Me and man gone wrong were near here and I have never been before. It's a bit trashed but I like Victorian military installations. So it's always nice to visit one and one as intact as this.
With the threat of invasion in the 1800's, with a growing naval threat from France. It was decided to build a defence system around the south east and eastern areas of the countries. This was more of a contingency plan. So basically a stop line was built to cover the country from Surrey around the western side of London and then around too Essex. The stop line must be thought off as a good system, as they basically built a stop line during world war two with pillboxes, barbed wire, concrete tank traps, etc. Fifteen of these these mobilisation centres were built surrounding London to protect the capital. These were all designed along a similar design with the main buildings sunken below ground level with ramparts and spiked fences. At North Weald there is the standard casemates and artillery stores. These are reinforced buildings sitting at the front with other buildings at the rear. The fort was completed in 1904, it was reused during the first world war but was sold in 1919 to Marconi wireless telegraph company. It was used by several companies over the years. During the second world war it was taken over my the government. I did see an Allen Williams turret there, these are quite rare now to see. In 1950 the site was sold to the GPO and the site became disused in the early 90s. Due to the site not being manned permantly there is a caretaker cottage nearby and external stores. These I think still survive or the stores anyway.
We were quite lucky because it's set in a dip the casemates and that are normally extremely flooded out. But after a very dry summer it had dried out considerably allowing us access into most of it.
With the threat of invasion in the 1800's, with a growing naval threat from France. It was decided to build a defence system around the south east and eastern areas of the countries. This was more of a contingency plan. So basically a stop line was built to cover the country from Surrey around the western side of London and then around too Essex. The stop line must be thought off as a good system, as they basically built a stop line during world war two with pillboxes, barbed wire, concrete tank traps, etc. Fifteen of these these mobilisation centres were built surrounding London to protect the capital. These were all designed along a similar design with the main buildings sunken below ground level with ramparts and spiked fences. At North Weald there is the standard casemates and artillery stores. These are reinforced buildings sitting at the front with other buildings at the rear. The fort was completed in 1904, it was reused during the first world war but was sold in 1919 to Marconi wireless telegraph company. It was used by several companies over the years. During the second world war it was taken over my the government. I did see an Allen Williams turret there, these are quite rare now to see. In 1950 the site was sold to the GPO and the site became disused in the early 90s. Due to the site not being manned permantly there is a caretaker cottage nearby and external stores. These I think still survive or the stores anyway.
We were quite lucky because it's set in a dip the casemates and that are normally extremely flooded out. But after a very dry summer it had dried out considerably allowing us access into most of it.
