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The Royal Military Canal, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone is a defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. Built between 1804 and 1806, the canal formed part of a wider defensive system designed to protect the Kent coast against potential French invasion. The structure consists of an earthwork canal with associated embankments, extending through the Folkestone area and forming a significant example of early nineteenth-century military engineering. The canal remains a notable landscape feature and represents an important phase in Britain's coastal defence strategy during the Napoleonic period.
Royal Military Canal, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003558. View the official record →
The Royal Military Canal, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone is a defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003558.
Royal Military Canal, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone 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 1003558.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rye town walls (6.9 km), Water tower in churchyard (7 km), Ypres Tower and part of Rye Town Wall (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Royal Military Canal, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone'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, Kent Ditch to Heron House, Folkestone stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.