So, after visiting the huge quick-firing heavy battery (http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2012/05/05/shoebury-batterygarrison-visit-part-2-big-bunkers/), we proceeded to a pair of Victorian Gunpowder mills, tucked behind a building-type temporary metal fence. Luckily the area was clear, and the fence could be easily slipped out of the rubber base, joining the fences together, so we could quickly slip inside. There was a large possibly victorian outdoor building amongst a building material storage site, which was too fenced off. This is probably why the mills fell within the fence too, yet were still a distance off. It was all probably part of renovation for the garrison. One building was sealed, yet another’s door was open. It consisted of a doorway room with a cupboard, an the main room. In slight lighting from a mobile phone, it became a cosy place. It was immaculate in quality, and featured perspex over some sort of gunpowder funnel coming out of the wall. Along with the other building having lead covering part of its roof, we could tell that some sort of failed renovation project had been carried out on these buildings. The paint inside was immaculate, and all the little pegs existed on the walls for various items.
With a nice warm dim lamp, I could have lived inside there! A few cobwebs did cover the corners however.
The two mills happened to stand on what I only recently found out to be a Viking rampart/some kind of earthen wall to defend a Viking base. This was a nice thing to know, but a little too late to be able to embrace whilst we were there. The Vikings were essentially travelling raiders by boat, and with Scandinavia opposite the Thames, you can see why they might have ended up having a look around this area.
The possibly Victorian out-building
The two mills with earthen Viking rampart behind
The inaccessible mill with signs of later redevelopment attempts
Da boys in da house
The accessible one
The door-room looking into the main room
Various internal shots:
Some later reinforced device probably for gunpowder linked between the two rooms
Next on the trip was the various WW2 defence buildings on the seafront, and later the Cold War anti-submarine boom, so keep your eyes peeled.
For pictures of the whole day from me, go to these addresses:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.334559163232954.78255.238743826147822&type=3
And for Joe’s go here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.334429693245901.78232.238743826147822&type=3
This is at the garrison right? My mate has a house there in the Officer’s Mess! Its the one on the end! The HUGE ONE!
Yes it is!