The History
Hoo Fort was one of the many Palmerston Forts built across the country following the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, which decided that hundreds of forts and batteries should be built across the UK's coastline incase of an invasion by France, named after Lord Palmerston the Prime Minister. It's questionable if this was ever worth it as each fort is of considerable stone construction and arguably 'had no practical value' with the invasion risk seeming unlikely. The scheme must've cost many millions in tax, especially during a time of such social disparity. Hope Fort itself was one of the forts built surrounding Chatham to defend the Royal Dockyard, and Fort Darnet was built similarly to Hoo in the mouth of the Medway. The fort was completed in 1871 for one tier of eleven 9-inch rifled muzzle loading guns facing 360 degrees, although another storey above was also proposed. The lower level was for accomodating the troops.
The Explore
It began very early on a late summers morning to catch the tide and allow enough time to get back at the next tide after exploring. I was very hungover after having been out for a curry and more than a few drinks the night previous. We successfully canoed to the island, and finally made it to the fort to find it's lower level unusually flooded. Being the only one with waders, I had to lead the way across the underwater drawbridge pit and lend my tripod for balance, directing the party of three across the rubble 'stepping stones' bridging the gap. Pretty gnarly, I'm glad I didn't have to go across in my trousers. Once inside we were immediately met with a stunning Indiana Jones-esque image of a lost temple -a green layer of pond-weed floated on the water's surface at the foot of the fort's monolithic central column, crumbling ornate brick archways stood overhead and a set of ivy-covered old brick steps lead up Infront of us. We explored both levels and found barely any graffiti. It made for excellent photography material and was truly stunning.
Our way back would be less smooth. As we got back to the boats after walking across the largely abandoned island, we realised the tide was already coming in. Damn! We tried to get the boat out several feet across the mud but started sinking into the thick black and very soft layer of silt, a lot less firm than what I'm used to on the Essex side of the Thames which you can just about walk on. Long story short, we only had a brunch bar each in our bags and had to survive on foraged blackberries and samphire until 8pm when it started to get dark. We built a jetty of wooden debris out into the river to get us as close as possible when the tide came near, and swiftly rowed across the Medway. It got extremely dark and choppy very fast and we got swept further down the coast, so had to fight the tide to make it to the slipway guided only by the distant light of a sailing club. It was my birthday the next day and frankly I felt lucky to see 25.
Hoo Fort was one of the many Palmerston Forts built across the country following the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, which decided that hundreds of forts and batteries should be built across the UK's coastline incase of an invasion by France, named after Lord Palmerston the Prime Minister. It's questionable if this was ever worth it as each fort is of considerable stone construction and arguably 'had no practical value' with the invasion risk seeming unlikely. The scheme must've cost many millions in tax, especially during a time of such social disparity. Hope Fort itself was one of the forts built surrounding Chatham to defend the Royal Dockyard, and Fort Darnet was built similarly to Hoo in the mouth of the Medway. The fort was completed in 1871 for one tier of eleven 9-inch rifled muzzle loading guns facing 360 degrees, although another storey above was also proposed. The lower level was for accomodating the troops.
The Explore
It began very early on a late summers morning to catch the tide and allow enough time to get back at the next tide after exploring. I was very hungover after having been out for a curry and more than a few drinks the night previous. We successfully canoed to the island, and finally made it to the fort to find it's lower level unusually flooded. Being the only one with waders, I had to lead the way across the underwater drawbridge pit and lend my tripod for balance, directing the party of three across the rubble 'stepping stones' bridging the gap. Pretty gnarly, I'm glad I didn't have to go across in my trousers. Once inside we were immediately met with a stunning Indiana Jones-esque image of a lost temple -a green layer of pond-weed floated on the water's surface at the foot of the fort's monolithic central column, crumbling ornate brick archways stood overhead and a set of ivy-covered old brick steps lead up Infront of us. We explored both levels and found barely any graffiti. It made for excellent photography material and was truly stunning.
Our way back would be less smooth. As we got back to the boats after walking across the largely abandoned island, we realised the tide was already coming in. Damn! We tried to get the boat out several feet across the mud but started sinking into the thick black and very soft layer of silt, a lot less firm than what I'm used to on the Essex side of the Thames which you can just about walk on. Long story short, we only had a brunch bar each in our bags and had to survive on foraged blackberries and samphire until 8pm when it started to get dark. We built a jetty of wooden debris out into the river to get us as close as possible when the tide came near, and swiftly rowed across the Medway. It got extremely dark and choppy very fast and we got swept further down the coast, so had to fight the tide to make it to the slipway guided only by the distant light of a sailing club. It was my birthday the next day and frankly I felt lucky to see 25.
