Royal Military Canal, West Hythe Bridge to Scanlon's Bridge

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built between 1804 and 1807 as a protection against the threat of French invasion. The canal extends for approximately twenty-eight miles across the Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh in Kent, with the section between West Hythe Bridge and Scanlon's Bridge forming part of this continuous fortification. The canal served both as a military obstacle and as a means of rapid troop deployment, featuring a towpath on its inner bank to facilitate the movement of soldiers and supplies. This engineering work represents a significant example of early nineteenth-century military architecture adapted to the particular topography of the Kentish marshland.

Royal Military Canal, West Hythe Bridge to Scanlon's Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005114. View the official record →

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