Beyond the Point has been fortunate enough to get a special tour around Fort Amherst, situated in Chatham, back in 2017. With thanks to our tour from volunteer Bill, we got to see both public and private parts of the site including some which are due to be done up later this year thanks to Heritage Lottery funding. Alike a lot of the forts in Kent, the primary purpose was to defend the waterways, weather that be the Thames or Meadway.
The origins for Fort Amherst date back to the 18th Century when plans for a new fort were drawn up following an attack by the Dutch in 1667, who targeted Chatham’s Royal Dockyard. With no forts to protect the highly important site, land for Fort Amherst was purchased in 1714, but it wasn’t until 1755 that work actually commenced. It was the barracks which were built first, including the Prince Williams Bastion.
Since visiting, the trust who manage the site have been fortune enough to have been successful in applying for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and have since made the area much more accessible for family days out.
Click here to view our full photo album on our Facebook Page from 2017.
