Scheduled Monuments›England›Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences

Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences

England

List entry 1013943

Nation

England

The designation

Reference

List entry 1013943

Authority

Historic England (NHLE)

Status

Scheduled Monument

Scheduled area

18.26 hectares

Grid reference

TQ 69069 76653

Boundary

Scheduled area

Overview

History & significance

Coalhouse Fort is a 19th-century artillery fortification located at East Tilbury on the Thames estuary in Essex, England. Built between 1861 and 1874, it represents a significant example of Victorian-era coastal defence architecture, constructed to protect the approach to London from potential naval attack during a period of heightened international tensions. The fort comprises a substantial casemated battery with multiple gun emplacements, designed to accommodate modern rifled artillery pieces of the period. Its robust masonry construction and strategic position on the river have ensured its survival as one of the best-preserved examples of mid-Victorian Thames-side defences.

Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1013943. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences?

Coalhouse Fort is a 19th-century artillery fortification located at East Tilbury on the Thames estuary in Essex, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1013943.

Who is responsible for protecting Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences?

Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1013943.

What other scheduled monuments are near Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Romano-British villa and 19th century reservoir in Cobham Park (7.3 km), Bowl barrow in Ashenbank Wood south of Cobham Park reservoir (7.5 km), World War II Heavy Anti-aircraft gunsite (TS15), 250m east of Cobhambury Farm (8.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview

An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.

Monuments

The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.

Battlefields

The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.

Roman Britain

The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.

Domesday

The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.

Civil War

The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.

LiDAR

Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.

Local Names

What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.

Historical Maps

Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.

Literature

The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.

Legal

The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.

Spotlight

A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.

Target Zones

For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.

Timeline

The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.

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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Romano-British villa and 19th century reservoir in Cobham Park

7.3 km

Bowl barrow in Ashenbank Wood south of Cobham Park reservoir

7.5 km

World War II Heavy Anti-aircraft gunsite (TS15), 250m east of Cobhambury Farm

8.5 km

Deserted medieval manorial settlement of Cossington

The ground beneath

The bedrock under Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences

Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defences

RochesterRoman town · ~5.9 miles LondonRoman town · ~22.7 miles Battle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~21.1 miles

Domesday entry for Gravesend, Essex →

All Scheduled Monuments