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The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically between 1804 and 1807, as a precaution against potential French invasion. The section running between Kenardington Bridge and Warehorne Bridge in Kent forms part of this strategically important linear fortification, which stretched across the Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh areas. The canal itself served as an anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacle, designed to impede any hostile forces landing on the Kent coast, and was accompanied by a towpath on its inner bank to facilitate the movement of defenders. Today this stretch survives as a significant example of early nineteenth-century military engineering, retaining much of its original physical form despite the passage of two centuries.
Royal Military Canal, Kenardington Bridge to Warehorne Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005125. View the official record →
The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically between 1804 and 1807, as a precaution against potential French invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005125.
Royal Military Canal, Kenardington Bridge to Warehorne 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 1005125.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Royal Military Canal, Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street Bridge (1.4 km), Royal Military Canal, Appledore Bridge to Kenardington Bridge (2.3 km), Part of the Rhee Wall, a medieval canal, at Snargate (2.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Royal Military Canal, Kenardington Bridge to Warehorne 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, Kenardington Bridge to Warehorne Bridge stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.