a section of the tunnels has been realistically reconstructed and equipped to demonstrate how people lived and worked in the tunnels during this time.