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The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built between 1804 and 1809 as a precautionary measure against potential French invasion. The section from Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street Bridge forms part of this linear fortification that extends across the Romney Marsh in Kent. The canal served both a military function as an anti-invasion barrier and a practical role in drainage and land management for the low-lying marshy terrain. The surviving stretch between these two bridges preserves evidence of early nineteenth-century military engineering and remains a significant landscape feature of the period.
Royal Military Canal, Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005126. 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 measure against potential French invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005126.
Royal Military Canal, Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street 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 1005126.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Royal Military Canal, Kenardington Bridge to Warehorne Bridge (1.4 km), Royal Military Canal, Ham Street Bridge to Bilsington Bridge (2.6 km), Part of the Rhee Wall, a medieval canal, at Snargate (3.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Royal Military Canal, Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street 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, Warehorne Bridge to Ham Street Bridge stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.