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Coalhouse Fort

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:46 am
by kentpara
Coalhouse Fort is a Victorian coastal defence fort set in parkland next to the river Thames at East Tilbury, Essex in the United Kingdom. The fort was completed in 1874, on the site of previous gun batteries, to defend the approaches to London from the perceived threat of invasion from France and other continental powers. It is one of many such forts and batteries built in response to the recommendations of a Royal Commission of 1860 and are now referred to as Palmerston Forts. Over the years many of these forts have been demolished or radically altered but Coalhouse, although modified to take more modern armament, has kept much of its original architectural form. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of an armoured casemated fort in the United Kingdom.
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Coalhouse Fort, rather the area that it was built on, has had over 600 years of military history associated there. The current fort was completed in 1874 defending the River Thames and ultimately London. It is one of the Palmerston forts, built from a recommendation of the Royal Commission in 1860 for protection, mainly the French! Continuing it's defensive role through the two World Wars it was eventually sold by the MOD to Thurrock Council in 1962. The council have leased out the fort since 1983 to the Coalhouse Fort Project, a charity will the ultimate aim of restoring it to it's former glory as a military garrison.
Many of the volunteers that work at the fort have been witness to various paranormal and unexplained occurrences.