The first Tilbury blockhouse, built in 1539 as part of Henry VIII national coastal defence programme, established the principle of twin artillery batteries covering the Thames narrows from both banks. This principle was the direct ancestor of the later Tilbury Fort, built under Charles II, and of the massive camp established at Tilbury in 1588 to resist the Armada. The 1539 fortification was the first serious artillery defence of the Thames approach to London.
None recorded
Small garrison of gunners; artillery covering the Thames narrows
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