© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built between 1804 and 1809 as a precautionary fortification against the threat of French invasion. This section of the canal, extending from Bonnington Bridge to Gigger's Green Bridge in Kent, forms part of the wider 28-mile system that runs from Seabrook near Folkestone to Cliff End in East Sussex. The canal was engineered with steep banks and a substantial depth to serve as both a physical barrier and a water-filled obstacle, designed to be defended by infantry and artillery positioned along its length. Today the surviving section represents an important example of early nineteenth-century military engineering and remains a notable landscape feature in the Romney Marsh area.
Royal Military Canal, Bonnington Bridge to Gigger's Green Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005129. View the official record →
The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built between 1804 and 1809 as a precautionary fortification against the threat of French invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005129.
Royal Military Canal, Bonnington Bridge to Gigger's Green Bridge 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 1005129.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Eastbridge Church (2.4 km), World War II underground operational post, 1/3 mile (540m) SW of Chapel Farm (2.9 km), Royal Military Canal, Ham Street Bridge to Bilsington Bridge (4.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Royal Military Canal, Bonnington Bridge to Gigger's Green Bridge's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Royal Military Canal, Bonnington Bridge to Gigger's Green Bridge stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.