Tilbury Fort

Over het museum

Tilbury Fort stands on the north bank of the Thames opposite Gravesend and is one of the best-preserved examples of 17th-century military engineering in England. It began as the West Tilbury blockhouse, one of five gun forts built along the river in 1539-40 under Henry VIII. In 1588 Elizabeth I landed nearby and gave her speech to the army that was waiting for the Spanish Armada.

After a humiliating Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667, Charles II ordered a much larger fort. Sir Bernard de Gomme designed a pentagonal fort with four bastions, a riverside gun battery and two moats, and building began in 1670 and was largely complete by 1685. The fort never fought a battle, but it served as a major gunpowder store and garrison. After the Jacobite rising of 1745, Scottish prisoners were held in its magazine.

New gun positions were added in the 1860s and again in the early 1900s, and the last use of artillery here was an anti-aircraft gun against Zeppelin airships in the First World War. English Heritage now cares for the site. Visitors can walk the ramparts, see the Victorian magazine tunnels, and visit the exhibition on the defence of the Thames.

Hoogtepunten

• Complete circuit of moats and earthworks of a 17th-century bastioned fort
• Victorian gunpowder magazine tunnels
• 'Defending the River' exhibition in the East Gunpowder Magazine
• Militaria exhibition in the Officers' Quarters
• Ramparts with views across the Thames to Gravesend
• Audio tour that includes the oral history of the fort

Vaste collectie

• Defending the River – An exhibition in the East Gunpowder Magazine on the defence of the Thames from before the Tudor period to the Second World War.
• Militaria exhibition – A collection of general militaria displayed in the Officers' Quarters on the first floor.

Opgericht

1539

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The prices are advance online prices without the voluntary donation (Gift Aid) and change by season. On the day the adult ticket costs £10, the concession ticket £9, the child ticket £5 and the family ticket £25, again without donation. Booking online until midnight the day before saves 15 per cent. Entry is free for English Heritage members.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: niet aanwezig
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: niet aanwezig
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Paths are level cobbles, tarmac, gravel and smooth grass, with level access to the magazines, the fort square and some underground workings. The grounds have steep slopes and steps to the ramparts and some gun emplacements, and the parade ground is rough cobbles. The exhibition has level access, but the shop has three steps and there is a narrow staircase to the Officers' Quarters on the first floor. There is no lift. Staircases to the chapel and gatehouse are steep. There are no marked disabled bays, but spaces are usually free near the entrance, and set-down at the entrance is allowed. Wheelchairs can be borrowed. There is an accessible toilet, a picnic table designed for wheelchair users, and an audio tour. Tactile objects include cannons, shells and cannonballs.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte

Children are encouraged to play with the guns on the gun lines, many of which can be turned and adjusted, and the grassy banks are popular with families. Pushchairs are allowed, and baby changing facilities are in the accessible toilet.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The fort is half a mile east of Tilbury off the A126, close to the Port of Tilbury. The what3words address is fancy.spare.clash.

Service & horeca

• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel

The shop in the Guard House sells souvenirs, books and snacks, and serves tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cold drinks; ice cream is sold in summer. Picnics are welcome on the grassed areas, and picnic tables are placed around the site. Dogs on leads are allowed in restricted areas, and assistance dogs are welcome.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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