The Gravesend blockhouse, built opposite Tilbury in 1539, completed the twin-battery defence of the critical Thames narrows where the river narrows to barely half a mile. Any enemy vessel attempting to sail upriver to London would face artillery fire from both banks simultaneously. The Gravesend position gave its name to the town Gravesend and the reach of the Thames, and the principle of cross-river fire it embodied remained central to Thames defence planning for the next three centuries.
None recorded
Small garrison; artillery working with Tilbury blockhouse
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